I’ve always thought of perspective lessons as having to do with one point, 2 point and three point perspective. (Is there a 4th and 5th? :). However, perspective is the way we view things and getting the children to learn what is in front and what is in back is most definitely a perspective activity.

I decided to use this idea I got from Artprojectsforkids.com. I gave the children 2 different sizes of rolls of tape. One roll of the larger size would really be the best.

I gave them pencils and told them to draw the circles of the tape (the inner and the outer part) and to make sure that they overlap.

I then gave them oil pastels to color in each circle.

This was not as easy as it looks. These kids are in first grade and it may have been a bit too advanced for some of them.

I had given a different assignment not long ago where they had to make all different shapes on top of each other as I did in this drawing activity. In that activity they had to find new shapes in the overlapping shapes and in this one they had to concentrate on color in each circle that was on top completely and the ones that were  underneath, only partially.

That is probably why some of them got confused.

Depending on the age you do this with, you may have to sit with your child with each circle discussing is this circle under or over this one. Then they have to figure out which ones get colored in all the way and which only partially.

It’s a very simple activity that starts them thinking about the fact that not each item in a picture has its own separate space.

You can also use different media to color in the circles, you don’t have to use oil pastels.