If you’ve ever wished your homeschool included more beauty, art, and creativity — but you’re already stretched thin — Picture Study might be exactly what you need.
In just minutes a week, you can introduce your children to the world’s greatest artists, train their attention and observation skills, and cultivate a love for beauty that lasts a lifetime. Best of all? You don’t need an art degree or hours of prep.
As a veteran homeschool mom of eight and a music teacher for over 30 years, I’ve seen firsthand how simple, consistent exposure to great art changes the atmosphere of a home. Today, I’ll show you how to start Picture Study the Charlotte Mason way.
What Is Picture Study?
Picture study has its roots in the Parents’ National Educational Union, founded by Charlotte Mason in 1888 to help parents educate their children’s whole nature — physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually–including the fine arts. Each week, children focused on a single work of art.
Here’s how it worked:
The child looked at the artwork quietly for several minutes.
The picture was turned over or covered.
The child described everything they remembered — from colors and objects to facial expressions and background details.
The basic practice was simple: give a child a copy of a single work of art, let them look at it quietly for several minutes, and then turn it over and describe everything they remember.
One teacher at the time, Miss O’Ferrall, explained: “Every little detail is noticed — the position of the woman sitting on the chair, the key hanging up on the wall, the vine leaves creeping in at the window.”
This wasn’t just about memorizing what they saw. It was about training their powers of observation, giving them time to notice beauty, and inviting them to think about what the artist was saying through the work. Not a test, but a chance to slow down, notice beauty, and store it away in the mind and heart.
Why Does Picture Study Matter in your Homeschool?
Charlotte Mason said, “We cannot measure the influence that one or another artist has upon the child’s sense of beauty… he is enriched more than we know in having really looked at even a single picture.”
She believed that beauty isn’t just decoration — it shapes the heart and the mind. When children grow up seeing great art, they learn to recognize excellence, to think deeply, and to appreciate the world around them in new ways.
In fact, one of my favorite quotes from the PNEU comes from Miss Hammond in 1901: “We want to open their eyes and minds to appreciate the masterpieces of pictorial art… a love and admiration which are the response of heart and intellect to the appeal addressed to them through the senses by all great works of art.”
Charlotte Mason believed that beauty isn’t extra — it’s essential. She wrote, “We cannot measure the influence that one or another artist has upon the child’s sense of beauty… he is enriched more than we know in having really looked at even a single picture.”
Picture study helps children:
Appreciate beauty in a deeper, more discerning way
Think deeply about meaning and story
Develop sharp observation skills they can use in every subject
How to Do Picture Study at Home
You can start picture study in these easy steps:
Step 1: Choose One Piece of Art Select a single work to focus on for the week. Charlotte Mason recommended studying one artist for a whole term — that’s 6–12 weeks — so children really get to know their style. You might choose Monet for spring, Rembrandt in the fall, or Georgia O’Keeffe for a term focused on flowers.
Step 2: Display It Don’t keep it tucked away in a folder. Post it where your children will see it naturally — the fridge, a bathroom mirror, or in a hallway. Let it live with you for the week.
Step 3: Observe Quietly When you sit down for your official picture study time, spend 3–5 minutes just looking. No one talks during this time — the silence helps everyone really see.
Step 4: Narrate from Memory Cover the picture and invite your child to describe it in as much detail as possible. If they get stuck, you can gently prompt them: “What was the lady holding?” “What colors did you notice?” “Were there animals in the scene?”
Step 5: Look Again After narrating, uncover the picture and look again together. This is where your children often gasp, “Oh! I missed that!” That moment of discovery is where the magic happens.
Make It Simple with Enrichment Studies Fine Art Pages
Finding quality images can be time-consuming. That’s why I love using the Enrichment Studies Fine Art Pageswhich are now available through Music in Our Homeschool. Each set contains large, high-quality prints organized by artist, style, or theme (like Seascapes Fine Art Pages, Still Life Fine Art Pages, or Ballet Fine Art Pages). The regular versions include the title, artist, date, and interesting facts; others are text-free so the art takes center stage.
Charlotte Mason also encouraged composer study, hymn study, and folk song study — all of which can be approached in the same gentle, relational way. Even just 10 minutes a week for art and 10 minutes for music can create a rich, beautiful atmosphere in your homeschool.
A Year of Charlotte Mason Music Lessons
Learn Composer Study, Hymns, and Folk Songs. Two Year's Lessons Included!
Download the free set of A Father’s Love Fine Art Pages below.
Or, if you’d like music and fine arts woven into your homeschool all year with zero prep, join the Music in Our Homeschool Plus Membership at MusicinOurHomeschool.com/membership.
Let’s make this the year your homeschool is filled with beauty, attention, and joy.
Free Download of the “A Father's Love” Fine Art Pages
See the YouTube Video “Why Picture Study Works for Homeschoolers”
Listen to Podcast Episode 80: Easy Picture Study the Charlotte Mason Way, the simple way to organically add art appreciation to your homeschool
