If you want to set up an artistic atmosphere for children where they can explore the world of art, then it is helpful to know something about the developmental stages that young artists go through. The ability to recognize what stage a child is in can help you set up user-friendly ways for him/her to make art, treasure their baby steps and also keep you from overwhelming the child by demanding more than he/she is developmentally ready for.
When my son was very young, and although I was artistic myself, I was fairly clueless about child development and how to even begin doing art with him. I knew enough to start with finger paints when he was about a year old, but that was about it. I began to do some research and stumbled upon some great resources that I have learned a lot from. And two of these resources can be found for free on-line.
The first, Drawing Development in Children, is a pamphlet of sorts compiled by Susan K. Donley based on the work of Viktor Lowenfeld and Betty Edwards. It provides concise explanations of the various developmental stages that children ages 2-12 experience in drawing. Click below to view the pamphlet.
The second, Young in Art, is "a developmental look at child art" written by Dr. Craig Roland, a professor of art at the University of Florida. An easy read with helpful real-life examples of different stages, I often go back to this for a quick reference.
When my son was very young, and although I was artistic myself, I was fairly clueless about child development and how to even begin doing art with him. I knew enough to start with finger paints when he was about a year old, but that was about it. I began to do some research and stumbled upon some great resources that I have learned a lot from. And two of these resources can be found for free on-line.
The first, Drawing Development in Children, is a pamphlet of sorts compiled by Susan K. Donley based on the work of Viktor Lowenfeld and Betty Edwards. It provides concise explanations of the various developmental stages that children ages 2-12 experience in drawing. Click below to view the pamphlet.
The second, Young in Art, is "a developmental look at child art" written by Dr. Craig Roland, a professor of art at the University of Florida. An easy read with helpful real-life examples of different stages, I often go back to this for a quick reference.
Young in Art
linked to The Magic Onions
Roland also includes examples of constructive questions to ask a child about their work in order to encourage their verbal skills. For example, he advises caregivers of children in the scribbling stage: "As the child gains control of scribbling, comment on the variety of movements and different marks the child has made . . . As the child starts naming his or her scribbles, listen to the child’s comments and use the meanings offered by the child as a source for dialogue." Doesn't that make more sense than the negative commentary usually give to scribbles?
I hope these articles are as helpful to you as they were to me! And I hope that you'll never look at scribbling quite the same again!
linked to The Magic Onions
Wonderful! I've just linked to this.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it says, "Natural development will cease [at age 14-16] unless a conscious decision is made to improve drawing skills. Students are critically aware of the immaturity of their drawing and are easily discouraged." Yep - that's me. I am still embarrassed by how "badly" I draw. But how nice to know that I am not alone at this skill-level.
Hey Storyteller, It's still not too late to pull out your pens and pencils - Betty Edwards and Mona Brooks have lots of great ideas for adults, too. (I am also a late-bloomer adult drawing student.) So glad that you find this post helpful in your Godly Play sessions as well. Thanks bunches for linking!
Deleteoh fun! I'd never realized we could "reply" to comments. I hope this is a new feature, and it's not that I've just been oblivious for all this time. :)
DeleteI just started seeing it about a week ago, so I think it is a new feature. And a good one!
Deletewhat great links! and what a small world! betty edwards (from the first link) taught art at my university :)
ReplyDeleteGlad the links were interesting! Hope you got to take some classes with Betty. I sure she is even more amazing live than in her books.
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