Draw What You Read Worksheets
About Our Draw What You Read Worksheets
Draw What You Read Worksheets are a wonderfully creative way for young learners to develop both their reading comprehension and fine motor skills. These activities encourage children to "see" what they read and bring it to life with drawing, reinforcing the connection between language and visual imagination. As they read a sentence, follow directional prompts, or decode emotion words, students strengthen not only comprehension but also their ability to translate ideas into pictures-boosting both cognitive and artistic abilities.
This collection includes a variety of engaging themes: drawing scenes from short stories, illustrating weather conditions, tracing emotional expressions, and interpreting sentences through pictures. Each worksheet invites learners to follow structured text and draw, improving their ability to follow directions, retain detail, and express understanding visually.
These activities go beyond simple comprehension-they foster critical thinking by asking children to determine which details are essential to include in their drawings. At the same time, they nurture creativity and emotional literacy, especially through exercises like drawing faces that match emotion words.
Perfect for kindergarten through second grade, these printable PDF worksheets are adaptable to classroom, small group, or at-home use-making reading more vivid, meaningful, and expressive for early learners.
Looking At Each Worksheet
Here are the individual worksheet titles from the "Draw What You Read" collection, each with a fun and descriptive five-sentence overview:
Active Scenes
Students read descriptive text that guides them to draw lively scenes with action-maybe people moving, animals playing, or objects in motion. They practice interpreting words and translating them visually, reinforcing comprehension and fine motor skills. This dynamic format makes the activity feel like storytelling through drawing. Perfect for classroom storytelling lessons or creative breaks at home. Bonus idea: Have students act out the scene and then draw it afterward to connect movement, reading, and art.
Bunny Scene
Children read a short description involving a bunny and then illustrate the scene-perhaps hopping through a garden or nibbling on carrots. This worksheet helps them understand and visualize narrative details while developing drawing precision. The bunny theme adds a sprinkle of charm that makes the task feel like a mini adventure. Ideal for springtime lessons or animal-themed learning. Bonus idea: Encourage kids to add more details-like flowers or butterflies-to expand the scene creatively.
Colorful Reads
This worksheet asks students to read a sentence and then color or draw details matching what they read-combining comprehension with color recognition. By bringing text to vibrant life, children deepen their engagement with both language and visuals. The simple yet colorful design turns reading into a creative art experience. Great for dual focus on literacy and color learning. Bonus idea: After drawing, have students label each color they used to reinforce color words.
Colorful Sentences
Learners read sentences filled with color words and then illustrate the scene accordingly, using appropriate hues to match each description. This strengthens connection between reading and color logic while encouraging fine motor accuracy in drawing. The result is a colorful visual representation of text that feels playful and meaningful. Excellent for both reading practice and art integration. Bonus idea: Then ask children to write their own colorful sentence and draw it too!
Cop Stories
Short, simple narratives featuring a police officer or similar character prompt students to draw scenes from what they've read-perhaps chasing a ball or helping someone. This context helps children visualize action and develop narrative comprehension. The theme can make reading feel like a community story unfolding. Best suited for careers or community helper lessons. Bonus idea: Let kids create speech bubbles for their characters to add dialogue to their scenes.
Emotional Faces
Children read an emotion word like "happy" or "silly" and then draw a face showing that emotion. This supports emotional literacy while blending reading, comprehension, and expressive drawing-boosting social-emotional understanding alongside fine motor practice. The activity feels like creating emoji-style art but with a learning twist. Great for social-emotional learning or literacy circles. Bonus idea: Have children trade drawings and guess each other's emotion before discussing.
Farm Friends
Readers follow a sentence about animals on a farm (like "the cow is standing by the barn") and draw that scene. This encourages visualization of text and detail-focused drawing. The farmyard theme adds familiarity and fun. Ideal for animal or habitat lessons in class or at home. Bonus idea: Create a collaborative farm mural by combining each child's drawing on a big paper backdrop.
Favorite Things
This one invites children to read about someone's favorite things and then illustrate those items-perhaps toys, foods, or activities. It links reading with personal expression and supports visualization of abstract ideas. Kids often smile as they see everyday items they love translated into drawings. Perfect for "All About Me" themes or speaking-and-listening activities. Bonus idea: Ask kids to write a sentence about one of their favorite things next to the drawing.
Fuzzy Farm
Students read a short description involving fuzzy farm animals-like sheep or chicks-and draw both the animal and setting with a focus on texture. It helps children imagine sensory qualities (like fuzziness) while translating text into creative illustrations. The tactile thinking makes comprehension more multisensory. Great for sensory-focused lessons or texture vocabulary learning. Bonus idea: Add cotton balls or yarn after drawing to give the scene a fuzzy 3D quality!
Hen's Nest
Children read about a hen and her nest-maybe eggs inside-and draw both with attention to detail. This activity reinforces reading comprehension through drawing context and objects. The nesting scene adds a cozy, nature-themed twist that's endearing. Perfect for spring or farm units. Bonus idea: Use cut-out eggs and nest materials (like twigs or yarn) to build a hands-on model alongside their drawing.
Mood Makers
Learners read mood-related words or short sentences (e.g. "Maria feels excited") and draw a facial expression or body language to match the mood. This supports empathy, emotional literacy, and comprehension all in one creative task. The expressive drawing makes reading a more personal and perceptive experience. Ideal for SEL lessons or character emotion discussions. Bonus idea: Ask children to write one word next to their drawing describing how they'd feel in that mood.
Pat's Adventure
Students read a short narrative that follows someone named Pat-and then draw a scene from that adventure. This helps with sequencing and spatial visualization as they decide how to represent action. The personalized story format keeps kids curious and connected to the character. Great for narrative comprehension or author-study tie-ins. Bonus idea: Let children write their own ending sentence and draw that too!
Picture Sentences
Children read a simple sentence and immediately draw what it describes-maybe "The cat is on the mat" becomes a cat lounging on a rug. It's a direct translation of language to image, reinforcing comprehension and attention to detail. The straightforward style makes it an excellent starting point for younger learners. Use during early reading instruction or speech therapy. Bonus idea: Turn it into "Topsy-Turvy" where kids swap sentences and draw each other's!
Rainy Snail
Students read a sentence about a snail in the rain and draw it-perhaps with snail, raindrops, and a puddle. This combines weather vocabulary, context clues, and drawing skills. The whimsical image of a snail in rain adds playful charm. Perfect for weather lessons or nature explorations. Bonus idea: Add real raindrop stickers or glitter for a sparkly rain effect.
Weather Wonders
Children read a description of weather-like "the sun is shining behind a cloud"-and draw the weather scene accordingly. This strengthens reading comprehension, vocabulary, and visual imagery. The weather theme connects literacy with science concepts naturally. Great for integrating reading into morning message routines or weather charts. Bonus idea: After drawing, ask kids to write the weather words they recognized to reinforce vocabulary.