This important milestone in thinking skills means that your child understands that lines on paper can be a symbol of something else, like a house, a cat, or a person. Once your child has begun to purposefully draw images, she has mastered symbolic thinking. So, you may see a sun-an irregular circle, with lots of stick “rays” shooting out-or a person (usually a circle with roughly recognizable human features). What else to be on the lookout for? Children’s first pictures often build off circles. You will also see more detail in the pictures, more control in the way your child handles the crayon or marker, and the use of more colors. Soon you will see your child clearly planning prior to drawing what he will create. This means that they finish the picture and then label their masterpiece with the names of people, animals, or objects they are familiar with. At first, children name their unplanned creations.
This ability to hold an image in your mind and then represent it on the page is a thinking skill that takes some time to develop. Many adults think of “pictures” as a picture of something. Stage 4: Pictures of Objects or People (3 years to 5 years) This is an important step toward reading and writing.
This is an exciting time as your toddler realizes that his drawing conveys meaning! For example, he may write something down and then tell you what word it says. These might include lines, dots, and curves. So while they may not write actual letters, you may see components of letters in their drawing. They try to imitate this in their own writing. Stage 3: Lines and Patterns (2½ years to 3½ years)Ĭhildren now understand that writing is made up of lines, curves, and repeated patterns. Over time, children make the transition to holding the crayon or marker between their thumb and pointer finger. Toddlers may make repeated marks on the page-open circles, diagonal, curved, horizontal, or vertical lines. Stage 1: Random Scribbling (15 months to 2½ years)Īs children develop better control over the muscles in their hands and fingers, their scribbles begin to change and become more controlled. Growth doesn’t happen at the same speed for every child, but by offering repeated fun experiences with a variety of art and writing materials, you will see forward progress over time. Note that the timetables listed below are approximate your child may master these skills faster or slower and still be developing just fine. The growing control your child has over the muscles in her hands lets her move a marker or paintbrush with purpose and with a goal in mind.įor very young children, there are four stages of drawing and writing that you may see as your child grows from 15 months old to 3 years old. This leap in thinking skills is helped along by her new ability to hold things in her hands and fingers. Imagine how exciting this must be for her! She can now make a real “mark” on the world. Then your child discovers the link between her hand holding the crayon and the line she made on the page: Presto! She experiences the power of cause-and-effect.
At first, it’s all about just figuring out what these cool things called crayons can do. As she grabs that chunky crayon and gets to work, you will see her art and writing change and become more controlled and complex as she grows.įor very young children, art and early writing skills are one and the same. One of the most important ways that your toddler is tuning in to her creativity is by experimenting with art materials. Creativity helps your child become a thoughtful, inquisitive, and confident learner later on, when she starts school.
#DRAWINGS OF TWO CLOSED HANDS TOGETHER HOW TO#
When your child is creative and curious, she can come up with answers to the problems she encounters-like how to keep the block tower from falling. Infant and Early Childhood Mental HealthĬreativity is a bridge to learning.