A Simple Way to Get Kids Drawing (even when they’re stuck)
When Kids Say “This Is Boring”… They Usually Mean “I Don’t Know Where to Start”
You’ve probably seen it before.
You hand a child a blank page and say, “Draw something.”
And suddenly you hear: “This is booooring…”
But a lot of the time, it’s not boredom.
It’s that moment of:
“I don’t know what to do… and I don’t want to get it wrong.”
That’s exactly what “Finish the Picture” is designed to fix.
Instead of staring at a blank page, kids start halfway through the story – in this case, a slightly chaotic scientist dinosaur in the moment where he’s just realised his experiment is going horribly wrong.
From there, they just build the scene using simple prompts.
No pressure. No “what do I draw?” moment.
They’re already in it.
This works because:
- No blank page panic
- Just enough structure to start
- Plenty of room to go wild
And the best part?
Every drawing turns out completely different.
This works really well for:
- Early finishers
- Rainy day / indoor play
- End-of-lesson fillers
- Homeschool art
Once kids start drawing, they usually start telling a story.
- What went wrong in the experiment
- What’s flying through the air
- Who the dinosaur’s assistant is
And if you’ve got more than one child?
That’s where it gets really fun – ideas bounce, stories grow, and suddenly everyone’s involved.
If you’ve got a child who freezes at a blank page – or one who just needs something different – this is an easy win.
Print it, hand it over, and see what they come up with.
Want to try it? You can find the Scientist Dinosaur printable here.
