Kindergarten Stars

Try these simple instructions to teach your kinders how to draw stars. As adults, we make these designs automatically, almost without thinking, but for a five year old drawing their very first star, it's nothing short of magical! Once it "clicks" for them, they will be drawing stars everywhere!

First talk about types of lines, concentrating on "diagonal" and "horizontal". Then, demonstrate these easy steps, and give your kinders plenty of paper to practice on. Naming each step is helpful until "muscle memory" takes over...

1. Start by drawing a mountain. Remember to begin at the bottom of the mountain and don't lift your pencil til your star is complete!

2. Next, cross your first line with a diagonal line. (Don't lift your pencil yet!)

3. Now, draw a horizontal line across the opposite side of your mountain. (Still don't lift your pencil!)

4. Finally, draw a diagonal line back to the place you started from. (NOW you can lift your pencil!!)

After demonstrating my first star, I drew several more, repeating, "Mountain, diagonal, horizontal, diagonal," with each step. Then, students practiced drawing stars on scratch paper until they were ready to use chisel tip markers on construction paper, writing their names on their "best" examples. These were colored in to look like stained glass windows, laminated and punched at the top for hanging. These stars make wonderful ornaments.... each one is unique, with tons of "personality" (see photo at top)!!

(If you color your stars with crayons, the heat from the laminator will melt the crayon a little, making the colors smooth and bright!)