Back Drawing Telegraph

A guessing game in which one player draws on the other’s back with a finger, and the receiver works out the shape — or the spot — from touch alone.

  1. The child sits or lies comfortably with their back to you. Ask first — “May I draw on your back?”
  2. “Wipe the board” with two or three firm, flat-hand strokes down the back. This marks the start and feels calming.
  3. With one fingertip, draw a large, simple shape slowly and firmly — a line, circle, cross, zigzag, or triangle.
  4. The child guesses. If they are unsure, they can draw what they felt on paper or in the air, or choose from three shapes drawn on a card.
  5. Wipe the board and send the next “telegram.” After three or four, swap roles — the child draws on your back and you guess (get some wrong on purpose).
  6. End with a round of “Where did the ladybird land?” Touch one spot briefly with a fingertip — a shoulder, the middle of the back, an elbow — and the child, eyes closed, points to or names the place.

Variation: draw on the palm or the back of the hand instead, which is more sensitive and suits smaller shapes. Or play in a chain of three people, passing a shape from back to back to see whether it arrives unchanged.

Requirements

  • Space: Anywhere two people can sit one behind the other — floor, sofa, or bed
  • Surface: A rug, cushion, or mattress for comfortable sitting or lying
  • Materials: None; optional paper and pencil or a card of shapes for answering
  • Participants: 1 adult + 1 child; works well with a third player as a chain
  • Supervision: Full — the adult is a player

Rationale & Objective

Recognising a figure traced on the skin is called graphesthesia, and knowing exactly where one was touched is tactile localisation. Both are subtests of Ayres’ Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests, because they show how precisely the brain maps touch onto the body. That body map is part of what Ayres called the body scheme, which supports motor planning, and feeling a shape as a sequence of strokes is closely related to the sense of how letters and numerals are formed. The game also covers pressure. Firm, steady strokes are easy to read and usually pleasant, while very light touch tends to tickle or irritate — a distinction occupational therapists use routinely when working with touch-sensitive children. Because the child cannot see the touch coming, the predictable routine (ask, wipe, draw, guess) and the role swap keep them in control of an otherwise unexpected sensation.

Progress Indicators

  • Early: giggles or squirms and cannot attend to the shape; guesses at random; points to roughly the right body area only
  • Developing: recognises 2–3 very different shapes (line, circle, cross) when choosing from a card; locates touches to the correct body part
  • Proficient: names 5+ shapes without a card; reproduces them on paper; points within a few centimetres of where the “ladybird” landed
  • Advanced: recognises some numerals and letters, and two-shape sequences; reads smaller shapes on the palm; draws clear, well-paced shapes for a partner

Safety Notes

  • Always ask before touching and stop the moment the child says stop. This is also everyday practice in consent over one’s own body
  • Use firm, slow pressure. Light, fast, or tickly touch is the kind most likely to feel unpleasant, especially for touch-sensitive children
  • Draw over clothing if the child prefers, and avoid sunburnt, grazed, or eczema-affected skin
  • Many children will not close their eyes or lie face down comfortably; sitting upright and simply facing away is fine
  • If a child regularly cannot tell where they were touched, or reacts to ordinary touch from behind with fear or anger, mention it to a pediatrician or occupational therapist

Hints

  • Playfulness: you are a secret-message machine. The child presses a “button” on their knee to request a message and makes a beep when it has arrived
  • Sustain interest: draw weather on the back (rain taps, sun circle, wind swooshes, lightning zigzag), or “plant a garden” with rows, holes, and seeds
  • Common mistake: drawing too small, too fast, or too lightly. Use the whole back, take about two seconds per shape, and press firmly enough to feel like a clear line
  • Limited space: play on the palm of the hand in a queue, on a bus, or at bedtime — no room or equipment needed
  • Cross-domain: trace the first letter of the child’s name or numerals 1–5 (literacy, numeracy); name body parts for the ladybird round (body awareness, vocabulary); take turns and ask permission (social skills)
  • Progression: lines and circles with a choice card → five shapes without a card → two shapes in a row → numerals and letters → smaller figures on the palm → three-person chain

Sources

  • Ayres, A.J. (1989). Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests (SIPT). Western Psychological Services — Graphesthesia and Localization of Tactile Stimuli subtests
  • Ayres, A.J. (1979/2005). Sensory Integration and the Child (25th anniv. ed.). Western Psychological Services
  • Bundy, A.C. & Lane, S.J. (2020). Sensory Integration: Theory and Practice (3rd ed.). F.A. Davis
  • Miller, L.J., Anzalone, M.E., Lane, S.J., Cermak, S.A. & Osten, E.T. (2007). “Concept evolution in sensory integration: a proposed nosology for diagnosis.” American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61(2), 135–140
  • American Occupational Therapy Association (2020). Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (4th ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Suppl. 2)