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If you are looking for a fun art activity where your kid is guided step-by-step to create a specific image, then you have come to the right place. Today I am going to share with you the top 7 benefits of directed drawing for children. But what is directed drawing? Well, it is a fun and engaging activity in which either verbal or visual instructions are provided. These instruction aim at showing and explaining the sequence of lines, shapes, and details needed to draw a particular picture. Directed drawing also provides a supportive and structured environment for children so that they can develop their artistic skills and creativity to the fullest extent. It also helps them learn to observe and interpret visual information, follow directions as well as apply basic art techniques.
All you need for the directed drawing activities is suitable worksheets and crayons or a coloring set.
Top 7 Benefits Of Directed Drawing For Children
Fine Motor Skills
The first of the many benefits of directed drawing for children is that it involves following step-by-step instructions to create a specific image. As a result of this activity children develop their fine motor skills as they learn to hold and manipulate a pencil or crayon, control their hand movements, and make precise strokes. These skills are important for tasks such as writing, tying shoelaces, and using utensils.
Hand-Eye Coordination
Other benefits of directed drawing is the development of hand-eye coordination in children. Through directed drawing, children practice coordinating their hand movements with what they see on the paper, enhancing their hand-eye coordination. This skill is crucial for various everyday activities, including sports, writing, and other tasks that involve precise movements.
Focus and Concentration
Directed drawing encourages children to concentrate and pay attention to the instructions, visuals, and details of the image they are creating. It helps improve their ability to focus on a specific task, follow directions, and stay engaged for an extended period. This skill is transferable to other areas of learning and can benefit academic performance.
Visual-Spatial Skills
Following step-by-step instructions in directed drawing helps children develop their visual-spatial skills. They learn to interpret visual information, understand proportions, shapes, and spatial relationships. These skills are essential for activities like reading maps, solving puzzles, and understanding geometric concepts.
Creativity and Imagination
Although directed drawing provides a structured framework, it also stimulate kids’ creativity. Children can add their unique touches, choose colors, or modify parts of the drawing. This encourages their imagination and fosters creative thinking as they express their individuality within the given guidelines.
Confidence Boost
One of the most important benefits of directed drawing for children is that it boosts their confidence. After completing a directed drawing task and creating a beautiful picture, they feel a sense of accomplishment.This, as a result, improves their self-confidence and self-esteem, particularly when they see their progress over time. It also helps them realize that with effort and practice, they can achieve their goals.
Emotional Expression and Relaxation
Drawing is a wonderful way for children to express their emotions. Through drawing they can communicate their feelings, thoughts, and experiences. They do this visually in cases when they may find it challenging to express themselves verbally. Additionally, drawing can be a calming and relaxing activity that helps children unwind, reduce stress, and enhance their emotional well-being.
Some Useful Resources
The good news is that there are even more beneficial aspects of directed drawing. You can combine this fun artistic activity with some academic ones, such as learning the alphabet or CVC words.
Learning The Alphabet Through Directed Drawing
This method is suitable for both learning and revising the alphabet, for early finishers, centers or small groups. There are different activities for each letter of the alphabet, such as
- Drawing a picture following the step-by-step directions
- Then, tracing the upper case letter
- Tracing the lower case letter
- Tracing the sentence
You can download a free sample for the letter Aa from here or by clicking on the picture below.
If you like the activity, then you can find the rest of the letters here.
Learning CVC Words Through Directed Drawing
In case you wonder whether there can be more benefits of directed drawing for children, then here’s the answer. Yes, directed drawing is very helpful while teaching CVC words. You can download a free sample of CVC words directed drawing from here or by clicking on the picture below.
If you like the activity, you can find more like it here.
There are 60 fun and engaging pages and each page includes the following activities:
- Draw a picture of the CVC word using the directions (6 steps)
- Trace the CVC words
- Write a sentence with the CVC word
The following words are included: bag, bat, bad, bed, bib, bin, box, bug, bus, cab, can, cap, cat, cup, dog, dot, fan, fig, fog, ham, hat, hen, hot, jam jet, jug, kid, fin, leg, lid, lip, log, man, mad, mat, mop, mug, net, pan, pen, pig, pin, pot, pod, rat, rug, six, sun, tag, tap, tub, top, ten, sad, van, web, wig, wet, win, zip.