Kente Cloth (Africa)

Multicultural Art Lesson Plans

Lesson plan developed by Aurora Tollestrup, BS Ed

Activity:

Age Group:

Preschool

* Lesson plan objectives and assessments can be adapted to use this activity with school-age children

Kente Cloth (Africa)

Objectives:

Children will create an African Kente cloth representing important things in their lives in a creative way.

CDA Competency Standard:

II.7.4a

Candidate promotes individual expression and creativity
a. Encourages creative self-expression in children’s activities

Materials:

Construction paper
Construction paper strips of varying widths
Glue
The book Kente Colors by Debbi Chocolate

Procedure:

Read the book Kente Colors by Debbi Chocolate in a developmentally appropriate way going through the book on a picture walk upon completion. Point out the kente cloth patterns and colors during the picture walk.
Invite children to create their own kente clothes from the paper strips by weaving them together. Provide a demonstration of how to do the weaving. Some children may need assistance weaving their strips of paper, and that’s quite alright. Encourage children to choose colors for their cloth based on representations of things that are important to them. Ask questions such as “What does green make you think of?” or “Why did you choose only one strip of blue?”
You will find that the children will soon choose strips based on things that are meaningful in their lives.

Assessment:

Observe and record children’s expression and creativity as well as their willingness to create a piece with representations of themselves. Consider the conversations that you had with the children as part of your assessment.

Note: Please provide appropriate supervision to the children in your care when completing all activities. You will need to decide what types of activities are safe for the children in your care. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when providing art and sensory experiences for children. Infants and toddlers require special precaution, only use non-toxic materials, and do not allow young children to put things in their mouths that are a choking hazard.