Why Drawing Glyphs Are a Must-Have for Your Classroom Routine

If you’ve never used drawing glyphs in your classroom, prepare to meet your new favorite activity.

Not only are glyphs a fun and creative way to get students drawing and following directions, they’re also packed with cross-curricular benefits.

Whether you’re teaching first grade, second grade, drawing glyphs sneak in so many important skills without your students even realizing it.

In this post, I’m breaking down what drawing glyphs are, why they’re so effective, and some easy ways to use them all year long.

What is a Drawing Glyph?

A drawing glyph is a set of visual directions where students add details to a picture based on their personal preferences, answers to questions, or classroom concepts. For example:

• If you have a pet, draw a star on your shirt.

• If you like pizza, give your character red shoes.

By the time they’re done, every student has a picture that reflects them—and you’ve just incorporated data collection, listening skills, direction-following, and social-emotional learning all in one go.

Why Are Drawing Glyphs So Powerful?

Here’s why teachers love them (and kids do too!):

🎨 1. Builds Listening and Direction-Following Skills

You’d be amazed how much focus it takes to listen to one instruction, interpret it visually, and carry it out. Glyphs train kids to slow down, think critically, and follow directions to a T—perfect for early finishers or as part of a structured morning work routine.

📊 2. Doubles as a Math + Data Activity

When everyone’s done, you can tally up responses to create bar graphs or pictographs. “How many kids drew red shoes?” becomes a math mini-lesson with real-world meaning.

🧠 3. Supports Reading Comprehension

Reading glyph directions boosts comprehension in a super visual, hands-on way. It's an easy way to reinforce conditional statements like "If...then" and introduce logic and cause-effect thinking.

❤️ 4. Encourages Self-Expression and Community Building

Students light up when they see how their drawings are both similar to and different from their classmates’ which naturally opens the door to conversations, connections, and classroom culture.

Ways to Use Drawing Glyphs in Your Classroom

Whether you’re easing into a Monday morning or wrapping up a themed celebration, glyphs are easy to plug in. Here are a few teacher-approved ideas:

• Morning Work or Early Finishers: Keep students engaged without needing tons of prep or materials.

• Holiday & Seasonal Celebrations: Add a low-prep, high-fun twist to your party day plans (hello, Halloween glyphs 🎉).

• Get-to-Know-You Activities: Use at the beginning of the year to learn about your students’ likes, dislikes, and personalities.

• Graphing & Data Collection Lessons: Turn the final glyphs into tally charts, bar graphs, or even class surveys.

• Writing Prompts: After completing their glyph, have students write a story or explanation about their picture. It adds context and builds those narrative writing muscles.

Want to Try It?

If you’re ready to add some hands-on fun to your classroom that checks all the academic boxes too, I’ve created seasonal and holiday-themed drawing glyphs designed just for first and second graders. They’re perfect for sub days, party stations, and anytime you need a creative brain break that still hits standards.

👉 Browse my Drawing Glyph Collection here

Each one comes with:

• Step-by-step picture directions in color + black white

• 2 final drawing paper options

• Optional Google Slides presentation for a slower paced instruction