Drawing methods
Tracing, step by step or grid: which suits your child?
There are three good ways for a child to make a Christmas picture. They build different skills and suit different personalities. Here is how to tell which one to start with.
Tracing and coloring
Your child follows a dotted outline, then colors the picture. Because the shape is already there, every page ends with a recognizable character.
What it builds
- Pencil control and grip
- Following a line from start to finish
- Choosing and combining colors
Who it suits
Ages 3 to 5, and older children who love coloring but avoid drawing.
Step-by-step drawing
Each character is shown in six pictures, from a simple first shape to the finished drawing. Your child adds only what is new at each step.
What it builds
- Seeing big shapes inside complex pictures
- Drawing confidence: “I drew that myself”
- Adding their own details once the basics are there
Who it suits
Ages 5 and up, especially kids who ask grown-ups to draw things for them.
Grid drawing
The reference picture is split into labeled squares. Your child copies one square at a time onto a blank grid until the whole picture appears.
What it builds
- Careful looking and spatial awareness
- Patience and focus
- Proportion: the finished drawing comes out the right shape
Who it suits
Ages 5 and up, puzzle lovers, and older kids who think they cannot draw.
The three at a glance
| Compare | Trace Then Color: Cartoon Christmas Characters | How to Draw: Christmas | Draw by Grid: Christmas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your child | Traces a dotted outline, then colors it | Builds each drawing in six steps | Copies a picture one square at a time |
| Ages | 3+ | 5+ | 5+ |
| Best if they | love coloring and are still building pencil control | want to draw on their own | like puzzles and getting it exactly right |
| Inside | 50 Christmas activities | 50 Christmas activities, 106 pages | 50 Christmas activities, 106 pages |
| Free to try | 7 pages, from a candy cane to a reindeer | 8 lessons, including Santa, an elf and hot cocoa | 8 grids, including Santa, a present and a yeti |
| View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |