Drawing and "reading readiness"

[fatfloosie]

Just after her 3rd birthday DD (who is now 4.4) started consistently drawing people with bodies. My mum said that at the local school where she helps out they had found this to be a reliable indicator of a child being ready to learn to read. I felt at the time that DD probably wasn't far off trying to read but over a year later she is still showing no real inclination to try.

I haven't specifically tried to teach her to read. I read to her lots and on the occasional page I'll point to the words as I read them, or stop and let her 'read' a word that's obvious from the context. If I did any more than that I would feel like I was pushing her and she's always just picked things up before - numbers, letters etc - without any pressure.

So I'm happy to wait and let her learn to read in September in Reception but I'm a little concerned at the disparity between her drawing and reading ability if there is supposed to be some link between the two and I'm wondering if this could be an early sign of some dyslexia-type problems? (DP's reading/writing/spelling is awful - though he puts it down to moving schools a lot.)

The reason I'm asking this now is because the latest display of work at DD's preschool is of pictures they did after a trip they all went on. Most of the children have drawn the building they visited and/or a person. All the drawings where the person has a body are by children whose mums have told me they can read. So it does appear there might be some link. DD's is the only one on a baseline and she has drawn a cross section of the building with her inside it. I'm not saying it has any great artistic merits but it's clearly a more advanced drawing.

I'm not trying to show off about her drawing here (I know what can seem advanced at one pre-school would be bog standard at another) and I don't think she's gifted or even the brightest at her pre-school (tho obv haven't ruled it out completely just yet ). I'm just interested in the disparity between reading and drawing and whether it is unusual/can signify anything.

DD also 'writes' the odd thing by saying the word over and over to herself and picking the sounds out - we've had 'kitn' and 'pebey' (puppy) recently. Again, I'm baffled that she does this but is not interested in reading.

Mmmm, not sure on that one - my ds not a great drawer but picked up reading really easily & forms his letters correctly.

DS could read pretty fluently well before he was drawing. They sound like entirely different skills to me.

One of my daughters is a great drawer but, although not bad at reading, has absolutely no interest or inclination whatsoever. In fact, whenever we try to read she's too busy drawing her princesses or involved in one of her very intricate make-believe worlds.
Her sister is, in comparison, really poor with pen skills which translates into markedly less good drawings at the same age. However, she's about the same level at reading as her older sister despite being two years younger.
So there's no correlation in our house. Not saying that's definitive, of course, but it doesn't seem any less anecdotal than your mother's view...

I could see how drawing might translate to writing, but not reading so much.

I wonder if it's just a pattern they see as the two things tend to happen at a roughly similar time.

If it helps DS must absolutely break their mould as he can write letters but not draw people - it utterly baffles him if you ask yet he can write his name and recognise most letters and letter sounds and he's not yet 4.

Don't worry yourself to bits over this. An indicator is not scientific fact and sounds like you may have taken a casual remark by your Mum and run with it.

I would be willing to bet that within the first term of starting school it's clicked. She sounds bright as a button with her drawing and sounding/spelling out. My DD is 3.11 and starts school this time. Things click very suddenly with her in fits and starts. I had a habit of despairing over her lack of interest in something only to have her spring it on me all of a sudden and fly with it.

It'll come. Really it will. at Kitn and Pebey.

I have never heard of that co-relation before. Some children are a lot keener to draw other things than people, one of my children is an expert at drawing houses, cars, towers, monsters, airplanes, rainbows (in the correct order of colours!!!), busses, fire engines. But I can't think of a single drawing of a person. He started reading before he went to Reception. I cannot think of a reason why there's a link between drawing people and readiness to read. He much prefers factual books about airplanes or boats rather than fictional stories.

Readiness to read for me is being curious about books. Sequencing, looking at images and trying to understand what they mean. Linking the fact that each letter is a specific shape, and it makes a sound and linked up together they make words.

No correlation at all in any of my 3 DSs.
DS1 reading age 4 years above actual age, taught himself to read before his 3rd birthday - not a great drawer, although improved recently.
DS2 drawing people a good year before he had any interest in reading. His reading is now above average, drawing average.
DS3 (age 3) excellent drawer. Still not ready to read.

Dd1 still isn't a great artist at nearly 7 but has been top of her class in reading since the very beginning of reception.

My just turned 4 year old is reading well but doesn't want to draw/write. I don't think there's a strong link, but maybe a loose one?

Well that's a massive thumbs down to my mum's theory . That's great. Thanks for the replies - mightily relieved not to have loads saying 'my DC with was exactly like this'.

Seems being good at drawing doesn't mean anything other than ... er ... being good at drawing. Funny that . I'll relax now and let her read in her own time without worrying that I'm missing something.