Teaching young students an important social skill with following directions exercises is one of the most important things that can be done at the beginning of the year—and honestly, all year long! At this age, most of them are still learning how to listen with purpose, process what they hear, and act on it. Listening and following directions activities for kids like the ones below help build that skill in fun, developmentally-appropriate ways. Teach young children how to listen, think, and follow through with these simple activities.
Why Incorporate Listening And Following Directions Activities?
Younger learners are just starting to figure out how school works. This is especially true in kindergarten.
One of the biggest things they need to learn early on is how to follow directions—and not just for routines, but for learning, safety, and working with others.
That’s why it is important to incorporate listening and following directions activities regularly. These activities do many of these things. Some of these things are:
Building listening skills – Young kids are still developing their ability to focus and listen carefully. Direction following activities help them practice listening closely and paying attention to details.
It supports independence – When students can follow multi-step directions, even just two steps at first, they start to feel more confident doing things on their own—like cleaning up, getting supplies, or moving through centers.
It keeps the classroom running smoothly – Let’s be honest: when kids know how to listen and follow through, transitions are quicker, there’s less confusion, and things just flow better. It’s a lifesaver, especially with 20+ five-year-olds!
It prepares them for future learning – Following directions is a foundation for everything they’ll do—math, reading, science—you name it. If they can’t follow directions, it’s hard for them to succeed in those areas.
It teaches self-regulation and patience – Activities that require waiting for directions or doing things in a certain order help them learn impulse control, which we know is still a work in progress at this age.
So, including these kinds of activities isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. It sets the tone for a positive, productive classroom where our students can thrive.
Following Directions Coloring Activity
A super simple but powerful way to practice this imporant social skills is a following directions coloring activity. This is where students have to color specific objects on a page certain colors—like, “Color the sun yellow” and “Color the apple red.”
It might seem basic, but it’s actually a great way to build listening and direction-following skills, especially for our kinders who are just learning how to listen and respond to multi-step tasks.
It’s also a great way to reinforce color recognition and vocabulary at the same time!
To do this, print a simple coloring page. Ones with a scene of something (such as kids playing at park or a beach scene) are best as they have many different objects in them. Then state a direction aloud of a specific object and a specific color. This would sound something like “Find the balloon. Color it red.” Then give them time to find it and color before moving to the next one.
This following directions art activity is quick, engaging, and they feel so proud when their paper turns out just right. Plus, it gives you a chance to check who’s really listening and who might need a little extra support.
Following Directions Drawing Activity For Kids
Directed drawings are a great following directions drawing activity for kids.
It’s when you guide the kiddos step-by-step to draw something—like a cat, a snowman, or even a rocket ship. They listen carefully and draw each part as you describe it (like, “Start with a big circle in the middle of your paper…”).
It’s so fun because they get really excited to see their pictures come to life, and it helps them practice listening, staying focused, and following one step at a time. Plus, it builds confidence—they’re always amazed by what they can create when they follow directions!
To do it, I gather crayons and paper, model each step on the board or under a document camera, and go nice and slow so they can follow along.
To extend the listening following directions drawing activity and incorporate academics, add a writing piece at the end. It’s simple, engaging, and packed with learning!
Following Directions Interactive Game
There are many games out there to play where students have fun but are also learning.
One of these is Simon Says. In this classic game, students to need to listen to the leader (or Simon) of what to do. However, they need to make sure they are not only doing the correct action that Simon tells them to do but also only do it if it starts off with “Simon says…”. This teaches them to listen carefully to the whole direction.
If you are looking for a board game, just about any game will work. Kids have to listen carefully to the rules, take turns, and follow steps in order—like rolling the dice and moving the right number of spaces. It helps them build listening skills, patience, and self-control, all while they’re having fun and working with friends.
Some age-appropriate following directions board game ideas are: Don’t Break the Ice, Ants in the Pants, or Count Your Chickens. (That last game is especially good as it is a cooperative game so everyone works together to win instead of one person being the winner and the rest not; in a cooperative game, either everyone wins or no one wins.)
Following Directions Activity Sheets
Sometimes a good-ole worksheet can be a great activity. They can be easy to print out and use. Especially when doing more direct instruction on following directions.
This is a great way to help students understand what it means to follow directions. Defining terms (so everyone is on the same page with language when it is used) is a great idea. Also including information on how following directions looks and even the order of following directions are helpful subjects.
Worksheets can vary in format to keep them engaging. Think tracing, coloring, matching, cut/glue, or drawing.
Don’t have time to create your own? Then grab these prep free following directions worksheets pdf. You’ll find a 5 page flip book that defines terms and tells how it looks. Then there are 13 other single sheets to reinforce the learning and further develop understanding. Each page has different formats to keep students engaged. Plus because there is such a variety, you can use the ones that would be helpful to specific students or break them up over multiple days. Grab this time saving resource that will get your students learning on the right track to showing the expected social skill of following directions here.
Following 2 Step Directions Activities
After students are doing well with following simple, 1 step directions, move on to more complex ones that are 2 steps.
Start simple and model it clearly—like, “Pick up your crayon and color the star.” Say both steps slowly, then repeat them together. Use hand motions or visuals if needed. Using this will help students complete both steps.
At first, practice with fun tasks, give plenty of wait time, and celebrate when they get it right.
Not only do students need to develop listening and direction following skills, they also need to develop memory skills. Information needs to be taken in and held so you can get all the steps correct. This can take some time so be patient and practice over and over.
Need More on Basic Social Skills?
If you are looking for more than just following instructions activities for children, check out these posts on other basic, but vital social skills.
3 Ideas for Teaching How To Share To Young Students – Sharing is another important social skill all students need to learn. Check out these ideas of how to teach it.
5 Turn Taking Activities for Early Elementary Students – Taking turns is important to learn. Read this post to get some fresh ideas on activities to reinforce this skill.
3 Easy Ways to Increase Listening Skills – Figuring out how to increase listening skills in young children can be a tricky task. Check out these ideas of direct instruction, games, and different exercises to teach the skill of listening.
Teaching kinders to follow directions is so important—it helps them learn how to listen, think, and act. Activities like these build focus, independence, and set the stage for everything else they’ll do in the classroom. Plus, when it is made to be fun like the above following instructions activity ideas, students don’t even realize they’re practicing such an essential skill!
Happy Teaching!
