Drawing with Preschoolers

Question: Which topics do you suggest to draw for preschoolers? How much instruction do you give them?

Answer: When I'm helping preschoolers learn to draw, I try to find pictures of objects that are simple in shape and details. I use pictures or drawings of the objects instead of the object itself, as the details in the actual object can often be overwhelming. Your little one is just starting to learn how to "see" an object, or in other words, see the shapes that make up an object. Keep the object simple.

Also, preschoolers are still working on their fine motor skills, so the simpler the drawing, the better. You don't want your little one to become frustrated and discouraged -- you want him to see that he can do it!

For example, I might give him a drawing of an apple to copy. The apple would consist of a circle with a line coming off the top for a stem. Sounds very easy, but he can see those simple shapes and then draw them too.

If he was going to draw a cat, I would start with just the head, showing him a drawing of a circle with two pointed ears (be aware, though, that angles are harder for preschoolers to draw), two dots for eyes, a dot for a nose, a smile for a mouth, and maybe some straight lines for whiskers. If your preschooler has an easy time with these, add an oval for a body, four legs, and a long tail.

**Please note: When your preschooler is just beginning to draw, it's very helpful if you sit beside him and point out the shapes to him, one by one as he draws them. This is as much instruction as I would give him, unless he has a question.

Also, don't worry about correcting anything on his page unless he asks you to. If he just can't seem to get it and becomes frustrated, don't hesitate to help him out and draw some of it for him. As soon as you can, though, get the pencil back in his hand and encourage him to continue. Your goal is to boost his self-confidence, not to end up with a perfect picture. If he draws apples falling from the sky, that's fine -- he's drawing apples! If his cat has six legs, that's okay too -- at least he's getting the legs in the drawing. He'll realize soon enough that actual cats only have four. :)

How often would we draw together this way? As often as he wants to. You might set aside a day or two a week for art -- when the two of you work on something together. Then, on all the other days, he'll hopefully continue on his own. Don't be surprised, though, if his other drawings aren't quite recognizable -- he's practicing, honing his fine motor skills, and applying the things he's learning. Drawing is fun, so make sure it's fun for him.

What Do You Think?

Do you have any advice to share?

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