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LITTLE LESSON 19 · PRESCHOOL · TK · EARLY K
Can a Line Do a Dance?
Allow extra drying time for paint or glue. Children can pause and return.
Elements of Art focus: Line. Repeat lines in a pattern, or change their order. Meet the seven art ideas →
Let’s wonder!
“A zigzag, a wiggle, a zigzag… what could come next?”
Our little purpose: Repeat chosen marks in an intentional visual sequence.
Gather a little magic
Paper and crayons or markers.
For your grown-up: Use age-appropriate drawing materials. Children can point, gesture, or describe a pattern instead of drawing.
Make it yours
Wonder together · 2–3 min Try & make · 12–20 min Share & tidy · 3–6 min
- Make a line in the air with your finger. Let it travel onto paper.
- Choose two or three kinds of marks and repeat them in your own order.
- Try repeating colors, changing the size, or leaving pauses between marks.
- Let your pattern travel around the page. Give your line dance a name.
“I’ll show you how I did mine. Yours doesn’t have to look like mine.”
Look what you discovered
Ask: “What did you choose? What changed? What would you try next?”
Notice: The child repeats or deliberately changes a chosen mark sequence.
Listen, watch, or accept pointing and home-language responses. Notice the process, not resemblance to an example.
Every idea belongs
A little support: Start with two large marks; pointing can direct a grown-up’s drawing.
A little more: Invite a change in spacing or size while retaining the repeating unit.
No supplies today? The child can make choices, predict, and direct a grown-up.
The learning underneath
California Preschool/TK Learning Foundations · Visual Arts: 1.3, 1.6. Kindergarten bridge · California Arts Standards: K.VA:Cr1.1.
These are planning connections selected for this activity, not a claim of mastery or state endorsement. The kindergarten code is an extension, not a preschool requirement. Read the code key and official California sources →
PLAY THIS ART ADVENTURE · 19
Make a Mark Dance
Repeat lines in a pattern, or change their order.
Art ideas: Line. One playful connection to this project.
Find this resource again: mrrichiecreates.com/lessons/line-dance