Four Reasons to Try Directed Drawings With Your Kids

Directed drawings can be really fun activities to do with young learners. They give children a chance to be creative and really take pride in their work. They can even be a great way to add some seasonal decor to your house or classroom. While it may seem difficult to squeeze it into your day, here are four reasons to try directed drawings with your kids. 

Following Directions

Directed drawings  give kids an opportunity to practice following directions. With each drawing, children will be expected to listen carefully as you give each step to creating their own masterpiece. Not only will they have to listen, but they will have to follow through by making the shapes and lines in the correct places on their own page. 

Some students will probably struggle with this at first. They might have lines in places they are not supposed to be or be missing shapes altogether. Others may have decided that they think they know what should be drawn next and work ahead. Things like that help make these types of activities great “teachable moments” about listening to and following directions carefully. 

Perfect For Bulletin Boards

Anytime you can display student work is great and directed drawings are especially nice because it is so easy to find seasonal directed drawings. Need to spruce up your classroom for an upcoming holiday or special time of year? There are more than likely plenty of directed drawing options for you to choose from. 

Even better, directed drawing bulletin boards are very simple for you to assemble. You simply hang up your students’ pictures and admire their hard work! Creating directed drawings with your students is a great way to get a simple, seasonally-appropriate bulletin board that focuses on student work. 

Showcases Individuality

Not only do directed drawings give you an opportunity to showcase student work, but it also gives you an opportunity to showcase their individuality. Students may all get the exact same set of directions, but you will find that each piece is completely unique to each child. Colors may be a bit different, shapes will be different sizes, and it all adds up to students having a fun little masterpiece that is all their own. 

Confidence Booster

Even with the small differences between one student’s finished piece to another’s, I am sure you will notice that they are all good (assuming that they followed directions, that is). That is a huge confidence booster for students! This can also help them with their imagination and creating drawings on their own. 

Many times, before starting a directed drawing, students will think that they can’t draw. They will think that there is no way they can make it look right, especially if they have already seen an example of the finished piece. However, time and time again, students surprise themselves by what they have accomplished when their directed drawing is complete. They take pride in their work, pride in themselves, and just get a huge confidence boost overall. 

There are so many great reasons to try directed drawings with your kids. They look great in the classroom, help students practice following directions, and give students a way to show their individuality through their art. Not only that, but students can surprise themselves with how great their directed drawings turn out. Who knows–they may even surprise you, too!