We have a lot of little artists here and I thought you might be interested in just what is happening when all

those works of art on your refrigerator are created ! There are three stages of art children go through in their development. Developmental Stages of Art Types of Scribbling Scribbling is a manipulative skill and involves the ability to use ones hands and fingers with de terity. !eveloping this skill is vital to mastering hand"to"eye coordination# which is a prere$uisite for developing the visual perception necessary to read from left to right. The Scribble Stage or Random Scribbling (ages 11/2-3yrs% &ost children begin scribbling at about '( to ) years. They will scribble with anything at hand and on anything nearby. *loors and walls work well! Their first marks are usually an aimless group of lines. +hildren simply enjoy the physical motions involved in scribbling. It is the act of doing# not the product# that is important to the child. *or the toddler# art is a sensorimotor activity. ,s a child draws or paints# every part of the body moves# all working to move the crayon or brush across the paper. In the early scribble stage a child does not have control over hand movements or marks on the page. The marks are random and go in many directions. There is neither the desire nor the ability to control the marks. Its the process# not the product. -andom scribbles are universally a childs first mark. ,ll children go through this preliminary stage of drawing. -andomly e ploring and e perimenting with different writing tools# this stage of scribbling pleases children as they discover its possibilities. The duration of this stage is dictated by the encouragement of teachers and parents# the childs general health# muscle development# coordination# intelligence# and the $uantity and fre$uency of opportunities to randomly scribble. asic !orms Stage or "ontrolled Scribbling (ages 2-#$ The second stage of development is signified by the introduction of geometric shapes such as circles# ovals# s$uares# triangles and crosses into the childs art. ,s children gain muscle control and eye"hand coordination# they begin to make attempts to organi.e their environment. They repeat shapes# hold their tools more like an adult and have a growing control over materials. Wavy lines and rippling lines may be interspersed with a variety of circular patterns. +hildren can

now control their scribbles and repeat them at will. +hildren now value their scribbles. %arly (ater asic !orms Stage& "ircle and 'val asic !orms stage& Rectangle and s)*are+

The /ictorial Stage 0ages 1"2% With the two earlier stages complete# children now have the ability to draw a variety of marks that make up their first pictures. /ictures are now made with a purpose. The basic forms in the preceding stage now suggest images to the child that stand for ideas in the childs mind. *rom the basic forms the child is able to draw and particular forms are chosen. In this way# children draw their first symbol. , symbol is a visual representation of something important to the child3 it may be a human figure# an animal# a tree# or a similar figure. ,rt in which symbols are used in such a way is called representational art. +hildren reali.e that there is a relationship between objects they have drawn and the outside world# and that the picture can be used to record ideas. The child now sees real meaning behind the drawings and names the objects in the drawing. The human form is often a childs first symbol. , person is usually drawn with a circle for a head and two lines for legs or body. 4arly /ictorial stage In this early stage# a child works on making and perfecting one of many symbols. +hildren will practice these symbols# covering sheets of paper with many e amples of the same object. ,t this point a childs picture may be a collection of unrelated figures and objects. The child is searching for new ideas and symbols change constantly. In the later pictorial stage# a child draws symbols easily and more e actly and before long more comple drawing are made. +hildren use their drawings to tell a story or describe an event. The naming of these symbols is an important step# in that artwork becomes a clear form of visual communication. It may not look different# but the circle is now called a 5sun6 and represents a specific object. , child uses symbols when he7she is ready# and no sooner. +reative e pression is the goal at this age and all ages. In the later pictorial stage# each child has a special way of drawing the human form# houses# and other symbols. This individual way of drawing is called a schema. , schema or individual pattern can often be seen in drawings by age five or si and often earlier.

It is important to remember that there may be an overlap between developmental levels in art. When the child begins to identify the objects he draws by a name# he has moved into the third stage of development. 4ven though these drawn objects may be unrecogni.able to adults# it is the act of naming that is significant. *or children# the objects they have drawn are easily identifiable. Subse$uently# suns 0a circle%# radials 0a circle with rays%# and mandalas 0circle with a cross inside% and other shapes from their environment begin to appear in the childs art as they prepare for the ne t stage. Supplying a wide variety of e periences aids this developmental process. 8owever# it is important to note that if five"year"olds are still scribbling# they are not necessarily slow learners or affected by a learning disability.

Symbolic Stage or ,ictorial Stage (ages --.$ When a child begins to depict abstract concepts# he has moved into the Symbolic or /ictorial Stage. -eali.ing that thoughts can be represented by symbols# they may draw what they feel# instead of how things really are. They may enlarge# distort# and change objects according to how important the object may be to them. *or e ample# a kindergartener is asked to draw a dog. The dog may be drawn larger than the child because the dog is so important in his life and the dog may be painted blue because blue is the childs favorite color. Instead of simple circular faces and stick bodies# children begin to draw people with articulated arms# legs and facial features. 9aselines appear in drawings. *or e ample# a ground is at the bottom of the picture# a sky above. If an object appears behind something and cant be seen# it may be drawn nearby. , childs bed# which could not be seen from the outside# may be drawn near the house. +olor is used as a form of e pression instead of as a realistic representation. Teachers of young children must reali.e that each individual progresses in art at a different rate just like every other developmental stage. !ont dismiss a childs scribbles : its a vital part of learning.

Around three to four years of age# children begin to combine the circle with one
or more lines in order to represent a human figure. These figures typically start out looking like ;tadpoles; and then gradually become ;head"feet; symbols. It is not uncommon for children<s first representations of the figure to be highly unrealistic or to be missing a neck# body# arms# fingers# feet# or toes. +hildren may# in fact# draw two tadpoles to show their mother and father without making visible distinctions between the two figures.

fig. 2= tadpole figures

Several theories have been proposed to e plain the ;tadpole; phenomenon and the reasons why young children tend to draw unrealistic or incomplete human forms. Some e perts suggest that children omit bodily features because of a lack of knowledge about the different parts of the human body and how they are

organi.ed. >thers argue that children don<t look at what they are drawing3 instead# they look at the abstract shapes already in their repertoire and discover that these forms can be combined in various ways to symboli.e objects in the world. Still others believe that children are simply being selective and drawing only those parts necessary to make their figures recogni.able as human forms. It is important for teachers and parents to consider# from a diagnostic standpoint# that a child whom omits certain features when drawing a person may do so $uite unintentionally3 and# thus# caution should be e ercised when interpreting a child<s drawing as a reflection of personality or intellectual growth.

If the continued omission of parts in a child<s drawing of figures proves disturbing# stimulate his consciousness of the omitted part through play and discussion. " !avid &endelowit. fig. ?= family portrait

*rom an educational standpoint# teachers should also consider that e periences designed to e tend children<s awareness of their own body parts often result in more compete representations of the figures they draw. *or instance# children who depict figures without arms or hands might be given the opportunity to play catch with a ball and then to draw a picture of themselves ;playing catch.; +hildren will likely include arms and hands in their drawings since these parts are re$uired to engage in this activity. @ust asking children to draw such an e perience is usually not enough. They need to become actively engaged in the activity being depicted in order to develop a personal awareness of the details involved.

,t this age it is particularly important that any motivation or any subject matter be related directly to the child himself. " Biktor Cowenfeld

fig. A= self portrait

/ariations in the !ig*re

+hildren# four and five years of age# will e periment with various ways of drawing the figure and may depict the figure $uite differently each time they draw.

Sometimes# they create figures $uite uni$ue to the person or the e perience being depicted. *or instance# in figure D below# a four year"old boy has depicted a person walking. Eotice that the child has drawn this person with greatly overe aggerated feet to symboli.e walking. The four year"old who drew the picture of her family shown below 0figure F% has added whiskers and long arms on her ;daddy; to e press the feeling of being picked up and hugged by her father. She has drawn her mother with a body and legs# but no arms3 and has shown her brother and herself as two heads without bodies. Such drawings tend to describe more how children of this age think or feel about the things around them rather than what they actually see when they look.

fig. D= ;person walking;

fig. F= family portrait

There is considerable evidence to suggest that children who draw figures without bodies# arms or legs are certainly capable of identifying these parts when asked to do so# but the idea of creating a realistic likeness of a person has not yet occurred to them or occupied their interest 0Winner# 'FD)%. Such a concern doesn<t typically show up until the age of seven or eight.

fig. 'G= self portrait

fig. ''= self portrait

Art and Self-image

The sensitive self"portrait shown above 0figure 'G% was drawn by a four"and"a"

half year old boy and is typical of the kind of drawings done by children at this stage. The head is drawn larger because of its importance to the child 0it<s where eating and talking goes on% and the subject of the drawing is the child himself. Through the act of drawing or painting# a child may e plore several

self"possibilities before arriving at a satisfying self"image. In this way# art plays a crucial role in the self"defining process. When planning for drawing and painting activities# teachers should consider that four and five"year olds tend to be egocentric in nature3 and# thus# motivational topics which enable these children to e press something about their emerging concepts of self are particularly beneficial. Talking with the children about their personal e periences such as those associated with family# school# friends# and pets will often provide ideal starting points for their art encounters to begin. Topics should include ;I; or ;my; since it helps the child to identify with the subject matter suggested. *or instance# appropriate drawing and painting themes for children of this age include ;I am Hoing to School#; ;&y *amily; and ;I am /laying with &y *riends.;

fig. ')= on the playground

fig. '1= hansel and gretel

The 0o*ng "hild1s "oncept of Space

,s young children become increasing aware of the world around them# the many objects that make up their environment will begin to appear in their drawings. These objects are seldom drawn in relationship to one another in position or si.e. Eor are they organi.ed on the page the way in which they are related spatially in the world. Instead# objects will typically appear to ;float; on the page in the drawings and paintings done by children of preschool age 0figures 'G"'1%. This type of spatial organi.ation may appear to an adult as incorrect in that it doesn<t follow the Western tradition of representing three"dimensional space by the use of linear perspective. Instead of considering this as a defect in children<s artwork# one might appreciate their honesty in arranging the forms on the page and their capacity for creating balanced two"dimensional compositions 0Winner# 'FD)%. 9esides# if one looks at the artwork of other cultures or that of many

contemporary artists# it can readily be seen that there is no right or wrong way to portray space in a drawing 0Cowenfeld# 'FA2%.

y the age of nine or ten# many children e hibit greater visual awareness of the things around them. ,s a result# they become increasingly conscious of details and proportion in what they are drawing. They typically include body parts such as lips# fingernails# hairstyles# and joints in their drawings of people. They also show more interest than before in drawing people in action poses and in costumes. This new concern for making their pictures look ;right; in terms of detail and proportion leads to a crisis for many older children. In trying to draw realistically# children<s efforts often fall short of their e pectations and they $uickly become disappointed. Some search for adult"like skills by copying illustrations in books and maga.ines. &ore often# however# children become increasingly critical of their graphic abilities and begin to show a reluctance to engage in drawing activities as they grow older. Hiven the increased emphasis on ;realism; among children during their preadolescent years# art instruction that focuses on visual description and observational techni$ues can be particularly beneficial at this age. Indeed# most children are $uite capable of attaining the realistic $uality they so desire in their art work 0*igure )1%. 9ut# only if they receive the proper instruction which enables them to develop the competencies re$uired to do so.

fig. )1= portrait of a classmate 0by an '' year old%

The Representation of Three-Dimensional Space

Whereas younger children become engrossed in the meanings and actions of subjects as they draw them# older children tend to be more concerned with whether their pictures resemble what it is they are drawing. This interest in visual description typically emerges around the age of nine or ten as children begin to adopt their culture<s conventions for representing a three"dimensional scene on a two"dimensional surface 0Winner# 'FD)%. Eo longer are objects placed side by side on a baseline as seen in younger children<s drawings. Eow children attempt to arrange the things they draw in relation to one another on the page. In doing so# they begin to show how the position of a viewer influences the image drawn. They begin to draw objects that overlap one another and that diminish in si.e. They also begin to use diagonals to show the recession of planes in space 0figures )I and )2%.

fig. )I= backyard drawing

fig. )2= barnyard drawing

,s children<s readiness and interest in showing depth in their pictures becomes apparent# having them study the ways in which various adult artists use overlap# diminishing si.e and linear perspective within their works might be helpful. 9ut# children need to understand that the use of these pictorial devices is only one way of organi.ing space and that many artists today have abandoned such conventions in favor of developing more personal and e pressive ways of seeing and making art.

/is*al 2etaphor and %3pressive 4magery

&any older children continue to draw and paint symbolically in spite of the increased concern for realism in their art work. Indeed# children<s emerging capacity for abstract thought enables them to begin conceiving of images as vis*al metaphors. When children draw or paint metaphorically# they are using images to suggest an idea or emotion beyond the specific object depicted. *or instance# older children are able to recogni.e that a picture of an isolated tree

suggests loneliness and despair# or that a stag overlooking a

range of mountains suggests nobility. The ability to use images metaphorically# depends on being able to entertain two levels of symboli.ation at once. The artist must decide which object best represents the concept or emotion and which lines# shapes and colors best represent the object 0Smith# 'FD1%. >lder children are just beginning to discover the possibilities of visual metaphor and that images can convey meanings beyond the object depicted. In order to deepen this understanding and prevent children<s concern for realism from dampening their creative spirit# the teacher should introduce themes that deal with the e pression of certain emotions or concepts through visual metaphor. *or instance# children might be asked to imagine themselves as an animal or an inanimate object and to represent themselves as such in a drawing or painting.

The preadolescent years are critical in the artistic development of children. " +harles Haitskell

fig. )?= use of metaphor

5hen one charts the graphic development of children as they progress from
preschool to the upper elementary school grades# at least four distinct stages or shifts can be observed. *irst# children begin to scribble at about one or two years of age. Second# representational shapes and figures emerge around the age of three or four. Third# children develop and use graphic symbols for representing the things they encounter in their environment. Castly# around the age of nine or ten# children strive toward optical realism in their drawings. It is important to note that these changes don<t occur abruptly3 rather# they are often marked by small sub"stages or points in which children may e hibit characteristics of two stages in one drawing.

>f course# what children seem to do naturally and what they are capable of doing are entirely different matters. It is likely that teachers will find that the students within their classrooms are at varied points in their graphic development since some have had abundant prior e periences with art# whereas others# may have had limited creative opportunities. Thus# teachers should avoid the temptation to place children at a particular stage simply because of their age or grade level. >f greater concern to teachers and parents should be the lost of e pressiveness and originality which seems to occur in children<s drawings as they grow older. If one uses ;realism; as a criterion for judging the work of children# then they seem to improve with age and e perience. 9ut# the drawings of upper"elementary school children typically appear more conventional and rigid3 and# therefore# less striking to the adult eye than those of preschool children. Teachers and parents should also be concerned with the lost of interest in drawing activities among students in the upper"elementary grades. Indeed# many older children become so critical of their work that they simply stop drawing all together. 8ow might adults prevent such declines from occurringJ While there are no easy answers to this $uestion# the following suggestions offer a few possibilities. *irst# e pose children in the upper elementary grades to various artists whom e hibit both realistic and imaginative approaches to drawing. 4ncourage them to see that drawings are not meant to be photographs and that the act of drawing enables them to show their own special way of seeing the world. Second# provide older children with opportunities to engage in both descriptive and imaginative approaches to drawing. Show that you value the diversity of approaches and the variety of ideas that children e hibit in their work. Third# make the development of drawing abilities a priority in your classroom and home. /rovide children with opportunities to draw often and give them the assistance and the encouragement they re$uire.