Graphical dictation for kids
Graph paper drawing from spoken instructions: listen to a step, draw the line across the squares — and a picture appears. 72 activities, from six steps to expert level.
Free, no sign-up, works on a phone and a tablet
What is a graphical dictation?
A graphical dictation is a drawing activity on squared paper: a grown-up reads out the steps — “three squares right, two down” — and the child draws the line without lifting the pencil until it closes into a picture. In English it also goes by graphic dictation, grid drawing or directed drawing.
Listens to a step
A grown-up reads it out, or the voice does: “three squares right”.
Crosses it off
The child marks the finished step and never loses their place.
Draws
The line runs along the squares, closes up and turns into a picture.
What it builds
Attention
You have to hold the instruction in your head and not skip a step.
Counting
Every step is counting squares within ten.
Left and right
Finding your way on the page: right, left, up, down.
Motor skills
A straight line along the squares gets the hand ready for writing.
Three modes
All steps
The whole grid of steps in front of you — best for a first try.
Dictation
No steps on screen at all — only the voice. The real thing.
Kid mode
Everything else is off the screen: no answer, no difficulty, no text — just the task.
What you can draw
The short version
Questions and answers
What is a graphical dictation?
It is a drawing activity done on squared paper by ear. The steps are read out one by one — “three squares right, two down” — and the child draws the line along the grid without lifting the pencil. When the steps run out the line closes up and turns into a picture. It suits children from about five to nine.
Why is it called a dictation?
Because the child works from the spoken word, not from a copy: nothing is shown, everything is heard. The name comes from primary school practice in Eastern Europe, where the graphic dictation has been used for decades to check that a child is ready for school — that they can hold a spoken instruction in their head and keep to the lines on the page.
What age is graph paper drawing for?
From five, if a child counts confidently to five and knows left from right. Start with the one- and two-star activities: they are six to ten steps long.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The site opens in a browser on a phone, a tablet and a computer. Progress is stored in the browser itself, and there is no sign-up.
Can the activities be printed?
Yes — every one of them has a printable version: a sheet with the steps and a blank grid. It comes as a ready one-page A4 PDF.
How does this help before school?
It trains exactly what gets checked at school entry: following spoken instructions, counting, finding your way on the page and drawing a steady line along the squares.
What if my child loses their place?
Nothing to worry about: the app has an eraser and an undo button, and on paper it is enough to go back to the last crossed-off step. Losing your place is a normal part of the activity.
How does dictation mode work?
The steps are not shown on screen: a voice calls them out with a pause you choose — from two to seven seconds. It is the closest thing to how it is done in class.
Start your first graphical dictation
Open an activity on a phone, a tablet or a computer — or print the sheet and draw it on paper.