Ds1's drawings have REGRESSED.

[EscapeFrom]

I have a picture on my door from 18 months ago, of a man pushing a baby in a pushchair, and a cat. Ds1 was 3 when he drew it. It's very recognisable.

He is now 4.5, and brought an unrecognisable scribble home from school. His drawings at home now look like the ones he did when he was 2. I haven't said anything to him about it, but I am finding it a bit worrying, TBH. Anyone else's child's drawings regressed? should I mention it to his (already hideously over worked) teacher?

Dd went through a similar stage in Reception. It turned out that there were so many other interesting things in the classroom that she wanted to do, so when she was asked to to a drawing she just scribbled something down quickly so that she could get on with the more exciting stuff.

Does he draw at home? If so, do his drawings at home seem better than those he does at school?

they do seem better nthan at school, but oddly no better,. and sometimes not even as good, as the ones he did at 3.

Mind you, his speech has exploded since then, so I wonder iof drawing was his way of telling me about things, and he doesn't need to do that now?

Maybe he's been put off drawing a bit by having to do it when asked rather than when he fancies it (as I imagine he did before he went to school?). Children often seem to do things 'poorly' when they feel they are doing it for someone else, rather than just because they want to. The intrinsic motivation just isn't there.

i read somewhere that the left side of the brain deals with the arty and language side of things, the right with logical, maths, science etc, etc.

If he is now having to use the right side more, perhaps the left side isnt being used as much and pictures have regressed.

dont know how true this is, just a thought!!!

When I worked at a nursery (attached to the school - like reception in England) we had a little girl who had gone from painting really detailed pictures to just painting stripes. Her mum was a bit concerned, but when you watched her in the act, she was more interested in effect that the paintbrush was having on the paint and how the different colours blended than on the finished picture. It was just a phase she went through and then went back to painting pictures! Could be the same with ds1 - the actual "act" of scribbling is of more interest to him than the end result.

Other than that I think your theory about the speech thing holds water