Following directions is a skill that all elementary students need help learning. Directed drawing activities are fun and a wonderful way to improve drawing and fine motor skills, as well as listening skills in the classroom.
Using Directed Drawing Activities in the Classroom
If you are looking for kid-preferred activities that build important skills, directed drawings are for you! Fun Directed Drawing Mats are a simple way to encourage students to follow directions in the classroom. These versatile activities can be used year-round to add excitement to your day!
Common Challenges
Scenario #1
Imagine this: Trevor enters the classroom daily and asks what he needs to do. The routine is the same every day, but he always asks. Finally, he puts his bag in his cubby and stares blankly, wondering what’s next.
We’ve all had a student that does this.
Students like Trevor need help with their processing skills. Directed drawing mats are a great way to introduce students to following simple directions. They go one step at a time so that all students can follow. Over time, their confidence in following multi-step directions improves, and they can figure things out independently.
Scenario #2
Imagine this: When given a craft or drawing activity, Brielle never knows where to start. She tries drawing the borders or more complex parts of the image first and ends up frustrated. Then, without proper modeling, she gives up quickly and doesn’t want to complete the task.
There’s help for kids like Brielle.
Brielle needs practice drawing and completing tasks in simple steps to create them on her own. Directed Drawing Mats break down pictures so students can draw them step by step, starting with simple shapes. Making these tasks simpler will give students like Brielle confidence when it comes to arts and crafts and drawing in the future.
What are Directed Drawing Mats?
Simply put, Drawing Mats are fun, step-by-step directed drawing activities that can be used in the classroom or at home to improve following directions, drawing skills, fine motor skills, writing, and much more. The drawing activity mats offer different difficulty levels in following directions, drawing pictures, and adding writing if applicable.
What do the Directed Drawing Mats Include?
There are monthly directed Drawing Mats as well as a yearlong bundle! The monthly mats each include five directed drawing choices that are seasonally themed. Each month also comes with two versions of directions: 4 or 6 steps! The drawing and writing pages come in 4 different variations for scaffolding.
Option 1: Kids will follow each of the 6 steps provided in the correct order and draw in the space provided to complete the image. This version helps the kids break down each step of the image into smaller chunks. Then, students color and decorate the rest of their images.
Option 2: Students follow each of the 4 steps provided in the correct order and draw in the space provided to complete the picture. This version has fewer steps for students who don’t need as many. When they are finished, students color their pictures.
Option 3: Kids read each step orally and draw on one of the 2 blank templates provided or your choice of paper. This allows students to work on their listening skills as they draw a chosen image. This version works well for teaching a drawing lesson whole group.
Option 4: Students complete their drawing in the empty space and then write a story about their drawing to wrap up. This version comes with different writing pages to choose from for differentiation.
Use the drawing activities to work on independent writing in Writer’s workshop or add them to small group instruction to break down skills. They are also perfect for morning work activities, literacy centers, fast finishers, assessments, sub-plans, and at-home practice. Teachers love how versatile they are!
Materials Needed to Use Drawing Activities
You will need paper and a printer to complete the drawing activities from the directed drawing mats. Just print the drawing mats onto regular white paper before using them. Students will need a pencil and coloring utensils to complete the activity. Check out some of my favorite crayons, colored pencils, paint sets, and paper that you can use with Drawing Mats. Kids always love the scented markers as a reward option!
What Teachers Are Saying about Directed Drawing Mats
My kindergarten kiddos always LOVE directed drawing activities, so these activities are a wonderful addition to my classroom! I believe directed drawing activities offer opportunities that build confidence in my students of their abilities and skills! After several directed drawing experiences, I see reluctant artists transform into eager artists! This excitement and confidence transfers into their independent drawing, as well. I also LOVE that this resource incorporates writing with the drawings! My students are always motivated to write about their illustrations! I am very pleased with this purchase. -Tracy A.
One of my favorite resources to use in the classroom. My students think this is a reward because it’s so much fun. Thank you. – Tonisha J.
It’s really so engaging and the children are so proud of the work they created. I find that the children are much more motivated to write and it helps inspire them with ideas. Thank-you! – Tia D.
Directed Drawing Activities and Bundle
Try the Directed Drawing Mats Activities by Proud to be Primary. Each drawing pack includes multiple drawing choices and activities for each month.
You can also purchase the Directed Drawing Mats Bundle, which includes a FREE keepsake directed drawing calendar as a bonus. This bundle contains 50 different directed drawings to use throughout the year. You will have weekly drawing practice for the entire year!
Try the FREE School Bus Drawing Mats Sample
Grab the Free School Bus Drawing Activity to try in your classroom! This will give you an idea of how the activities are structured in Drawing Mats, and you’ll see how much students love using them. They’re great for morning work, a writing brain break, or just for fun.
Click the image below to grab a copy.
More Drawing Activities for the Classroom!
drawing calendar
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