Introduce your pupils to the colourful world of Madhubani art, one of India’s best-known folk art traditions. In this engaging art project, children will create a beautifully decorated elephant using bold colours, repeating patterns and their own creative ideas while exploring the distinctive style of traditional Indian art.

This resource is designed to be flexible for different ages and abilities. Pupils can create a highly detailed Madhubani-inspired design or complete a simpler version with fewer decorative patterns, making it ideal for a wide range of year groups, lesson lengths and classroom settings. The project can be completed using watercolours, coloured pencils, felt-tip pens, crayons or mixed media, allowing teachers to use the materials they already have available.

What’s Included
Step-by-step teacher instructions
Supply list with flexible material options
Two completed project examples
Four printable elephant templates
Suggestions for adapting the activity for different ages and lesson times

Ideal For
Primary Art
KS1 & KS2
India Topic
World Cultures
Cross-curricular Learning
Art Clubs
Cover Lessons
Home Education

Through this activity, pupils will explore:

Madhubani folk art
Pattern and repetition
Decorative design
Colour
Creative expression

Looking for a More Complete Lesson?

This resource includes the art project only. If you’re looking for a more comprehensive introduction to Indian art, please visit my shop for the complete Art of India Lesson for Kids. The full lesson includes engaging art history, cultural background, discussion questions, and this Madhubani-inspired elephant project, providing a richer exploration of India’s artistic traditions.