FM.F Drawing

Drawing is an important activity in its own right, and it provides the basis for writing skills later on.

Early in this sequence, your child will learn to scribble. Then the sequence moves on to the imitation of more controlled lines and shapes. While you are teaching these more advanced skills, opportunities should continue for free scribble and the child should be encouraged to feel proud of the seemingly random patterns he makes. If he includes more controlled strokes in his free expression, so much the better, but when he is playing with crayons and exploring the possibilities, don’t restrict him to lines and circles! As in all skill areas, his drawing should be developed through both structured work and play.

A note about choice of hand. Initially, most children are ambidextrous and will scribble with either hand. Later, they develop a preference for one hand for most reaching, grasping and putting activities, and use this hand more for drawing activities. Sometimes this hand preference seems to change from week to week, but in time it will settle down. If you are in doubt, offer the crayon midway between your child’s hands and let him make the choice.

In the early stages of this sequence, use short, thick crayons with bright, clear colours for teaching. At playtime you can introduce all sorts of materials. Paints and brushes, coloured pencils and Textas, finger paint – even shaving foam – all can provide hours of practice and fun. A bucket of water and a paintbrush on a sunny concrete path create a fascinating effect. Corrugated cardboard, sandpaper and glass make interesting surfaces on which to experiment. But do teach new skills with those short, thick crayons – they are specially designed for young fingers to grasp.

Below we list all the skills in this sequence.