Hey, it's me, Mr. J, and welcome to today's drawing challenge. Do you have a couple minutes? Because today's challenge is draw the cutest dog ever! So grab something to draw on and something to draw with, and let's do this.

(Describer) A title: Drawing with Mr. J. He sits at a table with squares of paper and a pen.

[cheerful upbeat music] [pen scratching]

Dogs. There are so many different kinds of dogs. Maybe you have a dog in your life that you love or have seen a dog that makes you smile. There are short dogs, big dogs, slobbery dogs, but today we aren't drawing just any dog. We are drawing what we think is the cutest dog ever. So let's see, where to begin? Let's start with some simple shapes. All right, I'm gonna start with the eyes, big, cute dog eyes, which are circles. And I'm gonna add two little circles for the pupils.

(Describer) Each side of the head.

And then how about the nose is a little oval with a line down and a smile. Oh my goodness, that is so cute. This dog is adorable. I just can't even think about anything else. Oh wait, sorry, sorry. We need to finish drawing the dog. Okay, the ears. The ears are kind of like droopy triangles,

(Describer) Across the top, for the head.

right, drooping down. Dog ears, they're so sweet, and they hear really well. Dogs can hear from really far distances because of their great ears. Oh, sorry, we need to finish the drawing, don't we? Okay, so now I'm gonna connect the ears

(Describer) Two lines across the neck.

and then draw down to the bottom, down to the bottom, and we definitely need to add its collar so that we know it is our cutest dog in the world. And how about its tag? Little lines and a circle.

(Describer) Below the collar.

And to make it like our cute dog is looking at us with its paws, let's draw two ovals and little lines for those paws.

(Describer) For claws.

Oh yeah, the cutest dog ever.

[cheerful upbeat music] [pen scratching]

So let's check in. Do you ever get distracted? Do you feel your concentration just slips away? What does it feel like when you're distracted? Do your eyes wander off? Do you look around the room? What about your hands? Do they stop moving or do they pick up something else? And what about your mouth? Are you talking instead of concentrating? Or are you quiet, off in a world of your own? Earlier this week, I was doing some writing that had to get done, but then I looked up from my computer and the TV was on. I stared at the TV, even though I didn't really care what I was watching. All of a sudden it's 10 minutes later and I realized I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing. I was so distracted. Staying focused can be challenging, so here are a few tricks I use to stay on task. One, I set time limits. I might say, "I'm gonna read for 15 minutes, "then take a snack break and come back to it after my snack." It helps to set a timer for this one too.

[pen scratching] [calm music]

Two, make a list. Sit down with a parent or trusted adult and make a list of what you need to get done and then cross off the things you accomplish. I love crossing things off lists. It helps me feel proud of my work. And three, ask the distraction to give you a minute. This works really well if it's another person who's distracting you. Ask them politely to give you a minute to finish what you're doing. You can even do this with our cute dog. Give that pup some pets, then focus on what you need to do, and then come back to its adorable face for more snuggles when you're done. There are lots of things that can distract us. Use your drawing to talk with a parent or trusted adult about how adorable your dog is, but also talk about strategies for avoiding distractions. All I've been thinking about this whole time is this incredibly cute dog, maybe the cutest dog in the world. Here's mine.

[cheerful upbeat music]

And I can only imagine how cute your dog is. Well, thanks for joining me today as we drew the cutest dog ever! I look forward to seeing you next time for another drawing challenge.

[cheerful upbeat music]

(Describer) Host and education specialist, Jon Juravich. Accessibility provided by the US Department of Education.

Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.