Double doodle art is fun, relaxing, and a great way to exercise the brain as it uses both sides of the brain simultaneously. Here’s how, plus some examples.
I was first introduced to the concept of double doodle art years ago by Maya Donenfeld of Maya*Made. She wrote about a mesmerizing drawing exercise her daughter learned at school from an art teacher.
We gave it a try, loved it, and have been doing it ourselves ever since.
(Thank you, Maya! Thank you, art teacher!)
I’ve included double doodle drawing in both my books (brief mention in the first, longer write-up of the activity in the second), but have never written a blog post about it, and thought it was about time I shared one of our favorite drawing exercises here.
Here’s a video I made, showing double doodle art in action.
Double Doodle Art for Kids
MATERIALS
- Paper
- Tape (optional)
- 2 markers or pens per person
INSTRUCTIONS
Basically, you’ll draw simultaneously with both hands and markers, creating symmetrical, mirror image drawings.
Here’s what I wrote in The Artful Year (pages 39-40).
Holding a marker in each hand, place the tips side by side at the center of the paper. Begin drawing with both markers at the same time, creating a mirror image. For example, when the left marker is heading left to the edge of the paper, the right marker should be heading right to the other edge of the paper. When one marker is heading toward the center, the other should be as well.
Update: I made a video showing the double doodle drawing in action! You’ll see it near the end of this post…
Note: If you need help keeping the paper in place (for little ones, especially) you can tape the corners of the paper down first.
Here is some of the double doodle art we did over the weekend…
Maia double doodled entire scenes.
Daphne got super into her double doodles and did drawing after drawing, including Easter eggs, a spider web, and some abstract art.
Harry really got into it, too, drawing detailed starfish, sand dollars, and other designs.
I did a few myself, too, including an Easter bunny, portraits, and some abstract double doodles.
I hope you give double doodle art a try, both yourself and with your kids! It’s fun, relaxing, and a great way to exercise the brain as it uses both sides of the brain simultaneously.
More Fun Drawing Exercises for Kids
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20 Comments
Fiona Wood
March 25, 2015 at 3:33 pmI love this idea! I will be using this for sure in my art classes. What a wonderful activity for a whole class or even a short warm up exercise. Thanks very much for sharing!
Jean Van't Hul
March 25, 2015 at 5:22 pmYou’re welcome, Fiona! :) Hope your classes enjoy it!
Katy
March 26, 2015 at 8:48 amI remember doing this in 2nd Grade for an art project :)
Jean Van't Hul
March 26, 2015 at 9:47 amAwesome!
sammy
March 30, 2015 at 6:38 amOML I am so plsed my friend tagged me in ur post. My 5yr old daughter was doing this the other month and no one I knew has seen it before andher school does not teach this. She just started doing it. It’s amazing thing for kids to learn. but draws people with 1 had 2 bodies 2 sets of arms legs etc
Chris Clark
May 20, 2015 at 12:09 pmBeautiful site and art.
Marjie
May 22, 2015 at 9:30 pmThis is wonderful! I am a pediatric occupational therapist and a licensed Brain Gym and Double Doodle Play instructor … Double Doodle is a fabulous way to help kids develop all sorts of visual motor and visual perceptual skills, and is by far the most often requested activity by the kids in my practice. I wanted to add that Double Doodle is part of the Brain Gym® program (Educational Kinesiology Foundation, Ventura,CA), and one of “The 26”, the core Brain Gym movement activities. Just in case anyone is wondering about the origins – You can find more information at http://www.braingym.org. There is actually an 8 hour course offered thru braingym.org that teaches all sorts of variations as well as much of the theory behind the activity. Happy doodling!
Katrina Schleisman
August 11, 2015 at 6:16 pmI’m a post-doctoral fellow in neuroscience and received my PhD under the advisement of a professor who specializes in the study of how different cognitive processes may be lateralized more to one hemisphere of the brain or the other. I just have to comment that there is nothing special about this activity that “activates both sides of the brain”. EVERY activity engages both the left and right hemisphere. I’m not saying that drawing with both hands at the same time isn’t fun, or worthwhile as a new kind of art class activity, but I cringe to see it legitimized with pseudo-science. That goes for Brain Gym, too. At our neuroscience education workshops we point out BrainGym as a method that particularly exemplifies the misapplication of neuroscience findings.
Katy Held
September 11, 2015 at 10:16 amBrain Gym exercises made a huge difference for my son, who had a stroke and has ADHD. So much so that I became a Brain Gym instructor. Most Brain Gym instructors are teachers, parents or other professionals who have experienced positive results from the exercises personally and for their children or students. The program is used all over the world, in thousands of schools, because it is simple, inexpensive (needs no equipment and not much space), and it works. Some people have issues with the explanation of how it works, but you can’t argue with the results. I helped a man who had failed his nurse anesthetist exam due to severe test anxiety. He was very skeptical about movements to help him calm down, but was open-minded enough to try it. He only needed one session, did the movements, and passed his test easily the second time. He said, “I don’t care how it works; I just know that it does.”
Brenda Tucker
May 30, 2015 at 9:43 amI was fascinated by this concept!! I used upside down drawing in my art classes, but I think this would be a terrific addition. I am retired now but still keep my intrest in art going as I have a four year old great granddaughter who is needing my help now. Sadly, I haven’t painted in quite a while, as I have had the roll of caregiver the past six years , for first my husband ,then my mother. They have passed away, but I’m not back in the painting mode as yet, but still trying to keep in the art loop. I’ll get back to it one day. Thanks for this idea.
Rachel´s Puzzle Things
July 13, 2015 at 11:56 amI could not avoid testing:
http://rachelspuzzlethings.blogspot.com.es/2015/07/que-tu-mano-derecha-sepa-de-lo-que-es.html
Very interesting exercise, even for adults. Thank you!
KidsPlayWood
February 8, 2016 at 8:20 amI recently found a similar exercise (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArinaKarZo). My kids really like DOODLE DOUBLE ART !!!
Adriannisa
March 3, 2016 at 12:14 amI can’t wait my daughter to do this.. This is what I usually d when I was in elementary school, it helps me more creative and can be focus on science and art. Thanks for the idea..
Jean Van't Hul
March 7, 2016 at 4:19 amYou’re welcome, Adriannisa!
Valentina
April 5, 2018 at 12:13 pmIt’s a very interesting idea with surprising results, I’ll try it with my kids! Thanks :)
Jean Van't Hul
April 8, 2018 at 5:11 amI hope you and the kids enjoy it, Valentina!
Jen Iverson
September 2, 2018 at 3:57 pmI love this activity. I could not find the link to the video you stated that you created. I would love to show the video my students who have autism. I plan to have my morning work this year be stations consisting of memory exercises. This will be one of the stations! It’s great. If you could send me the video, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks
Lynne
September 5, 2019 at 8:03 amIt’s so unfortunate that the medical field is so close-minded about things that they have not researched themselves or even willing to hear about real life success stories by actual people and not lab mice. They are stunting the growth of healing in this country.
Lynne
September 5, 2019 at 8:06 amIs this better to be done by using a picture as a reference or through imagination?
Jean Van't Hul
September 6, 2019 at 5:33 amWe always do double doodle drawing with our imagination and start with simple symmetrical pictures that we can draw easily (butterflies, faces, flowers, etc) or even abstract art.