Almost 4 yo drawing

[DiscoBabe]

What kind of things should kids be able to draw by the time they are 4 and how detailed?

people usually have a tummy button no matter what and they have lots of stick like fingers. They won't be very detailed and facial features will generally be a dot for the nose and eyes and a big smiley mouth. Then once they start school, it will turn into more of a body or stick person with a more detailed face - possibly eyebrows etc.
They start then to distinguish size so may draw mum and dad bigger than themself etc.

If they draw a house, it will be very simple with door and windows completely out of scale. Animals like dinosaurs and dogs etc may feature mostly teeth.

They are all so different and girls and boys will differ. At just turned 4, I really wouldn't worry about what they're drawing - more getting a feel for using different techniques to make marks. At preschool, they will be letting them draw letters and shapes in the air, in sand using fingers or sticks and drawing with chalk etc. Don't worry until they get to school as to the content of what they draw.

Neither of mine wanted to draw anything at all at 4. They could only be convinced to do it at pre-school and then school and then it was just scribbles. DS1 is dyspraxic so not surprising for him but DS2 definitely isn't and he has only got into drawing in the last year (Yr 1 at school now).

I don't think there is anything that they should be able to do at this age. None of their pre-school teachers were ever worried about it.

I agree with luciemule that making marks by various means is useful though.

Bear in mind that whether they are left or right handed is also not necessarily set in stone until they are 5 which may make some children slower to draw because they haven't worked out what is the most natural way of working at 4.

My dd didn't really draw anything at that age - she liked to play with colours, and would stick things, but definitely not pictures.

I remember she was still really reluctant to draw going into Yr 1 because her teacher commented on it. These days she's mad keen on art, and draws / makes all sorts of things, so it doesn't mean much I guess.

There's a huge variation - I don't remember DS drawing anything recognisable at that age. He wasn't very interested in drawing at all, and when he was, it was mainly (rather wobbly) trains not people. Art has never been his thing, and he is rather unco-ordinated/borderline dyspraxic. DD loved drawing from the age of one, and by 4 could draw clearly recognisable people, animals, houses etc. Looking at the range of artwork on the classroom walls when DD was in reception, I think they were both perfectly normal.

I really wouldn't worry about it - let them have paper, crayons etc and just let them get on with it when they feel like it. If they can tell you are stressed about it, that probably won't help...

dgs aged 3.9 can draw recognisable vehicles-tractors,cars,trucks and sort of people and animals and houses.

something like this