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Spirograph Drawings

This preschool activity supports gross motor skills and body co-ordination, while incorporating learning opportunities creative and abstract work.

Developmental Area

Physical

Description

Body Art

Age

Preschool

There is so much to discover within ourselves!

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood” – Fred Rogers

Materials

For this activity you will need:

  • Large Paper and sellotape,

  • Peg or Rubber band

  • Crayons or Pencils

Learning Goals

With this activity you will learn the following skills:

  • Engage, explore and experiment in their environment and use new physical skills including skills to manipulate objects and materials

  • Learn about the natural environment and its features, materials, animals, and plants, and their own responsibility as carers

  • Gross Motor Skills: Using arms and legs to draw, develops strength in the whole body

  • Balance Development: Moving both arms/legs at the same speed encourages body balance

Process Description

Step 1

Secure the paper to the floor with sellotape (or similar), so that the paper does not move during the activity.

Step 2

The child lies in the middle of the paper (on the back or tummy) and holds a pencil in each hand. Both hands are moving up and down beside the body to draw bows.

Step 3

The child can use a different colour and move downward or around the circle with the whole body or turn on her/his back and draw more bows

Step 4

Pencils can be fixed to the child’s legs with a peg or a rubber band and the same movements can be done with both legs together.

Adaptation

When music is played as background to the activity, the movements can be adjusted to the tempo of the music.

Reflective questions

Ask these questions during and after the learning opportunity for critical and self-reflection

  • What could have been better?

  • How did I scaffold children’s learning?

  • Could I have adapted the learning opportunity to reflect all children’s needs, abilities and interests

Looking and responding

Start by asking the children to describe what they see. Draw attention to details. How do they feel when moving and drawing? How do different movements affect the shapes they draw? What was easy about this work? What would you like to do next (time)? How will you do that?

Bibliography

  1. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA, 2009) Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. Dublin: NCCA.

Author Bio

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Wendy Oke

CEO, TeachKloud

TeachKloud is a cloud-based management platform for early childhood educators and parents!

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