How to Draw a Candy Cane
5 easy strokes · ages 3+ · free printable worksheet
To draw a candy cane with a 3-5 year old, break it into 5 simple strokes: a big hook, one stripe, two stripes, three stripes and four stripes. Doodle Turtle draws one line at a time and then pauses, so little hands have time to catch up before the next line appears. Doodle Turtle is free, runs in any browser, has no ads and needs no sign-up.
Step by step: 5 easy strokes
- STEP 1A big hook
- STEP 2One stripe
- STEP 3Two stripes
- STEP 4Three stripes
- STEP 5Four stripes!
Free printable tracing worksheet
Prefer paper? Print a candy cane as a faint tracing outline — your child draws straight over the lines, then colours it in.
Tips for grown-ups
- Watch first, then draw. The first pass is just for looking — no pressure to keep up.
- Let the pause do the work. If your child is still drawing when the next stroke starts, tap to pause. Slower is the point.
- Big paper, fat crayons. At 3 the wrist is still learning; large movements are easier than small ones.
- Praise the trying, not the likeness. A wobbly cane that they drew themselves beats a neat one you fixed.