Free Directed Drawing for Kids (Printable PDF)

How to do a directed drawing with your child

You don't need to be good at drawing yourself. The steps on the page do the teaching. Here's a calm way to run one:

1. Look at the finished picture first. Point to the last box and say what you'll draw today: "We're going to draw a silly robot."
2. Name the shape in each step. "First, a square for the head." Shapes kids already know (circle, square, oval, wiggly line) make every step feel doable.
3. Do one step at a time, together. Draw the step on your own paper or a whiteboard while your child draws it in the big box. Wait until they're done before you move on.
4. Watch the red line. On each step, the red line is the only new part. That tells your child exactly what to add.
5. Finish with color and a story. Once the drawing is done, color it in and ask, "What's its name? What does it like to do?"

Expect wobbly lines and lopsided heads. That's the fun part, and every drawing will look a little different. Praise the effort and the choices ("You gave your monster such big teeth!") rather than how neat it looks.

What's on each page

• Turkey (4 steps): a big circle, a small circle on top, five feathers, then a silly face and feet. A good one for November.
• Elf (4 steps): a circle, a floppy hat and pointy ears, a happy face, then a body, arms and legs. A good one for December.
• Superhero (6 steps): swoopy hair, a mask and a grin, a body with a star, arms, boots and a flowing cape. The longest page, so try it once your child has done a 4-step one.
• Blob monster (4 steps): a wiggly body, one big eye, a toothy grin, then arms and antennae. Polka dots optional.
• Box robot (4 steps): a square head, an antenna and ears, big eyes and cheeks, then a body with a heart.

If your child is new to directed drawing, start with the robot or the turkey. They're built almost entirely from circles and squares.

Why directed drawing is good for kindergartners

• Following directions: listening to one step, doing it, and waiting for the next.
• Fine motor control: drawing circles, straight lines and curves builds the same hand skills kids use to write letters.
• Shapes and space: kids learn that big pictures are made of small shapes, and they practice words like on top, under and next to.
• Confidence: a child who says "I can't draw" usually ends up with something they want to show off.
• Language: naming and describing the finished drawing, or writing one sentence about it, turns art time into a little literacy lesson too.

Ways to use the pages

• Art time once a week. One page takes about 15 to 20 minutes, coloring included.
• Holiday weeks. Save the turkey for Thanksgiving week and the elf for December.
• Quiet time or a busy morning. Once kids know how it works, many can follow the steps on their own.
• Draw it twice. Do the page together, then draw it again on blank paper without looking. The second drawing is often the favorite.
• Reuse. Slip a page into a sheet protector and draw with a dry-erase marker so you can repeat it.