One Fun Sun: A Bright Beginning for Art, Phonics and Maths

One Fun Sun! An Easy Directed Drawing for the Short u Word Family and Early Back-to-School Learning

There's something magical about creating a bright, happy sun together! This One Fun Sun Directed Drawing Pack is a simple art activity that blends literacy, maths, handwriting, writing and creativity into one joyful lesson your students will be proud of.

If you're introducing the short u sound and the -un word family, this activity fits perfectly. Students create one big, happy sun before completing the included writing pages, tracing page, colouring page and an art reflection. Everything is ready to print, making it an easy lesson to add to your week.

I also love using this activity early in the school year because it naturally connects with so many important foundation skills.

Three Quick Art Lesson Tips for the Beginning of the School Year

1. Connect Art with Early Maths

A "One Fun Sun" is the perfect way to introduce the number 1.

As you draw together, invite children to look for things that there is only one of.

• One sun
• One nose
• One mouth
• One lollipop
• One rainbow
• One backpack

Talk about one and more than one, compare collections and begin simple sorting activities. It's an engaging way to build early mathematical thinking through art.

A fun extension is to draw one lollipop with the sun. A lollipop has just one stick, making it another great connection to the number one. Perhaps your Fun Sun is on the way to a party!

2. Build Strong Handwriting Habits

The number 1 is a wonderful number to introduce because it uses a simple downstroke - one of the very first handwriting movements children learn.

You can also connect this movement to letters such as l and i, helping students notice that the same stroke appears in both numbers and letters.

These little connections help children see handwriting patterns while they're having fun creating artwork.

3. Let Students Add Their Own Ideas

Once everyone has drawn their smiling sun, invite children to make it unique.

• Will their Fun Sun wear sunglasses?
• Hold one lollipop?
• Wear a party hat?
• Smile with big rosy cheeks?

Finish the lesson by creating a class chart about our favorite ways to have fun at school. Students can share ideas such as reading, painting, playing outside, building with blocks or singing together. It's a lovely way to build classroom community during the first weeks of school.

Easy Art Materials

We used black marker and paint, but this project looks wonderful with almost any medium.

Try:

• Chalk on coloured paper
• Bright markers
• Crayons
• Oil pastels
• Thick poster paint

The simple shapes and bold lines make this an achievable drawing for young artists while creating a colourful classroom display that really brightens your room.

If you're looking for an engaging activity that combines phonics, early maths, handwriting, writing and art, this printable pack is ready whenever you are.

Happy drawing!