Colouring/drawing "You do it, Mummy"

[cantmakecarrotcake]

Not a big issue but something I'm curious about with DD aged 3.6.

When she's given a colouring sheet at home or at a restaurant she always wants me or whoever she's with to colour it for her. Same with drawing pictures. She can draw Mr Men style people but is reluctant and wants me to do it.
I get the impression she thinks her efforts are a bit rubbish and is embarrassed of them. Yet she's never had anything but encouragement.

Has anyone else experienced this? Anything more I can do to encourage her and build up her confidence?

[givemecaffeine21]

My two year old does this and always has; she says 'help' and then acts delighted if I colour for her. I'm not sure if it's just her trying to involve me, but sometimes I do it and at others I say 'you do it, you're brilliant at it' and always make much of her efforts in all regards.

Perhaps if you pinned a few of her pics up and made a fuss of them / pointed them out to visiting relatives etc it would help her feel proud of herself.

[cyclamens]

My partner's middle daughter was like this at that age - certain things she would try and draw, other things she didn't have the confidence - she was, and is, a bit of a perfectionist. So for example - if she needed to draw a circle for a head, if it wasn't perfectly round she would get upset and refuse to do any more. I used to draw things with black felt tip and get her to trace them herself which seemed to give her confidence. She was always happy to colour though - perhaps both colouring on the same page at the same time (one half each) so the focus is less on her own efforts, but doesn't leave you doing it all? Might be enough to get her going.

[BertieBotts]

I think it's normal. I just usually get my own one and do it alongside DS. He didn't start drawing pictures until much later than other children seemed to though, but now at 5.8 he draws some really funny and detailed ones.

One way I encouraged him to try drawing things when he said "I can't do it, I don't know how to draw X..." then I'd go all Art Attack on him and say, look, it's not too hard, just look at the shapes. What shape is the rabbit's body? It's like a big squashed oval. Then the head? (they will do a circle or you can prompt "a circle") Hmm, what else does a rabbit need. (they will volunteer eyes/nose or something totally un obvious, ignoring the ears) How about some ears and a tail? (they add ears and a tail and suddenly look amazed that their picture vaguely resembles a rabbit)

[cantmakecarrotcake]

We have a little gallery for her art which she loves.

I think you're right, she's a perfectionist and gets annoyed that what she draws/colours doesn't look the way she pictured it in her head. Guiding her by saying draw a circle, then asking her what else a person has (eyes, mouth etc) seemed to help at the weekend. I think that's probably the best approach. I can't help but think she won't improve without practice but that's what she won't do.

I usually do craft stuff alongside her so she can create free-style without me controlling what she's doing. Maybe she's inherited perfectionism from somewhere...

[BertieBotts]

Ah, she'll get there and they do improve without practice, DS went from scribbling to drawing people (MR men style) with 10 fingers, 10 toes and bellybuttons (and sometimes willies and boobs ) - now they tend to have rectangular bodies like little robots.

[cantmakecarrotcake]

lol at the willies and boobs.
I guess they can improve by development as well as practice. I just hate to think of her thinking she's no good at stuff.

[ChatEnOeuf]

DD is the same, also wired to be a perfectionist, to the point of not saying certain words until she knew she could master them . We just colour together.