This activity is a simple introduction to the idea of using simple shapes to build a more complex shape. Children learn to draw a car, then use shape blocks to design new vehicles to draw.
Objective: Children can draw a car using shapes.
Supplies:
- paper, drawing utensils (crayons, markers, pencils…)
- shape manipulables (like felt shapes, magnets, paper cut-outs, foam, or wood – those are Amazon affiliate links, but it is super easy to make the supplies yourself out of whatever material is handy). shapes should include at least squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles
- optional illustrations
Activity
Show them how to draw one simple car, one shape at a time.
They all practice drawing. With my group of ~4.5 year olds, some can do this easily, some can approximate it – for some, this was a definite stretch.
Pull out some shape blocks. Demonstrate making a new vehicle – “let’s start with two circles for wheels… hmm, I think I’ll use a big square here for the back of a truck, then a small square for the front. Does that look kind of like a truck?” Make a few more samples, draw one. Then hand out the shapes to everyone and let them build, re-build, and draw for a while.
Book
There’s lots of great car books – check out my full cars lesson plan for recommendations. We read “If I Built a Car
After I read it, I encourage them to draw the coolest car they can imagine.
For more sample vehicles, search for “preschool shape crafts” to see many ideas, like this one from As Told by Mom.
