Mandala Art Projects for Back to School
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated June 11, 2025
I am excited to share with you today one of my very favorite art projects for back to school – personal mandala creation. These mandala projects are the perfect way to get to know your students at the start of the school year. They are also a fun way to introduce symbolism!
Looking for a no-prep mandala activity that you can print and use right away with your students? Click on the image or button below to grab these fun art projects for back to school!
What is a Mandala?
Mandalas are beautiful and meaningful designs made in the form of a circle. They are meant to represent an individual’s personal harmony or wholeness. Mandalas were first created in Tibet over 2,000 years ago. They have since been made by cultures from around the world, including the Aztecs and Navajo people.
Today, people often create mandalas in order to form a simple representation of who they are.
A mandala is drawn in the shape of a circle. This is because the circle is believed to be the most simple and universal shape found in the world around us.
How do Students Create their Personal Mandala Art Projects for Back to School?
This activity is part of the Create Your Own Mandala: Complete Art and Writing Unit available in my TPT shop. This resource contains two different mandala art projects for back to school, making differentiation super easy.
For this first project, students use the included template to draw their own mandalas. Students include symbols and colors that they feel best represent them. Two pages of information on symbol and color symbolism have been included to help students with this.
After they have finished drawing their mandalas, students complete a writing assignment that asks them to explain why the colors and symbols they included best represent them. This is a great way to get to know your students at the start of the school year!
The second activity has students first choose colors that they feel symbolically represent them. Then, students use those colors to color on of the included mandala coloring pages. A variety of different mandala pages are included, so students are able to choose the one they like best.
Finally, students write about the symbolic reasons for their color choices. Again, this is a really engaging way to get to know your students on a deeper level, right from the start of the school year.
Completed assignments make gorgeous back to school hallway or bulletin board displays!
Looking for more fun back to school ideas? You won’t want to miss our post on first week of school ideas!
Mandala Art Project Examples
See these activities in action by checking out the video below.
Interested in trying out this mandala unit?
Click here or on the image below to grab the resource from my TPT shop!
Looking for more Art Projects for back to school?
Check out some of my previous back to school posts by clicking on the links below.
Back to School Resource Roundup
Do Unto Otters – My Favorite Back to School Read Aloud!
First Week of School Activities
Favorite Read Alouds for Back to School
Have You Downloaded Our Free Back to School Planning Guide?
Make your Back to School planning easy with this FREE comprehensive planning guide, especially designed for teachers in grades 3-5! This all-inclusive resource is packed with everything you need to streamline your planning process and set a positive tone for the back to school season.
Inside, you’ll find calendar pages to help you stay organized, curated Back to School read aloud lists, engaging activities and worksheets for important dates like Orange Shirt Day and Patriot Day, and a variety of Back to School planning tips and tricks. Engage your students with back to school themed graphic organizers that encourage interaction and learning. Make your monthly planning smooth, efficient, and enjoyable with this essential planning guide!
✅Includes 50+ pages of free teaching tips, activity suggestions, and worksheets – click on the image or button to download for FREE!
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