As one way to encourage creative drawing and the continued use of our chalkboard, I occasionaly add a drawing prompt and wait for the kids to find it. (And by kids, I mean Maia and possibly any friend she has over. Daphne is yet oblivious to such suggestion.)
It almost always results in a thoughtful and unique drawing that veers from the usual drawings that I see them make.
The drawing prompts idea is something I've borrowed from Susan Striker's Anti-Coloring Book series —I had one as a child! —and now the many doodle books out there. (By the way, you can find several printable pages from the Anti-Coloring Books as well as examples of what children have drawn on her website.)
What I do is begin a simple drawing on the chalkboard, and add an invitation —in this case, the question, "What is inside this house?" And then I go about my day.
Before too long, Maia notices the drawing prompt and (usually) begins to complete the drawing and answer the question or prompt in her own way. I LOVE seeing how this unfolds and love seeing the results!
For example, Maia has drawn lots of houses, but always the exterior. With this prompt about the interior, she and Marlise drew and talked, drew and talked, until they had a house filled with furniture, people, and stories. (Working nearby and listening to their imaginations run wild as they talk and play is one of my favorite things to do.)
Would she have drawn the interior without my chalkboard prompt?
Maybe. Eventually.
But having the prompt definitely got her thinking and drawing in a new-to-her way. It helped her to expand out of her self-defined drawing habits and ideas and to try something different.
Besides these drawing prompts, there are lots of other ways to encourage creative drawing and thinking. Here are some ideas that we use:
More Creative Drawing Ideas & Prompts for Kids
- Challenge drawings
- Hole Drawings
- Simon says, draw!
- Follow-the-leader drawing
- A quiet-time drawing game
- Using frames
- Interactive Mandalas
- Fill in the (_________)
- Scribble challenge drawings (no post for this one, but we each make a scribble on paper, then pass it to the next person who uses the scribble as a drawing prompt)
Do you have any other drawing prompts to add to the list? Please share in the comments!
Have you tried any of these with your kids? If so, did you notice a difference in how and what they drew? Did you feel it took them outside of their usual repertoire and helped them to think and draw more creatively?
