Best suited for: Second Level and above/ Age 8-11, 12-15, 16+
Maths involved: shapes, directional language
Materials needed:
Drawing paper
Pens or pencils
Instructions
In this activity, one person describes a picture using just shapes and directional words. The other person has to draw the picture, following the directions.
Here is the sample script from our version of this activity:
"Let’s give it a try. In the middle of your sheet of paper, draw a large circle along the bottom edge.
On top of this, draw a second slightly smaller circle. And on top of that, draw a third circle slightly smaller again.
On top of the third circle, draw a line from left to right. On top of the line, draw a rectangle in the middle of the line.
Inside the top circle, draw two dots with a triangle pointing to the right below the dots. Inside the middle circle, draw two tiny circles on top of each other. And inside the bottom circle, draw three tiny circles on top of each other. On the left side of your paper, next to what you've just drawn, draw a large rectangle along the bottom edge of your paper.
On top of the rectangle, draw a triangle pointing upwards. Inside the large rectangle, draw a smaller rectangle in the middle of the bottom edge. Now draw two squares on top of the smaller rectangle, one at each end.
Finally, on the very right side of your paper, draw a large circle along the bottom edge. On top of that, draw a second slightly smaller circle. Inside the smaller circle, draw two dots and below that a triangle pointing to the left. On top of the top circle, draw a triangle pointing upwards. On the tip of the triangle, draw a small circle.
Well done, that’s the end of the drawing."
If you followed our script, you should have ended up with a snowman wearing a top hat and five buttons in the middle of your paper; a house with a pointed roof, two small square windows and one large rectangular window on the left side of your paper; and another, smaller snowman, with a party hat and no buttons on the right side of your paper.
Now try creating your own descriptions of pictures for each other to draw.
To celebrate Book Week Scotland, we are delighted to announce the finalists and winners of our Maths Tales 2025 story-writing competition, run in partnership with Read Write Count with The First Minister.
We are delighted to also announce the winners of our Finn's Wild Maths Adventure Contest! Well done to everyone who entered, we really enjoyed going through all the different creative submissions.
