January 12th, 2010 by Ned Marks
To the casual observer a child who is drawing or coloring in, is merely doodling. The marks seem to be decidedly random, almost meaningless. But there is more going on in your young child’s mind as s/he engages in the physical act of drawing and coloring.
In fact, examining children’s drawing may give us important insights into how drawing fits into the overall physical, emotional and cognitive development of the young child. From toddlerhood through to primary school, children choose to draw and color, but the process actually starts much earlier – during toddlerhood.
At around the age of a year and a half toddlers become interested in scribbling. It seems to provide sensory enjoyment, but the child is also interested in the marks that are made. The act of doodling or scribbling can serve several useful purposes for the young child. Small muscle coordination and control improve with practice,…
Read the rest »
November 21st, 2009 by Ned Marks
The simple acts of drawing and coloring are literally childs’ play, however, they both play an important role in a child’s physical, emotional and cognitive development. Like no other activity, drawing and coloring allows young children to express themselves and their emotions, experience autonomy and build their confidence. Drawing and coloring are also excellent pre-cursors to developing writing skills because the toddler is honing his or her fine motor skills which are essential when learning to write.
Parents and caregivers can promote drawing and coloring as a way to improve physical, social, emotional and cognitive development – and to have a lot of fun along the way too. Here are some suggestions:
1.Provide kids with nontoxic materials, blank sheets of white paper and coloring pages.
2. Model drawing. Show children that you like to draw and color too - make designs but do not show your children what they should…
Read the rest »