Graphing Activities for Kids: Collect, Count and Show

Graphs turn information into pictures that are easy to read and compare. Children love collecting data about themselves, their families and their friends, and graphing it is a great way to practise counting, comparing and reading information. Here's how to teach graphing from simple picture graphs to bar graphs.

Types of graphs for kids

• Real graphs (ages 3–5): use real objects. Line up shoes by color to see which color has the most.
• Picture graphs (pictographs) (ages 5–7): each picture represents one item (or more).
• Tally charts (ages 5–8): record counts with tally marks, grouped in fives.
• Bar graphs (ages 6–9): bars show how many in each category.
• Line graphs (ages 8–11): show change over time, like temperature or plant growth.

The graphing process

1. Ask a question. "What's our family's favorite fruit?"
2. Collect data. Ask people and record answers in a tally chart.
3. Make a graph. Draw pictures or bars for each category.
4. Read the graph. Which has the most? The fewest? How many more?
5. Talk about it. What does the graph tell us?

Graphing activities

1. Shoe graph. Line up family shoes by type or color.
2. Favorite fruit survey. Ask family and friends and make a picture graph.
3. Weather graph. Record the weather each day for a month. How many sunny days?
4. Sweet sorting. Sort a bag of colored sweets and graph the colors before eating.
5. Toy cars. Graph toy cars by color.
6. Bird watching. Count birds you see in 10 minutes. See outdoor activities.
7. Pets survey. Ask classmates about pets.
8. Plant growth. Make a line graph of a plant's height over time. See gardening activities.
9. Dice rolls. Roll a dice 30 times and graph the results. Which number came up most?
10. Reading log. Graph pages read each day.

Reading graphs

Ask questions that build understanding:

• Which category has the most? The least?
• How many more liked apples than bananas?
• How many people did we ask altogether?
• What would happen if we asked more people?

Our graphing worksheets include picture graphs and bar graphs with questions like these.

Making graphs neat

• Use squared paper for bar graphs.
• Label the axes (what each line means).
• Give the graph a title.
• Use a key for picture graphs: "Each picture = 2 people."
• Keep bars the same width.

Linking graphs to other subjects

• Science: record experiment results. See STEM activities at home and kitchen science.
• Geography: graph weather, temperatures or populations.
• Reading: graph favorite book characters.
• PE: graph how many jumps or how far each person throws.

Ideas by age

Ages 3–5: real graphs with objects, sorting and comparing.

Ages 5–7: picture graphs, tally charts and simple surveys.

Ages 7–9: bar graphs, reading scales (counting by 2s or 5s) and answering questions.

Ages 9–11: line graphs, larger surveys and drawing conclusions.

Common mistakes to avoid

• No title or labels. Graphs need both to make sense.
• Uneven picture sizes. Each picture should be the same size.
• Only reading graphs. Children learn more by collecting their own data.

Frequently asked questions

When do children learn graphing?

Simple sorting and picture graphs start in kindergarten; bar graphs usually come in first or second grade.

What's a tally chart?

A way to count by drawing lines, crossing every fifth line to make groups of five.

What's the easiest graph for young children?

A real graph: line up actual objects in rows to compare.

A week of graphing at home

Monday: ask the question. Choose a survey question together, such as "What's your favorite fruit?" or "How do you get to school?"

Tuesday: collect data. Ask family, friends or neighbours and record answers in a tally chart.

Wednesday: make a picture graph. Draw one small picture for each answer. Remember a title and labels.

Thursday: make a bar graph. Turn the same data into a bar graph on squared paper.

Friday: talk about it. Which was most popular? Least popular? How many more chose apples than bananas? What surprised you?

Can young children do graphs before they can write?

Yes. Use real objects or stickers instead of writing. A row of shoes or toy cars is a real graph.

How can older kids make graphs more challenging?

Use a scale (each square equals 2 or 5), collect data over time for a line graph, or compare two groups, such as children and adults.

Survey question ideas

• What is your favorite season?
• How many pets do you have?
• What color are your eyes?
• What's your favorite breakfast?
• How do you get to school?
• What's your favorite animal?
• What month is your birthday?

Choose questions with a few clear answer choices to keep graphs simple.

How can graphing help with science?

Graphs show patterns in experiment results, such as which paper airplane flew furthest or how a plant grew each week. They help children explain what they found.