Drawing is Thinking is a 6-week course that gives kids ages 8–12 a powerful, screen-free skill: the ability to use drawing as a tool for problem-solving, clear communication, and confident thinking.
No art skills needed — it's about ideas, not perfect drawings
6 weekly sessions of 1.5 hours each, max 12 kids
Includes a workbook and take-home exercises
Led by a former McKinsey & Deloitte design leader
The Problem
The same generation growing up with AI tools is also the most distracted in history. The skill that matters most right now isn't coding — it's clarity.
Average daily screen entertainment for tweens ages 8–12 — most of it passive, algorithmically fed content
Common Sense Media · Tweens & Teens CensusOf teachers say their students' reading stamina has decreased since 2019 — 53% say it's decreased "a lot"
2024 Teacher Survey · American Federation of TeachersOf children aged 3–17 have a diagnosed communication difficulty — and experts say digital habits are making verbal expression harder for all kids
CDC / NCHS · TIME, 2025
We live in an era of exploding AI-generated content, algorithmic feeds, and constant notification.
Kids are consuming more information than any generation before them — but consuming is not the same as
thinking.
The most valuable skill a child can develop right now is the ability to slow down, observe, structure,
and communicate. Drawing — real, analogue, pen-on-paper drawing — is one of the most powerful
and proven ways to build exactly that. It forces the mind to focus. It makes thinking visible. And it works
in any classroom, boardroom, or career they ever walk into.
What Is Drawing Is Thinking?
This isn't an art class. It's a thinking class — using drawing as the medium. The same techniques used by the world's best strategists, designers, and engineers, taught to kids in an engaging, hands-on format.
Kids learn to translate messy ideas into sketches, diagrams, and storyboards — making their thinking clear to themselves and others.
Rather than jumping to answers, kids learn to map out choices, compare possibilities, and find better solutions through visual exploration.
Whether presenting to a class or explaining a plan to friends, kids who can draw their ideas communicate with far greater impact.
The child who can grab a marker and draw their idea on a whiteboard stands out — in school, in teams, and in life.
The 6-Week Course
Each 90-minute session builds on the last. Kids leave every week with new tools in their thinking toolkit — and take-home exercises to keep practising.
Before you can draw clearly, you need to see clearly. Kids practise slowing down and truly observing the world around them — from everyday objects to complex scenes — sharpening the focused attention that screens erode.
Introduction to the quick sketch as a thinking tool. Kids learn that drawing doesn't need to be perfect — it needs to be useful. They practise capturing thoughts, questions, and concepts in fast visual form.
How do you tackle a big, complicated problem? You break it apart and map the pieces. Kids learn to use diagrams, flow maps, and simple frameworks to take complex challenges and make them manageable.
The world's best communicators tell stories. Kids learn to use the storyboard — a technique from film, design, and consulting — to sequence ideas, explain processes, and bring other people along on their thinking.
Drawing is incredibly powerful for weighing options. Kids learn visual comparison frameworks — how to lay out choices, spot trade-offs, and make better decisions with pen and paper rather than gut instinct alone.
In the final session, kids choose a real problem — from school, home, or their community — and present their visual solution to the group. A capstone moment that brings confidence, clarity, and pride.
Who Is It For?
No art skills required. This course is for any child who wants to think more clearly, communicate better, and feel more confident in their own ideas.
Your Instructor
David is a former McKinsey and Deloitte practitioner who built his career helping global organisations solve complex problems through human-centred design, product thinking, and strategic rigour.
Over the years, he noticed that the very best consultants and innovators he worked alongside shared a common set of underlying abilities: clear observation, pattern recognition, and the confidence to break complexity into simple, communicable parts. These weren't just professional skills — they were lifelong thinking habits. And they could all be traced back to one practice: drawing to think.
David created this course after watching his own young son struggle with schoolwork — and seeing firsthand how powerful visual thinking could be when taught early. He wants every child to have the chance to develop the habits that the world's best thinkers rely on every day.
Practical Details
Express Interest
We're gauging interest for the Spring 2026 pilot at Gorton Center. Fill in your details below and we'll be in touch as soon as enrollment opens. Spots are limited to 12 kids.