Nursery World - Draw attention

Observing children engaged in their earliest drawing experiences can tell us a lot about how to support them, says Penny Tassoni Watching and listening to young children as they draw is fascinating. Not only can we hear the pleasure in the child's voice, we may also hear their purpose. It is sad, then, to see only a few years later that many of the same children no longer wish to draw. They may hide their lack of confidence behind statements such as 'I don't know how to...'

Watching and listening to young children as they draw is fascinating. Not only can we hear the pleasure in the child's voice, we may also hear their purpose. It is sad, then, to see only a few years later that many of the same children no longer wish to draw. They may hide their lack of confidence behind statements such as 'I don't know how to...'

It can be useful for us, as well as understanding more about how children come to draw and paint, to think about how adults can support children in this area.

Starting the journey

As with many other areas of child development, there is more than one view as to how children approach drawing. While the interpretations of children's drawing vary, we can, however, see certain trends in the way children draw.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included