How can I use this resource?

The city of stairs is a project that uses parallel perspective, a technique that gives the illusion of depth and reality to a two-dimensional image. By coloring, cutting, and gluing the paper elements, you can create an infinitely large city with an endless number of stairs and buildings. It’s a great project for group work or individual creativity!

What does this resource contain?

This resource contains 18 pages of templates and instructions for creating your own city of stairs. It includes 8 different building and stair elements that you can color in. Each element has a unique shape and size, and can be combined with others to create a diverse city. The resource also provides a page with an example of a finished city of stairs, as well as a page with some tips and tricks for coloring and gluing. The final page offers some information about the history and theory of parallel perspective.

An engaging way to introduce kids to the art of parallel perspective

Parallel perspective is a method of representation that shows both dimensions and scale of objects in space. It uses parallel lines that converge at a single vanishing point on the horizon. Parallel perspective creates the illusion of depth and reality to a two-dimensional image. It also allows you to show the details and proportions of your buildings. 

Before starting the project, you can  demonstrate how to draw parallel perspective using a simple technique. You can draw a horizontal line across the paper, which will be the horizon line. Then you can draw a dot somewhere on the horizon line, which will be the vanishing point. Next, you can draw two parallel lines from the vanishing point to the bottom of the paper, which will be the sides of a road or a building. Finally, you can draw some more parallel lines between the sides, which will be the windows or doors of the building. After explaining and demonstrating parallel perspective, you can let the kids use the resource to create their own city of stairs. You can also extend the activity by asking the kids to write a story or a description about their city of stairs. You can ask them to imagine what kind of people or animals live in their city of stairs, and what kind of adventures they have there.

Download this resource today and start building your own city of stairs! You’ll be amazed by what you can create with paper and glue!