Drawing app for five-year old

November 26, 2022 7:53 AM

I took my kids to an animation exhibit at a museum, and one of the exhibits was a drawing station that my five-year old loved. You chose a design, put a piece of paper over the screen, and traced the design, step by step. He was fully focused on it and was very proud of himself! I'd like to find an iOS app that does the same thing.

Things I'd like:
- Drawings that are more simple than complex, without too many details / steps
- Step by step presentation
- Free or paid is OK but I wouldn't want to spend more than $5 - $10
- Subjects that a 5 year old would appreciate

Thank you!

posted by shirobara to Technology (6 answers total)

Sorry for not respecting your requirement that this be an app, but an LED tracing / light board (not sure what the proper name is, but that's good enough to search) is a good option.
Just put any high contrast image below and blank paper on top.
posted by Acari at 9:06 AM on November 26, 2022 [6 favorites]

This sounds very interesting and I will sneakily piggyback and say if people find equivalent android apps, I'd love to hear about them!
posted by atomicstone at 9:41 AM on November 26, 2022

Best answer: Also not a direct answer but at that same age my daughter became obsessed with these lovely youtube kids art tutorials (art for kids hub) that are step by step. She can still do them for long periods of time and prefers them to all other drawing apps or books - worth trying!
posted by heavenknows at 9:47 AM on November 26, 2022

I'm not an IOS person so this answer won't be specific but there are several Connect the Dots type apps that might be pretty close to that same idea, although no paper. But maybe paper Connect the Dots might also have some of the same sense of creating something real with just a little help?
posted by macfly at 9:48 AM on November 26, 2022

I use the iOS app Tracing Projector, which does much of what you are looking for I believe, though it has more advanced and complicated functionality than you are seeking. One of the functions of that app let’s you freeze an image on your screen to allow the image to be traced onto paper. You can use any image on the phone or tablet or pick from a library of images, which includes both fairly basic and more complex forms — cats, dogs, people, etc. The free mode only allows for 3 minutes of drawing time, but you can upgrade to buy unlimited time. If I’m describing what you are looking for, you might find other good options by searching the term “tracing” in the iOS App Store. Looks like there are several options that may be more on the kid friendly side than what I have. I don’t see any that are step by step in the way you describe though. Good luck on your search and happy tracing to your child!
posted by reren at 12:47 PM on November 26, 2022

Response by poster: Thank you so much for all of the answers! We actually got way into the Art For Kids Hub YouTube videos, and my son adores them. I really think that's what we needed!
posted by shirobara at 11:24 AM on December 4, 2022