Kindergarten Meets Canva - Learning from Third Grade Mentors

Flower Hill Primary School teacher Allison Conlon’s third-grade class recently partnered with faculty colleague Karen Grosso’s kindergarten class for a special technology lesson focused on Canva.

Prior to the lesson, the third graders created their own Canva presentations, carefully thinking about what would be most important and appropriate for kindergarten students to learn. As a class, they reviewed each presentation, identified the strongest features, and combined their ideas into one collaborative lesson.

During the activity, the third graders worked side-by-side with their kindergarten buddies, guiding them through Canva’s basic tools and features. It was wonderful to see our students demonstrate leadership, patience, communication, and teamwork as they supported one another’s learning. The kindergarten students were excited to explore new technology, while the third graders took pride in serving as mentors and teachers.

“The lesson was a great example of collaboration, creativity, and student leadership in action,” Flower Hill Principal Cindy Siegel said. “We were also honored to welcome our District Director of Instructional Technology and Library Services, Nancy Allard who visited to observe this meaningful learning experience. We are so proud of our students for showcasing the power of peer teaching and learning!”

Prior to the lesson, the third graders took ownership of the learning experience by designing their own Canva presentations, carefully considering what would be most important and developmentally appropriate for kindergarten students to learn first. As a class, they reviewed one another's work, discussed the strongest components of each presentation, and combined their ideas into a collaborative class lesson. Students even auditioned for presenter roles, selecting classmates who could confidently explain Canva's basic tools and answer questions in the moment.

“It was amazing to watch our third graders share their Canva knowledge with our kindergarten students,” Ms. Conlon said. “Our two presenters, Taylor and Genesis, did a wonderful job introducing features such as text boxes, backgrounds, elements, and Magic Media. Meanwhile, the rest of the third graders were supportive, patient, and encouraging with their kindergarten partners, guiding them through each step while allowing them the independence to explore and create.”

Third-grade presenters introduced one Canva feature at a time, while the remaining third graders were paired with kindergarten buddies to guide and support them during the hands-on portions of the lesson. The experience culminated with kindergarten students independently exploring Canva and creating their own designs with encouragement from their third-grade mentors.

“The kindergarten students were like sponges, absorbing everything they were learning and immediately applying it,” Ms. Conlon said “We've already seen the incredible ideas and writing they can produce, and we're excited to see them use Canva to transform their writing and bring their words to life through creativity and design. The lesson highlighted not only students' growing technology skills, but also the power of peer teaching, collaboration, leadership, and authentic learning experiences that empower students to become both learners and teachers.”