Picture Graph Ideas

Creating picture graphs with your class in the early years of schooling can be lots of fun. Picture graphs are great for comparing data using pictures or symbols.

It does require a little preparation on the teachers’ behalf as you will need copies of the pictures of each item as well as a large piece of cardboard to create your graph on.

Various topics I have tried include;

• How we get to school – walk, bus, ride, bike, scooter, car

• Best pet to own - bird, dog, cat, fish, rabbit

• Best food in the world - ask your students to come up with your top five

• Best day of the week - Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

• Left-handed vs right-handed

• Boys vs girls

• Eye colour

• How many languages can we speak

• Doughnuts we love - cinnamon, chocolate, sprinkles, glazed

• Our favourite fruit - banana, watermelon, strawberry, apple, grapes

• Our favourite pizza topping - cheese, meatlovers, supreme, vegetarian

• Our favourite ice-cream flavour - chocolate, rainbow, vanilla, cookies and cream

• Our favourite sport - soccer, basketball, cricket, swimming

• Our favourite type of weather - sunny, windy, cloudy, rainy, stormy

If you are time-poor for printing pictures but still would like to create a graph with your students try making a bar graph using;

• Our birthday month - January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

• Our favourite sandwich - salad, butter, cheese, vegemite, chicken and lettuce

• What we eat for breakfast - cereal, toast, eggs, nothing, fruit

Creating these graphs can generate a lot of discussions, comparison and encourage students to justify their choice.

What are fun topics for picture graphs do you like to create with your class? We would love it if you joined the conversation and left a comment below.