Draw the other half: Christmas symmetry drawing prompts

My kids are currently intrigued by symmetry, so they really jumped at these symmetry drawing prompts, also called draw-the-other-half worksheet (as of today they’re still unaware that these are actually beneficial to them (ha ha!) and they simply enjoy doing them. Now that’s a win-win, so I can highly recommend these!

It’s a great opportunity to introduce the concept of symmetry. Read the text below and draw examples for your child. Basic geometric examples such as circles, triangles and rectangles will do for preschoolers, and think of more exotic shapes, such as arrows, blades and stars for primary school children. You can even use a mirror for a small demonstration of the line of symmetry (see below)!

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You’ll find the free worksheets below! And here‘s a list of all my free downloads – feel free to have a look! Keeping those little hand busy without screens? Have a look at these arts & crafts activities: from monster games to free writing paper..

Types of symmetry

Symmetry means that one shape becomes exactly like another after a flip, slide or turn. There are plenty of examples around, if you pay attention. It’s all around us – you’ll find plenty examples in in nature and art – but here we’ll focus on geometrical symmetry. I’ll quickly outline the different types of symmetry. Have a quick look at the figure for examples.

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(1) You know about reflection symmetry, which is the simplest form of symmetry, in which there is a line of plane of reflection. This is the type of symmetry that we’ll use in the symmetry drawing prompts below. Quite simply put: a shape on one side of the ‘line of reflection’ must also appear on the other side, in the exact opposite way.

(2) Rotational symmetry is when you rotate an object on an imaginary axis such that the object appears unchanged. How many times you can rotate per 360 degrees turn defines ‘the order‘. In other words, a ‘rotational symmetry of order 2’ means that there are two positions in which the object looks exactly the same.

(3) Point symmetry (or: inversion through a point) happens when every part of an object appears on the other side of an imaginary point, at exactly the same distance, but in opposite direction.

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Why using symmetry drawing prompts?

• improves fine motor skills
• great pre-writing exercise for its variety of lines and shapes
• right-handed, left-handed versions
• improves hand-eye coordination
• brain booster
• increasing difficulty: the first sheet starts with relatively simple assignments, the second is a little harder, while the third has a variety of shapes for fun.
• the result is pretty
• and it’s fun!

Instructions for draw-the-other-half symmetry drawing prompts

All you need is a printer and a pencil. And crayons if your child would like to colour the resulting poster.

1. Talk to your child about symmetry, so they have a basic understanding of the concept
2. Print the worksheets (you’ll find them below) and hand them to your child
3. Explain to the child that he/she should make the missing half exactly the same as the existing part. The child should pay attention to the overall shape and smaller details.

Additional exercises:

Colour the worksheets while following the principles of reflection symmetry. In other words, make a symmetrical drawing, both in shape and colour.

Kids of a more advanced level can hunt for objects around the house or in the garden that display some kind of symmetry. Do they recognise the type of symmetry? Ask them to draw the object and indicate the line or point of symmetry. Can they even make a finish-the-other-half drawing themselves, perhaps for a younger sibling??

Download draw-the-other-half symmetry drawing worksheets

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More creative boredom busters for the holidays

Would you like some quality time with your kids, without screens, but not overly complicated? Or would you like a few moments to yourself while the kids are happily occupied, doing crafts and games? Give them some clay and make these laced tree ornaments, and make a pile to keep and share! Or play the build-a-monster game, a local favourite!

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Or do you prefer free educational printables? Here’s a graphical overview of the year, spanning seasons, months and weeks. Or have a look at a very simple video for telling time. It goes through 24 hours and indicates key time points, such as rising, breakfast, lunch, play time, dinner and  bedtime.

For the holiday season, check out these Christmas printables in my shoppe. The paper tree baubles are great for any tree: no break, no tears! And still pretty ; ) Also, check out the funky Christmas paper town. Now which elf would not want to live there? Also suitable for placing tea lights!