The mark making and drawing skills in children typically follows a progressive trajectory, because there are rapid improvements and refinements to fine motor and hand-eye coordination within the first 5 - 7 years of life. Here's a general outline of this developmental trajectory:
Infancy to Early Toddlerhood (0-2 years)
Scribbling Stage (12-24 months):
Description: Random, uncontrolled scribbles. The marks are usually large and circular.
Skills: Grasping a crayon with the whole hand (palmar grasp) and making marks on paper.
Activities: Exploring different drawing tools like thick crayons and markers, and experimenting with making marks on various surfaces.
Early Childhood (2-3 years)
Controlled Scribbling (2-3 years):
Description: Scribbles become more controlled and repetitive. Children start to make vertical and horizontal lines.
Skills: Improved hand-eye coordination, beginning of using a more refined grasp (digital pronate grasp).
Activities: Encouraging free drawing on large paper and using chunky crayons or markers.
Preschool Age (3-4 years)
Basic Shapes and Early Representational Drawing (3-4 years):
Description: Children start to draw basic shapes such as circles and squares. They may also begin to combine shapes to represent simple objects, like drawing a circle with lines to represent a person.
Skills: Further development of fine motor skills and the ability to draw with a tripod grasp.
Activities: Providing opportunities to draw with various tools (colored pencils, markers) and on different surfaces (chalkboards, whiteboards).
Kindergarten (4-5 years)
Early Symbolic Drawing (4-5 years):
Description: Drawings become more representational, with recognizable shapes and objects. Children may draw people with basic features (head, arms, legs).
Skills: Better control of drawing tools, ability to plan and execute simple drawings.
Activities: Encouraging storytelling through drawings, providing prompts or themes, and introducing more detailed drawing tasks.
Prep (5-6 years)
Increased Detail and Storytelling (5-6 years):
Description: Drawings become more detailed and complex. Children start to draw scenes and tell stories through their drawings.
Skills: Enhanced fine motor control, spatial awareness, and ability to incorporate more elements into drawings.
Activities: Encouraging drawing from life (e.g., drawing a pet), using drawing as a way to express ideas and stories.
Early Primary School (6-7 years)
Refinement and Realism (6-7 years):
Description: Children’s drawings become more refined and realistic. They may start to focus on proportion and adding finer details.
Skills: Advanced fine motor skills, better understanding of spatial relationships, and ability to draw from observation.
Activities: Providing more challenging drawing tasks, introducing basic art concepts (e.g., perspective, shading), and encouraging creativity and personal expression.
Factors Influencing Development
Individuality: Personal factors mean that each child develops at their own pace, some love to 'draw' from toddlerhood, achieving milestones earlier, and others prefer to be outside having sword fights and running up hills. Each is fine!
Practice and Encouragement: Regular drawing practice and positive reinforcement help children develop these skills, but it must be pitched at their level individually, and most importantly - FUN. No child will want to engage with a task they find either difficult or boring.
Exposure to Art: Exposure to different forms of art and opportunities to observe and discuss art can stimulate interest and development in drawing skills. Creating own artwork using other mediums can lead to interest in mark-making and drawing.
Physical and Cognitive Development: Overall physical and cognitive development, including hand strength and spatial awareness, greatly influence the progression of drawing skills.
Tips for Supporting Drawing Skill Development
Provide a Variety of Tools: Offer different drawing tools (chalk, crayons, markers, colored pencils) and surfaces (the ground, walls, fences, easels, paper, chalkboards) to explore.
Encourage Free Expression:
Allow children to draw freely and express their creativity without constraints or any perceived judgement.
Incorporate Drawing into Daily Activities: Make drawing a part of everyday activities:, like
Create cards
Draw wrapping paper
Illustrating stories
Make signs.
Model Drawing: Draw alongside children and demonstrate different techniques to inspire them.
Don't show them what to do, ask them what they're going to do and join in.
Celebrate ALL Efforts: Encourage and praise children's drawing efforts to build confidence and enjoyment in the activity.
NOTE: This outline offers a general progression, but as always - individual variations are normal and expected.
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