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What can your just 4 yr old draw?

57 replies

nextphase · 29/05/2013 20:22

We've just had DS2's 2 year check, and the HV also commented on DS1. He was 4 last month, and starts in reception in September.
Give him a pen, and he will hold it correctly, but just scribble on the page. Never seen a "drawing" from him - not even a face or stick man.
If he is in the right mood, he can attempt to colour. Can't really form any letters (been suggesting he writes his 4 letter name on cards etc).
HV has told me I need to get him drawing properly and forming letters before he goes to school.
Is she over egging things? And if not, how do I encourage a child who would rather be riding his bike, climbing the furniture, or pretending to be a lion than sat drawing or colouring to do just that?

Cheers

OP posts:
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thegreylady · 29/05/2013 20:30

my dgs at nearly 4 could draw endless recognisable tractors but not much else apart from the occasional face with features and legs/arms.he also drew yellow splodgy suns and a 'train' on a track [sort of].He could write Ed but not Edward.Now he is 4.3 and does a version of Edward and can draw a little better but he would rather be:
a]Spiderman
b] Mr McGregor [chasing Peter Rabbit]
c]Buzz Lightyear

Pozzled · 29/05/2013 20:32

My DD1 could barely draw anything at that age. She would do a person if you encouraged her, sat with her and directed her (e.g. 'Now the mouth...') But left alone she would just do endless scribbles.

She's just finishing reception year now, and won't be five till August, but she does all sorts of elaborate drawings, with lots of details.

I think it all comes when they're ready.

thegreylady · 29/05/2013 20:32

Sorry I thought you said 'almost 4'.Dgs also starts school in September.He can read cvc words and recognise all letters and numbers.

lougle · 29/05/2013 20:33

There's a huge range at this age. Don't worry.

BreasticlesNTesticles · 29/05/2013 20:34

DD1is 3.10 and can just draw stick men, and she has been at preschool since September. And she practices a lot Grin

She can write her name, sort of, although I'm not sure you would know what it said if you didn't know it was her.

learnandsay · 29/05/2013 20:38

Well, some adults can't draw. But there are methods of cheating.

RhinestoneCowgirl · 29/05/2013 20:40

DS wasn't really into drawing at just turned 4. He could just about write his name (well, we knew what it said but couldn't vouch for anyone else). He's nearly 7 now and has really neat handwriting.

His younger sister is 4.5 and has been drawing proper pictures for last 12 months or so. Drawing is one of her favourite things to do and she goes thro reams of paper.

Apart from encoraging mark making by giving them access to crayons/paper, chalks etc, I think a lot of it is down to the child. Some 'get' writing/drawing a lot earlier than others

acebaby · 29/05/2013 20:40

DS1 at 4 - anything and everything... houses, space ship designs, dinosaurs, maps. He was also experimenting with perspective and trying out other media eg he made a collage solar system using realistic colours for the planets

DS2 - nothing. Not even a scribble. I don't think I even saw him pick up a pen before he started school (although he would occasionally come home from preschool with a splodge).

Now DS1 is almost 8. He still loves art, and is one of the keenest in his class. But his work doesn't stand out as being particularly sophisticated for his age (and his handwriting is terrible). DS2 is 5, and after a year at school can write and draw as well as any of the others in reception - excluding the class genius!

So, I wouldn't listen to your health visitor. DS2's very sensible and experienced preschool teacher suggested that we focus on fine motor skills and co-ordination. So we did lots of cooking and lego building. His reception teacher never commented that he was 'behind' in any way.

beeroclock · 29/05/2013 20:41

ignore her, he's little.

pushing the issue often has the effect of putting them off. if you want you could always get him to draw with a toy car or lion by dipping the wheels/paws in paint, then it may pique his interest? x

beeroclock · 29/05/2013 20:44

by the way my newly four year old goes mental if I try to get him to draw but he loves his lego where as the big one has always been a drawer. different horses for different courses i'd say!

olibeansmummy · 29/05/2013 20:45

Ds was 4 last Saturday. He can draw a very detailed person ( right down to toes, eyebrows, ears etc) but not much else, a few animals and that's it. He writes very well though, he can form all letters and numbers and think how a word should sound phonetically and write it down and can write his name, mum, dad, and his cousins name. Writing is his "thing" more than drawing.

beeroclock · 29/05/2013 20:45

drawer?! you know what i mean

chickensaladagain · 29/05/2013 20:46

Can't remember with dd1

Dd2 drew a slug with 2 eyes and a wobbly mouth and 2 sticks sticking out of the sides and said it was her daddy I've kept that one

I wouldn't be concerned about the lack of recognisable drawing

Just give opportunity to make marks and develop the motor skills (peg boards, threading activities etc) and it will come

lljkk · 29/05/2013 20:47

Nothing at that age. Truly nothing (DS1, DS2 & DS3).
DS1 & DS3 turned into excellent artists suddenly not very long after, though, quite funny transformation.
DS1 turned out to be a terrific writer, as well (quite articulate).
HV is misinformed.

Notsoblonde · 29/05/2013 20:48

Dd2 at just 4 didn't have any interest, I would sit with her trying to get her interested but she just said no mummy, you do it Grin now at 4.5 yrs she LOVES drawing she drew at hotel today and all the family with a massive sun :)

lljkk · 29/05/2013 20:48

DS3 is in reception & can form his letters beautifully, copying down what's printed in front of him, but he struggles to put words together, speech delayed & not a natural at spelling.

Badvoc · 29/05/2013 20:52

He can write his name, and numbers up to 20.
He can also have a stab at simple cvc words...dog etc.
He loves colouring and is pretty good...keeps in the lines etc.
You can generally tell what it is he is drawing...car, house, flower etc
Ds1 was the total opposite.
Maybe the difference between a summer born and a sept born?

StitchAteMySleep · 29/05/2013 20:55

Dd1 is 3.11 and is a prolific artist. She can draw people, animals, flowers, buildings and more. She can also write quite a few words.

If drawing is not his thing then as others have mentioned work on his fine motor skills in other ways, he will get there when he is ready, no rush.

Playdough, Lego building, craft activities involving painting, cutting and sticking small objects, threading beads, buttoning, bead mazes, some board games (operation has tweezers and uses FMS), drawing in sand or mud, sorting small objects, baking.

Karoleann · 29/05/2013 21:01

Ds2 at just 4 could only scribble too, he's 5 in July and can draw lots of lovely pictures and is probably as good as most of the other little children in his class. I'm really not artistic at all, so maybe he takes after me!

Ds1 wasn't much better, but again he's average at drawing now.

Incidentally, they're both very good at the non drawing stuff - reading, maths etc.

nextphase · 29/05/2013 21:06

Thank-you ladies.
You've reassured me the HV is, yet again, stating things which set out to worry people. I subscribe to the "they are only little, follow their interests" school of learning, so we have grown more cress than I could ever imagine, and have hatched caterpillars in jam jars in the kitchen, and are currently trying to grow cherry and peach stones. I just don't see the point in forcing things they don't want to do - they have years and years at school doing that!

thegreylady - no problems, it was more I didn't want to hear all about the nearly 5's who have been in reception for 2 terms already!

He's good (and happy doing) the other fine motor skills - threading, baking, cutting, sticking, can do up his own buttons on shirts (pre school seem supervised by this?!), so I'll just keep going on my follow their interests parenting style.

OP posts:
Periwinkle007 · 29/05/2013 21:32

Both my two have alwats enjoyed drawing and my just turned 4 year old can draw quite a lot of things welk and write too but i think second children get a different development experience and she copies her sister. I have seen her friends drawings being anything from level with hers so people with necks ears noses eyebrows and kneecaps! To a blob and scribbles. Let him play if that is what he wants to do and yes make sure it includes lego and threading etc to develop fine motor skills but september is still a few months away and plenty of time for him to develop an interest when he is ready

babybythesea · 29/05/2013 21:49

DD1 was 4 in January.

She draws flowers by drawing a circle and adding a series of petals, a stem and leaves. She then almost always adds a sun with pointy rays, She draws people who have arms and legs, faces with eyes and a nose but until last week these were connected - she's only just started adding bodies in! And she draws hearts. Lots of hearts. Very occasionally she does other things (like animals), but not often. She likes to stick with what she knows!!!

She can write her name, and Mummy and Daddy. And form most numbers and letters. But she spends hours doing it - she loves it. My mum came to stay recently, and then went to an important meeting at work, opened her diary, and found the page she needed covered in DD's name - the perils of leaving pencil and paper in reach!

I would say as long as he's holding a pencil correctly, then you really don't need to worry. If you do want to do something, maybe try chalks on paving stones rather than paper and pencil? And for writing - well, he won't write unless he recognises letters. So maybe just chat with him about letters as you do things ("That says DS which means I know it's yours - look, that letter there is X which is how your name starts" etc using sounds rather than names, so 'a' sounds like 'ant' rather than 'hay') so he gets the idea that the random lines aren't random, but have some meaning. That's the hardest bit about writing - learning that the shapes have sounds attached to them which are consistent, and that you can read them, hear the sounds and form words. So pick out a few key letters (like the ones in his name) and if you are reading to him, pick them out sometimes, point them out to him, give him the sound and be all surprised that you've found yet another 'e' or 's'. But don't do too many or he'll lose interest. If he doesn't understand that there is a connection between the shape of the letter and the sound and that it is the same (ish!) every time he sees that letter, then him learning to write the letter is no more meaningful than you copying out Chinese characters.

I'd also say don't turn it into a chore - he'll be turned off it. You can encourage but if he's not interested then he's not interested - plenty of kids aren't. He'll get there when he's ready.

CharlotteBronteSaurus · 29/05/2013 21:56

dd1 could only scribble before she started school at 4.5
she caught up hugely over the reception year, to the extent that now (aged 6) her portraits of the family only look a tiny bit like pictures of monkeys.

freetrait · 29/05/2013 22:00

DD is 4.5. She likes drawing now and does a fair bit, but at 4 she didn't draw anything, zilch. It's come in the last couple of months for her.

AbbyR1973 · 29/05/2013 22:43

My DS2 was also 4 last month and has not the slightest interest in drawing. He can write his name, read, and add up but if you give him some pencils all he will do is colourful scribble- which he gives names to eg its a volcano but no real interest in trying to represent people etc. DS1 at the same age was not awfully interested in drawing although probably would have done a picture of a person if pushed, his drawing has come on over the last year really.