Hey there, teacher friends!
Let’s chat about some awesome drawing activities!
Have you heard of directed drawing? It’s a super fun and engaging activity that’s been gaining popularity among educators and parents in recent years, and for good reason! It’s amazing for learners of all ages and abilities!
In this blog post, we’re going to dive into the fantastic benefits of directed drawing.
From improving fine motor skills and attention to detail to boosting creativity and confidence, there are so many reasons why directed drawing is an amazing activity for learners.
So buckle up and get ready to see the world of directed drawing!
What is directed drawing?
First things first, let’s define what directed drawing is…
Directed drawing is a step-by-step guided drawing activity that helps children (and adults!) to learn how to draw while improving their fine motor skills, attention to detail, and following directions.
It’s an excellent activity that can be done individually or in groups, and it’s perfect for both kids and adults.
We love directed drawing in our class, as it can be easily differentiated for many different learning types and can connect with a multitude of skills ♥️.
It Helps with Visual-Spatial Skills
Directed drawing is a fantastic way to improve learners’ visual-spatial skills!
These skills are essential for a wide range of activities, from reading and writing to mathematics. By recognizing shapes, sizes, and spatial relationships, learners can better understand how things fit together.
One of the best things about directed drawing is that it takes out the guesswork of creating artwork, which can be overwhelming for some learners.
Instead, learners can follow specific steps and templates to create their own unique masterpieces, allowing for both structure and independent creativity. So not only are they improving their visual-spatial skills, but also their imagination and independent thinking!
It Encourages Creativity
While directed drawing follows specific steps, it doesn’t mean that learners can’t be creative.
In fact, directed drawing can encourage creativity and imagination because learners are free to use their own colour choices and make the drawings their own.
Students are also allowed to take it further if they wish with the overall elements of the drawing and push it to a more personal drawing inline with their own creativity!
It Boosts Confidence
Drawing can be intimidating for some learners, but directed drawing can help them gain confidence in their abilities.
Since the steps are broken down into manageable pieces, learners can see their progress and feel a sense of accomplishment as they complete each step.
In our special education class it is really important students feel the win. Thus with directed drawing all students get to experience success and are able to finish the drawing tasks at hand.
It Develops Fine Motor Skills
Drawing requires fine motor skills, and directed drawing can help learners develop these skills.
By holding a pencil, colouring, and tracing lines, learners are practising hand-eye coordination and fine motor control.
It’s Engaging and Fun
Directed drawing is an engaging and fun activity that can keep learners focused and entertained for extended periods.
And since it’s an enjoyable activity, learners are more likely to stick with it and see improvements over time. It can also be theed based, directly linking to students special interest and things they are interested in.
It can be easily Differentiated
Directed drawing is an amazing activity that can be easily differentiated to meet the needs of learners of all abilities.
By providing step-by-step instructions, learners who struggle with fine motor skills or attention to detail can still participate and create a beautiful piece of drawing.
Additionally, learners who need an extra challenge can be given more complex templates or encouraged to add their own unique touches to their artwork.
This allows for differentiation without creating separate activities, making it a great option for busy educators who want to cater to the needs of all their learners.
Click here for the link for directed drawing resources
We really love creating directed drawings in our special education class and additionally will incorporate literacy activities with our drawings.
We also love to make them theme based for different holidays and seasons of the year.
If you’re interested in incorporating directed drawing into your classroom or home, why not check out our product Directed Drawing Tasks Sets.
Our sets includes step-by-step instructions and templates for various drawings powerpoints and worksheets, making it easy for you to get started.
Click here for the link for directed drawing resources
Directed drawing is an amazing activity that can benefit many different learners. ????
Whether you’re looking to improve visual-spatial skills, boost creativity, develop fine motor skills, gain confidence, simply have fun, or need differentiation, directed drawing is a great option.
So grab some pencils, paper, and get ready to draw!
Thank You! ❤️
Thanks for hanging out with us! We hope you found this post helpful to both you and your special students.
Be sure to check us out when it comes to special education teaching resources and ideas, The Special Education Studio is where it’s at. Visit our website and socials for helpful tips, resources, and personalised support.
