Drawing Upside Down

Activity Overview

Young children often see drawing as a form of communication in which they can masterfully share their ideas. In many moments of their school day, they are encouraged by adults to make their thinking visible through visual means and often gravitate to this modality as a way to showcase their thoughts in expert fashion. As Loris Malaguzzi, founder of the Reggio-Emilia method of teaching puts it, drawing is one of the “100 languages of children.” In this activity, the brain and body are challenged to complete a highly familiar activity in a highly unfamiliar way. By laying down and drawing above them, children must pivot what they think they know about drawing and challenge their rote skills, adapting them for success using new constraints.

What You Need

• Drawing paper

• Masking tape

• Drawing utensils

• An area where the child can lay on their back and work such as a low table or chair

• Drawing prompts

Steps

1. Tape a piece of paper underneath a table or chair so that the student can lay underneath. They should be able to reach the paper while laying on their back, extending their arm straight up.

2. Allow the student to draw and explore how it feels to draw upside down.

3. Once they have the hang of it, they can free draw, or use a drawing prompt to get their imagination moving.

Guiding Questions

• How does it feel to draw with a paper above you?

• How do you have to move your body differently to draw upside down?

• What do you want to create?

• What are you working on?

• What colors can you use to express what you want to create?

Extensions

• Lay down a drop cloth and use paint – this can get a little bit messy, but it adds another dimension to the experience. How much paint can you put on at one time? Will it drip? What kind of paper works best for painting upside down?