Following Directions Activities: 9 Ways to Build This Key School Skill

Kindergarten teachers consistently name following directions as one of the skills they most wish children came to school with. A child who can hear “Put your backpack in your cubby, sit in the circle, and take out your reading folder” and do it without being reminded three times is ready to learn in a group. That skill is trainable. These 9 activities build it.

The Cognitive Skills Behind Direction-Following

Following a multi-step direction requires:

• Auditory attention: hearing the direction completely
• Working memory: retaining all steps
• Sequencing: executing them in order
• Inhibitory control: not starting step 3 before completing step 2

This is a cognitive load problem as much as a compliance problem. Activities that build each of these components directly improve direction-following.

9 Following Directions Activities

1. Simon Says (with escalating steps). Start with 1-step commands: “Simon says touch your nose.” Build to 2-step: “Simon says stand up AND clap twice.” Then 3-step. Track how many steps your child can reliably follow.

2. Drawing directions. “Draw a large red circle in the center of the page. Draw a small blue square inside the circle.” Check the result. This is a listening comprehension task with a verifiable outcome.

3. Craft directions. Give instructions for a simple craft one step at a time, then two at a time. “Tear a blue piece of paper and glue it to the left side. Tear a yellow piece and glue it to the right side.” Don’t repeat.

4. “Morning sequence” game. “Get dressed, put your shoes on, and bring me your water bottle.” Children who practice multi-step sequences at home adapt to school routines more easily.

5. Story map directions. Read a short story, then give a direction set: “Draw the beginning, write the character’s name underneath, and circle the problem.” This directly mimics classroom comprehension tasks.

6. Obstacle course directions. Give the whole course directions before starting: “Crawl under the table, hop to the couch, and touch the window.” Go! Repeat with more steps as skill builds.

7. Recipe following. Simple recipes (smoothie, snack mix, baking) with a written direction set. Point to each step as you execute it together. Connects direction-following to real-world literacy.

8. Lego/block building to spec. “Build a house: 3 blue blocks for walls, 2 red blocks for the roof, and 1 yellow block for the door.” Child builds to your verbal (not written) specification.

9. Whispered directions. Whisper a 2–3 step direction from across the room. The auditory challenge of hearing a quiet voice in a normal-volume environment is excellent auditory attention training and mimics classroom distances.

Why “Don’t Repeat” Matters

In the classroom, teachers give directions once (maybe twice). Children who are accustomed to parents repeating until compliance happens struggle significantly with this expectation. Practice giving a direction once and then following through on a consequence if it isn’t followed — not as a punishment, but as a signal that the direction was real and intended to be followed. This prepares children for the genuine expectation of classroom instruction.