60-Second Monster
Draw a monster in 60 seconds. Give it more eyes than you have!
1 minute
Free for teachers · kindergarten to 5th grade
Classroom brain breaks: draw, move and calm down
48 printable brain break cards with Kevin Coulston’s cartoon characters, a picker for the board and 60 short drawing videos. Every break takes 30 seconds to 5 minutes and needs nothing but a pencil and scrap paper.
Print all 48 cards (PDF)Pick one for meWatch a drawing video
Pick a brain break
Put this page on the board. Press the button and a card comes up for the whole room.
Your brain break will show up here.
48 brain break cards
Read a card aloud, or pull one from a jar. Draw it fast, Move like me and Calm drawing: sixteen of each, six to a printed page.
Print the cards
Print on card stock, cut along the dashed lines and keep them in a jar or on a ring. Each kind has its own color band, so you can grab a calm card or a move card fast.
All 48 cards (PDF)Draw it fast (PDF)Move like me (PDF)Calm drawing (PDF)
1
Print these 16 (PDF)Draw it fast cards
Quick drawing challenges. All you need is a pencil and scrap paper.
Other Hand Cat
Draw a cat with the hand you don’t write with. Wobbly lines are the fun part.
1 minute
Eyes-Closed Face
Close your eyes and draw a face. Open them and add one more thing.
45 seconds
Five Circles
Draw five circles. Turn each one into something different.
2 minutes
Squiggle Swap
Draw a squiggle and swap with a partner. Turn their squiggle into a creature.
2 minutes
Robot Mash-Up
Draw a robot with an animal’s head. What can it do?
90 seconds
Three-Shape Alien
Draw an alien using only a circle, a triangle and a square.
1 minute
One-Line Snake
Draw a long snake without lifting your pencil. Then give it a pattern.
45 seconds
Dot Surprise
Put a dot anywhere on your paper. Turn it into a bug, a planet or a face.
45 seconds
Fruit With a Face
Draw a piece of fruit. Give it a face, arms and a funny hat.
1 minute
Tiny, Then Giant
Draw a tiny dinosaur. Now draw it again, as big as your paper.
90 seconds
Three Things
Your teacher calls out three things. Fit all three into one drawing.
2 minutes
Pass the Monster
Draw a head and pass your paper. The next person adds a body, then legs.
2 minutes
Mood Faces
Draw a happy face, a grumpy face and a surprised face. One minute!
1 minute
Mystery Pet
Draw a pet nobody has ever seen. Give it a name.
90 seconds
Star Storm
Draw as many stars as you can in 30 seconds. Count them!
30 seconds2
Print these 16 (PDF)Move like me cards
Stand up and move like the character on the card. No paper needed.
T. rex Stomp
Make tiny T. rex arms. Stomp in place 10 times, then roar once.
30 seconds
Robot Moves
Stiff arms, stiff legs. Turn left, beep. Turn right, beep. Power down.
30 seconds
Frog Hops
Squat down low and do five frog hops in place. Ribbit!
30 seconds
Penguin Waddle
Feet together, arms by your sides. Waddle in a small circle.
30 seconds
Monkey Reach
Reach up and grab a banana, left hand, right hand. Do it 10 times.
30 seconds
Flamingo Balance
Stand on one leg like a flamingo and count to 10. Switch legs.
45 seconds
Elephant Trunk
Clasp your hands and swing your trunk side to side. Trumpet!
30 seconds
Crab Shuffle
Pinchy claws up! Shuffle four steps left, then four steps right.
30 seconds
Alien Antennas
Put two fingers on your head for antennas. Wiggle them and spin slowly.
30 seconds
Kangaroo Jumps
Hold your paws up and jump in place 10 times.
30 seconds
Octopus Arms
Wave your arms slowly like you’re floating underwater. Now faster!
30 seconds
Wet Dog Shake
Shake your hands, then your arms, then your whole body, like a dog after a bath.
30 seconds
Lion Stretch
Stretch your claws out wide, take a big yawn, then a quiet roar.
30 seconds
Air Drawing
Draw a giant circle in the air with your elbow. Now your nose. Now your foot!
45 seconds
Unicorn Gallop
Gallop in place and toss your mane. Slow down to a walk, then stop.
30 seconds
Dino Freeze
Dance until your teacher says “Freeze!” Then freeze like a stegosaurus.
1 minute3
Print these 16 (PDF)Calm drawing cards
Slow lines and slow breaths to settle the room before the next lesson.
Square Breathing
Draw a square slowly. Breathe in up one side, hold across the top, breathe out down, hold across the bottom.
1 minute
Star Breathing
Draw a star slowly. Breathe in on each line that goes up, breathe out on each line that goes down.
1 minute
Slow Spiral
Draw a spiral as slowly as you can, from the outside to the middle.
1 minute
Wave Lines
Draw slow waves across your paper. Breathe in as the wave goes up, out as it comes down.
1 minute
Tiny Pattern
Draw a box. Fill it with one tiny pattern: dots, stripes or hearts.
2 minutes
Draw a Sound
Close your eyes and listen for one minute. Draw one sound you heard.
90 seconds
Cloud Shapes
Draw a puffy cloud. What does it look like? Turn it into that.
90 seconds
Smile Doodle
Draw one thing that made you smile today.
90 seconds
My Calm Place
Draw a cozy place where you feel calm. Who or what is there with you?
2 minutes
Hand Trace Breathing
Trace your hand slowly. Breathe in up each finger, breathe out down.
1 minute
Slowest Line
Draw a line across your paper as slowly as a lizard in the sun.
1 minute
Flower Circle
Draw a small circle. Draw the same shape all the way around it, like petals.
90 seconds
Color One Shape
Draw one big shape and color it in very slowly, right to the edges.
2 minutes
Tiny Gift
Draw a tiny picture for a friend or for your teacher.
90 seconds
Raindrop Count
Draw 10 raindrops, one slow breath for each drop.
1 minute
Sleepy Panda
Draw a character getting ready for a nap. Give it a pillow and a blanket.
90 secondsShort drawing videos for a brain break
Play one on the board, then let everyone draw. All 60 are by Kevin Coulston and sorted from shortest to longest.
Watch it build: under 2½ minutes 35 videos
Each drawing builds line by line to fun music. Watch it once, then everyone draws their own version from memory, or play it again and draw along.
1:03
How to Draw a BrachiosaurusLesson page
1:07
How to Draw a DrumstickLesson page
1:10
How to Draw a Unicorn PandaLesson page
1:11
How to Draw a SnailLesson page
1:12
How to Draw a Franken-Ghost for HalloweenLesson page
1:14
How to Draw a Cartoon Witch for HalloweenLesson page
1:15
How to Draw a ChickenLesson page
1:19
How to Draw an Angry Bald ManLesson page
1:21
How to Draw a Black Cat for HalloweenLesson page
1:22
How to Draw a Tropical FishLesson page
1:23
How to Draw a Grumpy Old ManLesson page
1:24
How to Draw a HippoLesson page
1:24
How to Draw a MermaidLesson page
1:32
How to Draw a Raccoon with a Unicorn HornLesson page
1:32
Meet The Artist: Kevin Coulston
1:33
How to Draw a Mischievous Cartoon Werewolf for HalloweenLesson page
1:34
How to Draw a Silly Cartoon DogLesson page
1:35
How to Draw a Cheese MonsterLesson page
1:36
How to Draw an AnglerfishLesson page
1:37
How to Draw a Cartoon AlienLesson page
1:37
How to Draw a Cartoon Mummy for HalloweenLesson page
1:40
How to Draw a LionLesson page
1:43
How to Draw a Baby CapybaraLesson page
1:43
How to Draw a Christmas TreeLesson page
1:45
How to Draw a Cartoon CandyLesson page
1:45
How to Draw a Cute Girl RobotLesson page
1:46
How to Draw a CorgiLesson page
1:46
How to Draw a Silly Jack-O'-Lantern for HalloweenLesson page
1:47
How to Draw an Eyeball MonsterLesson page
1:51
How to Draw a Kaiju LizardLesson page
1:51
How to Draw an AxolotlLesson page
1:55
How to Draw a Christmas CookieLesson page
1:55
How to Draw a SkeletonLesson page
2:00
How to Draw a Frightened Crusty GooberLesson page
2:18
How to Draw a Ghost Vampire for HalloweenLesson page
Shape Drawing Challenges: about 3 to 4 minutes 9 videos
Kevin turns one shape into three different characters. Pause before each one and ask the class what the shape could become.
3:48
Shape Drawing Challenge #1Lesson page
3:28
Shape Drawing Challenge #2Lesson page
4:25
Shape Drawing Challenge #3Lesson page
3:12
Shape Drawing Challenge #4Lesson page
3:14
Shape Drawing Challenge #5Lesson page
3:42
Shape Drawing Challenge #6Lesson page
3:19
Shape Drawing Challenge #7
3:31
Shape Drawing Challenge #8
3:26
Shape Drawing Challenge #9Lesson page
Five-minute draw-alongs 16 videos
Step-by-step lessons short enough for a break between subjects. Pause the video after each step.
4:34
How to Draw a Cartoon Turtle
4:39
How to Draw a Cute Watermelon
4:41
How to Draw a Cute Honey BeeLesson page
4:54
How to Draw a Baby FlamingoLesson page
4:59
How to Draw a Robot T-RexLesson page
5:01
How to Draw a LobsterLesson page
5:03
How to Draw a Cartoon Dolphin
5:04
How to Draw a Cute Pencil
5:05
How to Draw a Cute Cactus
5:12
How to Draw a Cute Unicorn AxolotlLesson page
5:15
How to Draw a Cute Pizza SliceLesson page
5:17
How to Draw a Cute CatLesson page
5:17
How to Draw a Pufferfish (Blowfish)Lesson page
5:17
How to Draw a Robot PterodactylLesson page
5:19
How to Draw a Karate CatLesson page
5:23
How to Draw a Cartoon Corgi Dog
See every video, sorted by book or length, on the videos page.
How to run a brain break
- Keep it short. One to five minutes, then straight back to work. Set the timer so kids know when it ends.
- Match the mood. Sleepy class? Pick a move card. Wild class after recess? Pick a calm card.
- Scrap paper only. Brain break drawings are for fun, not for grading. Silly is the goal.
- Let kids choose. Once a week, a student of the day picks the card.
When to use one
- Between subjects, like after math and before reading.
- After a test, with a move card to shake it off.
- After recess or lunch, with a calm card or a watch-it-build video.
- On indoor recess days, with a Shape Drawing Challenge and the indoor recess drawing games.
Breathing and stretch pages
More calm-down and wake-up pages from the free SEL worksheets. Print a set for a calm-down corner.
Animal Stretch Cards
Animal Breathing Cards
Calm Body, Wiggly Body
Calm-Down Strategy Cards
Five-Finger Breathing
Mindful Walk Bingo
5-4-3-2-1 Calm Down
Mindful Coloring Pattern
More quick drawing ideas
- Drawing prompt generatorSpin a silly prompt and draw it in five minutes.
- Drawing games for kidsPictionary, the squiggle game, drawing telephone and more.
- Indoor recess activitiesDrawing games and a station tub for rainy days.
- Classroom activities and gamesWord searches, bingo, mazes and early finisher pages.
- Art center cardsCut-apart task cards for the art center.
- Directed drawing and writingA step-by-step drawing plus a writing page.
The books behind the characters
Every character on the cards comes from one of Kevin Coulston’s drawing books. Kids who love a brain break drawing can learn to draw it step by step.
How to Draw: Cool Stuff
How to Draw: Cute Cartoon Animals
How to Draw: Cartoon Dinosaurs
How to Draw: Cute Cartoon MonstersAs an Amazon Associate, FirstArtBooks earns from qualifying purchases.
Questions
What is a brain break?
A brain break is a short pause, usually one to five minutes, between lessons. Kids move, laugh or calm down, then go back to work with more focus. These brain breaks use drawing and silly character moves, so they need nothing more than a pencil and scrap paper.
Are the brain break cards free?
Yes. All 48 cards are free to print for home and classroom use, as many copies as you need. Print all of them in one PDF or just one kind.
Which grades are they for?
Kindergarten to 5th grade. Younger kids love the move cards and the 60-second drawing challenges; older kids enjoy the squiggle swap, the mash-ups and the Shape Drawing Challenges. Every card works with the whole class at once.
How long does each brain break take?
Every card shows its time, from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. The watch-it-build videos are under 2½ minutes, the Shape Drawing Challenges about 3 to 4 minutes and the draw-alongs about 5 minutes.
How do I use the brain break picker?
Put this page on the board and press “Pick one for me.” A card comes up big enough for the whole room to read, with a timer you can start when everyone is ready. Choose Draw, Move or Calm to pick only from one kind.
When should I use a calm break and when a move break?
Use a move card when the class is sleepy or has been sitting for a long time, like after a test or before lunch. Use a calm card when the room is too wild, like after recess or a party, to bring the energy down before the next lesson.
Do the cards print in black and white?
Yes. The cards are US Letter, six to a page, with a light color band for each kind. They look fine in gray, and kids can color the characters later.
The cards are US Letter, print well in black and white and are free for home and classroom use. More for teachers in the teacher resources.
Free for teachers
Get the free Classroom Drawing Kit
12 printable pages: six step-by-step lessons, a grid activity, draw-and-write sheets and teacher notes, sent with your welcome email. After that, new classroom printables by email.