What can your 3 - 4 yr old draw?

[SuperBunny]

DS will be 4 next month and can do scribbles. Sometimes he says they are trains/ tractors/ mummy etc but they don't resemble anything. I thought that was quite normal til I chatted with a fellow MNer who was telling me about 3 yr olds who can draw recognizable people with clear body parts

Is DS a typical 3 yr old boy or is he way behind with his artistic skills?

[mawbroon]

My ds is 3.10yo and doesn't really draw anything terribly recognisable other than a sort of a circle for a face with four dots. Two dots for eyes, and the other two for nostrils.

Recently he has become interested in drawing lines with a ruler and it seems he would far rather draw patterny things than objects IYSWIM. He loves numbers and can count to 100, so I reckon that the patterns may be related to that.

I am 37 and I can hardly draw anything recognisable either LOL, so I'm not so worried about ds!!

[SuperBunny]

[Wallace]

Those are lovely Claire

Lol SuperBunny, I'm sitting here giggling to myself

[SuperBunny]

Thanks for all the replies. DS and I sat down this afternoon with paper and pencils and it seems he can actually draw, I just thought he couldn't because we never do it

He drew several people - with a head, eyes, lips and a smile (in addition to the lips ); a body, long arms and legs and a tie. And he is fab at jelly fish!

[Claire2009]

DD is 3.6yo (4 in Feb) and drew this about 3wks ago......it's her brother apparently

i158.photobucket.com/albums/t86/claire1984_2007/Snapshot_20090829.jpg

and this yesterday... (Our family)

i158.photobucket.com/albums/t86/claire1984_2007/Snapshot_20090830_1.jpg

[littleducks]

DD is 3.5 and can draw a really good stick man with a big head and copy her name well.

However you would prob never know as the vast majority of the time she scribbles and only does the above if in the right mood and really concentrating (of her own volition not say if you wanted her to sign a card for great granny or something)

I just praise all her efforts and give her the materials of she is so inclined, and i think playing with cars is great, ds is only one but understands ramps etc far better from his never ending playing with cars

[nappyaddict]

DS who is 3.2 only draws scribbles.

[Marne]

Dd 1 could draw houses and people when she was 3, also write her name, Dd2 (asd) is 3.5 and can draw a face and shapes but can't write her name.

[Lio]

ds only twigged about holding a pencil when he was 5. He suddenly wrote his name. He is nearly 6 now and still swaps the pencil from left to right hand, but it is utterly fine, and we have been reassured by super-experienced teacher that it is well within bounds or normal-ness.

[zebramummy]

i have always encouraged ds' passion for art (he has recently turned 4) but i dont think it has made much difference in ability though maybe in confidence. everything that he produces is apparently "a falcon" - sometimes i can actually see it and i help him by adding on an eye - i try and start activities by saying "no falcons today..."

[SuperBunny]

Idris, when I did my teacher training, the person who did our art course said that most adults have a drawing age of about 8. Mine certainly is

[IdrisTheDragon]

I always did think my art stopped developing at about 7. Looking at the chart linked to I think I am right

[claw3]

According to the link at 2 my ds could draw like a 6 year old. He is now 5 and draws like a 10 year old. (he has special needs)

Im so pleased to finally find something i can brag about!

[WriggleJiggle]

According to that link, I have the drawing ability of a 6 yr old

[bodiddly]

ds(4.5) went through a stage about 6 months ago where he drew ALL the time. Unfortunately, this phase has now passed and he now does nothing but make paper aeroplanes. He used to get frustrated if he couldn't draw something in particular so we found it easier to help him draw things through shapes. ie. he knew how to draw a square so he used that to learn how to draw a house with a triangle for a roof (much easier than a person). Same goes for drawing a cat .. he saw that it had a circle for a head and 2 triangles for ears etc ....

[fruitstick]

DS is 3.5 and is useless at drawing. Like you, I was fine with this until his friend sent him a card with a picture of them both in .

he can just about manage a circle and has once drawn a picture of me which had 2 identifiable circles, one slightly smaller than the other.

He reminds me of that old fastshow sketch with the watercolour painter who starts of with good intentions and then suddenly screams - it's all black! At which point he scribbles so hard he rips the paper.

He seems to get frustrated that 'he can't do it' and wants me to draw things for him and colour them in. He keeps complaining that 'he's not very good at it' (a worrying sign) and refusing to try. Cue much overexcited praise by me and lavishing with affection that he has managed to get a bit of blue felt tip somewhere on Daddy pig's tummy

[yama]

I've also been told that Playdoh is good for developing strength in the fingers.

[purepurple]

In order for children to develop the fine motor movements needed for drawing, they need first to develop the gross motor movements. ie shoulder and whole arm movements.
Things like making circles in the air with ribbons, throwing balls, skittles, flapping arms etc.
A lot of boys don't really take to drawing, so in the nursery where i work, we try to make it fun.
Painting outside with large paint bruses or rollers, using spray bottles of coloured water on bricks is fun.
Things like building with the small lego and threading beads and cards all help develop the skills needed to draw.
Last week we had a snowball fight with cotton wool balls. Sounds daft, but it's all about developing muscle control.
Get a roll of wallpaper and let him unroll it on the floor and draw whatever he wants.

[belgo]

My dd2 is also four next month. She can scribble, draw some basic shapes, and colour in within the lines. I think she's fairly average for her age. DD1 is a lot better at drawing, she seems to have inherited the artistic streak of dh's family, including the artistic temperament unfortunately.

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

my DD is 2.10 and can draw people..but in her developmental assessment recently we were told that was ahead of what can be expected...at least age 4/5. She is behind in other things though (probably has an autistic spectrum disorder).

[allaboutme]

My DS is 4 n4xt month.
He can do scribbles and a wonky circle at a push and thats it.
He HATES drawing and any crafts with a passion though. He would rather sit and stare at the floor than do crafts (with me or at nursery school or anywhere!)
so he will be just drawing wonky circles for a while I guess

[Wallace]

This link is interesting Drawing Development in Children

My just three year old ds2 can just about draw a face but not quite.

Ds1 and dd definitely could draw people at this age.

[yama]

(Thanks Pavlov)

[SuperBunny]

Oh hester, you have my sympathy

[hester]

dd is nearly 4, has done loads of art at home and at nursery, and has a very artistic mother (honestly, I am!).

Not to put too fine a point on it, she has the artistic skills of a newborn rabbit. On a very good day, she can draw you a circle. Every other day, she just scribbles on the paper like a toddler given their first crayon. Forget drawing anything recognisable.

Her friend, however, can draw Mummy (complete with eyelashes and necklaces), aliens, cats and dogs, himself and his brother playing in the garden....

Not that I'm or anything...