Cave People and Cave Art (for a 7-year-old)

Who were the cave people?

A long, long time ago — much longer than your grandparents or great-grandparents — people lived differently. Some of them used caves for sleeping, keeping warm, and staying safe. We call those people "cave people." They were people just like us, but they didn’t have houses, cars, or TVs.

When did they live?

• They lived tens of thousands of years ago — a number so big we usually talk about it as "a very long time ago." Some cave paintings are about 17,000 to 40,000 years old!

What is cave art?

Cave art is pictures that cave people made on cave walls. These pictures can be of animals, people, handprints, and shapes. They drew and painted using simple things from nature.

How did they make the pictures?

1. They used pieces of charcoal, rocks, and bones as tools to draw.
2. For paint they used earth colors like red and yellow (called ochre), black from burnt wood (charcoal), and sometimes white from crushed chalk.
3. They mixed these colors with fat, water, or spit to make paint that would stick to the wall.
4. Sometimes they blew paint around their hand to make a handprint shape, like a stencil.

What did they draw?

• Big animals such as horses, bison, mammoths, and deer.
• Handprints, people, and simple signs or dots.
• Sometimes scenes that look like hunting or movement.

Why did they make cave art?

• To tell stories about hunts or animals they saw.
• Maybe to teach others or remember events.
• Some think it might have been part of special ceremonies or good-luck magic for hunting.
• Or simply because they liked to make pictures — people like art even today!

How do we know about cave art now?

Archaeologists are scientists who study old things. They find these paintings in caves, carefully clean and study them, and use safe tools to learn how old they are. Famous caves with cave art include Lascaux (France) and Chauvet (France).

Fun activity: Make your own cave painting

1. Find some paper and crayons, chalk, or washable paint.
2. Draw a big animal outline (like a horse or deer) using a brown or black crayon.
3. Place your hand on the paper and gently blow or dab paint around it to make a handprint stencil.
4. If you want it to feel more like a cave, tape the paper under a table or in a small tent so it is a little dark.
5. Ask an adult to help and use only washable materials.

A few questions to think about:

• Which animal would you draw on a cave wall?
• Why do you think people painted in caves instead of outside?

That’s it — cave people made amazing pictures a very long time ago using simple tools and paints from nature. You can try making your own and pretend you are an artist from long ago!