With Tek
How to animate for kids: make your drawings move
This course teaches your kid how to animate drawings that move like they're alive. Tek hosts four short films on the four big ideas animators use: timing, squash and stretch, getting ready, and slow in, slow out. Plan about 4 minutes of films and 30–45 minutes of drawing.
All 4 films and the quiz are free on this page. Your kid doesn't need an account. See every lesson
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What your kid makes
Your kid ends with a character your kid invented, drawn in the poses animators use, from a crouch to a squash, plus the four ideas that make any drawing feel alive. The character is ready to star in a flipbook or a short film.
- Ages
- 6 to 13
- Time
- 4 films, about 4 minutes, then 30–45 minutes of drawing
- You need
- Paper, pencil, crayons or markers (optional)
- Host
- Tek
The 4 lessons
Lesson 1. Slow or fast?
The number of drawings sets the speed, and speed shows how heavy something is.
- Draw a character with a round body and two legs
- Decide if it's heavy or quick
- Write it next to the drawing
Where: Paper
Lesson 2. Squash and stretch
A ball squashes wider when it lands and stretches thinner when it falls.
- Draw your character normal
- Draw it squashed down low
- Draw it stretched up tall
Where: Paper
Lesson 3. Get ready first
A small move the other way, right before the big move, makes a jump feel real.
- Stand up and jump, and notice the knees bend first
- Draw your character crouched down low
- Get it ready to jump
Where: Paper
Lesson 4. Slow in, slow out
Every move slows down into its big poses, like a swing at each end.
- Draw four jump poses: stand, crouch, stretch, squash
- Number them 1 to 4
- Flip through the poses and watch your character jump
Where: Paper
Take the quiz
Tek asks 3 questions about the films. Get 2 right and you finish the course.
Lesson 1 transcript: Slow or fast?
Hi, I'm Tek! Let's make your drawings move like they're alive!
A cartoon is lots of drawings, shown one after another, really fast. Secret number one is timing.
Same move, different number of drawings. Three drawings? Zip! Twelve drawings? Nice and slow. More drawings make a move slower.
Now look at this. A rock and a feather fall at the same speed. Something feels wrong. That's flat.
Now it's alive! The heavy rock drops fast. Thud! The light feather floats down slowly.
Your turn. Draw a character with a round body and two legs. Is it heavy or quick? Write it next to it. Then press Next.
Free guides to practise with
Questions parents ask
Does my kid need to be good at drawing?
No. The course uses a round body and two legs. The ideas are about how a drawing moves, so simple shapes work well.
Is this the same as the flipbook course?
No. Make paper move teaches how frames make movement on a sticky pad. This course teaches why a move feels alive: timing, squash and stretch, getting ready, and slow in, slow out.
How long does it take?
The four films take about 4 minutes. The drawing takes about 30–45 minutes and can be split over a few days.