We all enjoy seeing our child’s handiwork from school.  A fridge or wall full of their drawings, doodles, and papers. Art is an excellent outlet for any child, and its important that we encourage their natural talents.  According to Diane Trister Dodge, author of the Creative Curriculum, there are four stages of creative art in children.



Stage 1: Disordered scribbling


This is the artwork our toddler adds to the walls of our home.  You know it, that red dash across your living room wall, those colorful scribbles on the kitchen table. These are actually stages of your child’s creativity emerging.



Stage 2: Controlled scribbling


These are the doodles they will do on paper, more defined than a dash here of there, but not recognizable to our eyes.  Still, encouraging your child to continue their work is key to promoting their creativity.



Stage 3: Naming a picture
These are pictures that your child will tell you about.  Maybe you don’t recognize the shapes, but they do. They may tell you, “This is a cat.”  



Stage 4: Representative drawing
These drawings will include people with heads, legs, and arms. It may be a picture of your family or of a day at the park. Now their picture holds a meaning, it tells a story, it is a direct expression of what they want to say. 



It’s important that we encourage their creativity at every stage.  That’s not to say that you have to keep the drawings on the walls, but don’t allow frustration to stomp their expressive outlet. Recognize that they are in stage one of their creativity and that maybe its time to purchase materials so that they can move on to the second stage.

When your child shows you their artwork, say things like, “Tell me about your picture,” or “What do you like about your work?” Avoid comparing your child’s work to another child’s. Realize that at this age, the process of creating is more important than the actual creation.  If he says this circle is a fire truck, it is a red fire truck, and it’s the best fire truck you have ever seen! Art is soothing to most children so it’s a great idea to nurture this talent as it emerges. 

​

Diane Dodge suggests saying things like; “I see you used a lot of colors,” or “What part did you enjoy the most?” These conversation starters will allow your child to expand on their spoken language skills will taking ownership of their talents.

It is important that we allow children to develop at their own pace.  Allow them to grow and learn, give them the freedom and space they need to expand their creativity.  The sky is the limit with the right love and acceptance.