Today, I found myself in a grade 2 classroom as a substitute teacher — that delightful, unpredictable space where you walk in because your PE teacher colleagues are manning interschool matches and only a room full of curious faces waiting to see what happens next.
I began with something simple, spontaneous, and full of laughter — an activity I call “Quickly Draw!”
I told the children, “When I say a word, you have ten seconds to draw it. No thinking too much, no erasing, no worrying about how it looks — just draw quickly!”
The first prompt was “A Cat.” Within seconds, pencils started flying. Some cats looked sleepy, some were running, and a few had suspiciously long tails. We moved to “A Rocket,” “A Raincloud,” and finally, “A Monster Eating Ice Cream.”That one caused an explosion of giggles.
What I love about “Quickly Draw” is how it opens a window into each child’s imagination. When there isn’t time to overthink or perfect, creativity shines through most honestly. The drawings are raw, funny, expressive — and deeply personal.
If I had stayed longer, we could have turned those drawings into stories, poems, or even mini plays. But even in this short time, the exercise reminded me that sometimes all it takes to spark imagination is a piece of paper, a pencil, and ten seconds of freedom.
Try it the next time you have a class and a few unplanned minutes. You might just discover a classroom full of artists in disguise.
No comments:
Post a Comment