Table of Contents
Introduction
Drawing helps in children’s motor development because drawing involves intensive use hands and fingers (Sharp, 2001). Children’s abilities to articulately use drawing tools to express fine details advance as children progress through the four childhood developmental stages (infancy, toddler, preschool, and school age). Thus, children should be subjected to different creative art experiences based on their developmental stages. Crayons are the most preferable materials for drawing among children because crayons are non-toxic and are available in varied colors. Use of multiple colored drawing materials is beneficial in the development of a child’s sense of sight (Mayesky, 2014). Succeeding sections of this paper provides an informed examination on the use of crayons as drawing tools at each of the four developmental stages.
Development Stage – Infancy (0-12 months)
Appropriate materials
Large cylindrical objects pointed at the end like typical crayon pens. They should be approximately 1 inch in diameter. The objects should be availed in multiple colors and placed at the floor for the crawling infants to pick them one by one.
Justification of materials
The objects should be large (1 inch in diameter) to avoid swallowing because infants reflexively put objects in the mouth (Shore, 2013). The objects should be placed on the floor to allow crawling infants use their reflexive grasp and the pincer grasp to pick and drop the modeled crayon pens (Mills, 2014). Also, the objects should be availed in multiple colors to allow the infants to use their sense of sight while picking objects with attractive colors.
How children use the materials
Infants will learn to use the thumb and one finger (pincer grasp) to pick objects from the floor. Also, the infants will frequently transfer the pens from one hand to another. At this age, infants may not draw any shape; hence, there is no need to avail a drawing paper.
Learning likely to occur
Infants will learn to engage in controlled manipulation of colored objects as they pick and drop the pens (Mills, 2014). Also, infants will develop muscle control as they progress from the 2-handed grasp to the 1-handed grasp, and eventually to the thumb-and-one-finger grasp.
Materials to avoid at this age
Sharp materials should be avoided at this age to prevent self-inflicted injuries because infants still have limited motor control (Henderson & Lasley, 2014). Also, small crayon pens should be avoided because infants tend to swallow small objects that fit into their mouths.
Inclusivity of drawing experience
Allowing infants to share the objects during play times will foster inclusivity. Thus, few objects should be availed within a group of infants to facilitate sharing of the toys (Cathy, 2012).
Developmental Stage – Toddler (1- 3 years)
Appropriate materials
Appropriate materials include fat and blunt crayon pens of different colors that fit into a toddler’s grasp and a white piece of drawing paper. The crayon pens and the drawing paper should be placed on flat floor surfaces to facilitate drawing.
Justification of materials
Fat crayon pens are appropriate because toddlers still hold objects with their fists instead of their fingers. Also, the crayon pens should be blunt to avoid injuries because toddlers have limited precision as they manipulate objects using wrist actions instead of finger actions (Sharp, 2001). Moreover, the pens and paper should be placed on the floor to avoid frustration when the toddlers try to manipulate the objects.
How children will use the materials
Toddlers are at the scribbling stage of art expression; thus, the toddlers will hold the crayon pens with their fists as they scribble indistinguishable lines on the white paper (Cathy, 2012). At this stage, the toddlers are keenly interested on the visually appealing colors left by the crayons on the white papers as opposed to the shapes of the lines (Sharp, 2001).
Learning likely to occur
Toddlers learn to develop hand and finger strength to facilitate manipulation of small objects like pencils. Also, toddlers learn to appreciate the value of colors as they refine their senses of sight (Mills, 2014).
Materials to avoid at this age
At this age, sharp crayon pens should be avoided to prevent injuries attributable to toddlers’ limited hand and finger control. Also, small and toxic drawing materials should be avoided as toddlers still tend to put objects in their mouths.
Inclusivity of drawing experience
Inclusivity can be promoted through group play activities. Toddlers should engage in the drawing experiences in a shared space to foster socialization.
Developmental stage – Preschoolers (3-5 years)
Appropriate materials
Sharp and multi-colored crayon pens and white drawing papers should be placed on smooth desk tops. Also, visual charts with drawn objects should be availed at the drawing workshops.
Justification of materials
Preschoolers are at the pre-schematic stage of artistic development; hence, preschoolers have the ability to draw basic distinguishable objects like squares, circles, and dotted lines (Mills, 2014). Use of multi-colored crayon pens allows preschoolers to choose their favorite colors from a wide range of options. Also, placement of the drawing materials on desk tops instead of on the floor is necessary because preschoolers are most active while standing or sitting compared to while crawling on the floor.
How children will use the materials
The preschoolers will pick their favorite colors and draw their favorite objects. The visual charts will allow preschoolers to transfer objects into the plain papers while the multi-colored crayon pens allows preschoolers to decorate an object as to illustrate distinguishable parts like teeth on a sketched human face (Mills, 2014).
Learning likely to occur
Preschoolers will develop enhanced hand and finger strength as to demonstrate endurance in pencil-based drawing tasks (Mayesky, 2014). Also, preschoolers will learn to draw 3-D objects on 2-D surfaces; hence, exhibiting improved understanding of their immediate physical environment.
Materials to avoid at this age
Sharpening tools including razor blades should be avoided as preschoolers have not developed significant fingers and wrist control to sharpen the crayon pens safely.
Inclusivity of drawing experience
Establish ground rules at drawing workshops to foster respectful interactions of diverse students. For example, the preschoolers should not use their drawings to ridicule physically-impaired peers on wheelchairs.
Developmental stage – School age (6-12 years)
Appropriate materials
Sharp crayon pens, sharp pencils, and sharpening tools should be availed to the school-aged children. Also, special drawing papers placed on special drawing tables should availed at the workshops.
Justification of materials
School-aged children have developed mature hands and fingers to execute controlled manipulation of objects; hence, school-aged learners can use sharp objects safely (Cathy, 2012). Also, special drawing materials like papers and furniture is necessary because school-aged children strive to draw objects with excellent geometric properties; hence, the need for supportive drawing tools.
How children will use the materials
School-aged children will use the crayon pens to competitively draw impressive objects. Thus, artistic expressions at this stage are used to build the learners’ self-esteem and self-awareness
Learning likely to occur
At this stage, school aged children learn to nurture their creativity. Also, children will learn to capitalize on positive criticism and learn to withstand negative criticism from peers; hence, developing the capacity to independently appreciate their skills in art (Henderson & Lasley, 2014). However, most school-aged children may become discouraged upon receiving criticism from their peers.
Materials to avoid at this age
Inappropriate visual materials including sexually-explicit and gang-related learning materials should be avoided to prevent negative influence on the children’s development.
Inclusivity of drawing experience
Staging of inter-school drawing competitions will promote competitiveness, teamwork, and inclusivity of school-aged art experiences.
Conclusion
In conclusion, drawing is not merely a pleasurable experience for children but also serves the purpose of promoting creativity and enhancing development of fine motor skills among learners. Notably, children at each stage of development have unique needs in regards to drawing materials and their methods of presentations. The selection of appropriate materials and modes of presenting the materials is guided by the developmental characteristics of children at each developmental stage. Overall, child developed influence the type of art experiences availed in childhood learning.
- Cathy, M. A. (2012). Understanding Children’s Drawings. Pittsburg: Guilford Press
- Henderson, M & Lasley, E. (2014). Creating inclusive classrooms through the arts. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 42(3), 11-17
- Mayesky, M. (2014). Creative Activities and Curriculum for Young Children. London: Cengage Learning
- Mills, H. (2014). The importance of creative arts in early childhood classrooms. Texas Child Care Quarterly, 38(1), 1-4
- Sharp, C. (2001). Developing young children’s creativity through the arts: What does research have to offer? Nfer.ac.uk. Retrieved from https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/44420/44420.pdf
- Shore, A. (2013). The practitioner’s Guide to Child Art Therapy: Fostering Creativity and Relational Growth. New York: Routledge