What is funny folded drawing?
When people do a funny folded drawing activity together, they take turns to draw a picture of a creature. They each draw a section of the creature and fold the paper so that no-one sees the whole creature until the drawing is finished.
Why is funny folded drawing a good activity for children?
Funny folded drawing can help children:
- learn to work as part of a team
- build fine motor skills and imagination
- express their emotions without using words.
Funny folded drawing can be good for children at stressful times. This is because it can help children to release stress through humour and laughter. It’s also a good way to help children connect with others, which can be comforting and reassuring.
What you need for funny folded drawing
All you need for funny folded drawing is:
- 2 or more people – for example, you and your child or your child and other children
- a blank piece of paper or thin cardboard that can be folded
- something to draw with.
How to do funny folded drawing
You and your child can do funny folded drawing together, or you can guide your child and some friends through the activity.
How to get started
- Fold the paper into 3 equal sections – in a zigzag fold.
- Choose someone to start the drawing. Ask them to draw the head and neck of a creature (or person or animal) on the top section of the paper. Make sure no-one else sees what they’re drawing.
- Fold back that section of the page so that the creature’s head is hidden and you can see only the neck.
- Ask the next person to draw the middle section of the creature and the beginning of the legs. Make sure no-one sees what they’re drawing.
- Fold back the page, so that the creature’s head and middle sections are hidden and you can see only the top of the legs.
- Continue until someone has drawn the feet.
- Unfold the picture all at once – and reveal the creature!
Ideas and options
Encourage children to:
- give their creature a name
- come up with a story about the creature
- think up new sections for their drawings – for example, a section for hats or a section for what the creature is standing on.
Doing funny folded drawing with your child could be a fun new routine. For example, you could draw creatures together when you’re having breakfast.
How to adapt funny folded drawing for children with diverse abilities
Your child might need your help with this activity, depending on their age, ability and ambition:
- Children with difficulty with fine motor skills could tell you what they want you to draw for them.
- For young children or children with a lot of energy, try giving them some exercises to do while they wait for their turn to draw – for example, star jumps or running on the spot.
- For children who find it hard to remember things, you might need to repeat the instructions at the beginning of their turn or remind them what body part they’re supposed to draw.
You can get more ideas for adapting this activity for children with diverse abilities from our articles on play and autistic children and play and children with disability. You might also like to explore our other activity guides. They can all be adapted to suit children with diverse strengths and abilities.