8 Transportation Directed Drawings for Preschool, Pre-k, & Kindergarten

Beep, beep! Vroom, vroom! It is time for a transportation theme in your classroom, and you have no ideas for art projects. Don’t worry! I have 8 transportation directed drawings that are perfect for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students.

Grab the Transportation Directed Drawing Unit for all the printables!

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Benefits of Directed Drawings In the Early Childhood Classroom

• strengthen students’ fine motor strength, including hand-eye coordination, muscle strength, pencil grasp, and practice shapes and drawing various types of lines
• teach young children how to draw by noticing shapes in objects and how to combine shapes to make new things.
• easy way to infuse art activities into the classroom.
• Art is very calming and relaxing for most students
• fun way to practice following directions
• Drawing is communicating! You will see growth and more details in your little learners’ illustrations.
• gorgeous bulletin boards and student art to decorate the classroom
• BUILD confidence and creativity even in your youngest students
• developing social skills and language development as you learn about your children’s interest

How to Implement Directed Drawings with Little Learners

When I first introduce directed drawings to my students, I take each step slowly and model, model, model! The first few directed drawing activities need to be a teacher-directed lesson to help all students be successful. You can even do them in small groups if that works better for your preschool children. Decide what is best for your children’s needs and roll with it. 

• You draw a step, model, and verbally explain how to draw each shape and the size (ex: “This shape looks like a small U shape, I’m going to make this small….down, curve, up”.) Then, students draw that step.
• Continue to model a step, and then students draw a step until the drawing is complete.
• Model creating the background options. Then, students create the background using various art media.
• Students write their names on the front of their drawings. If they can’t write it independently, let them use name cards for added support. 

In the transportation directed drawings unit, you will find full page and half page directed drawing direction posters. These drawing projects make great early finishers activities or art center activities once the process has been introduced and students know what to do. Students can also complete these on dry-erase boards to practice shapes or the whole picture. They are also a great way to teach following directions while working in fine motor journals at your pre-k program or home school.

Transportation Directed Drawings

Hot Air Balloon Directed Drawing!

• Drawing Utensil Used: black marker or Sharpie
• Media Used to Fill In: markers
• Background Pictured: markers
• Other Details: added a background (sky and clouds)

Bus Directed Drawing!

• Drawing Utensil Used: black marker or Sharpie
• Media Used to Fill In: paint sticks
• Background Pictured: paint sticks
• Other Details: added a background (sky and road)

Sailboat Directed Drawing!

• Drawing Utensil Used: oil pastels
• Media Used to Fill In: watercolors
• Background Pictured: watercolors
• Other Details: Sprinkle coarse Kosher salt on the background watercolors while it is still wet. Let it dry, and brush off the excess salt. I love the texture and design it makes on the paper.

Train Directed Drawing!

• Drawing Utensil Used: oil pastels
• Media Used to Fill In: watercolors
• Background Pictured: watercolors
• Other Details: add a plain background color

Excavator Directed Drawing!

• Drawing Utensil Used: black marker or Sharpie
• Media Used to Fill In: tempera paint
• Background Pictured: tempera paint
• Other Details: add a background (dirt)

Rocket Directed Drawing!

• Drawing Utensil Used: markers
• Media Used to Fill In: crayons
• Background Pictured: crayons
• Other Details: add a background (sky and stars)

Helicopter Directed Drawing!

• Drawing Utensil Used: black marker or Sharpie
• Media Used to Fill In: markers
• Background Pictured: markers
• Other Details: add a background (sky and clouds)

Recycling Truck Directed Drawing!

• Drawing Utensil Used: black marker or Sharpie
• Media Used to Fill In: tempera paint
• Background Pictured: tempera paint
• Other Details: add background options like a plain color or picture

These transportation directed drawings turned out so cute, and my students loved creating these art projects with various supplies. Students developed fine motor muscles and following direction skills. The transportation directed drawings are not just for preschool and kindergarten students. They would also work for first grade students.

Helpful tips: directed drawings are also great for a morning activity or indoor recess activity. Something to remember is that directed drawings do not replace open-ended art. Make time for open-ended art, too, so little learners have the opportunity to create, express themselves, and use their imagination that is process-focused, not product-focused.

Grab the transportation directed drawings unit here from the Pocket of Preschool TpT store.

For more information about how to use and the benefits of directed drawings, check out this post!

Get more ideas for how to start directed drawings in your early childhood education room with this video.

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