How to Teach a Toddler to Draw

Some youngsters seem born to draw -- grasping onto a crayon or pencil the first time you offer it and creating rudimentary scrawling and scribbling artwork at every opportunity -- while other toddlers begin more hesitantly and need a little guidance. Regardless of how enthusiastically your child begins, you can help him develop his skill and interest in drawing easily. Before long, he'll be creating his masterpieces all over the kitchen floors and the living room walls.

Things You'll Need

  • Crayons
  • Paper
  • Pencil crayons
  • Washable markers
  • Paint
  • Finger paint
  • Carrots

Instructions

    • 1

      Show your youngster how to grasp a crayon. She'll be able to figure out how to hold the crayon and scribble near 1 year of age, but you'll definitely need to ask for an explanation about what she drew at this point. Your toddler might be tentative at first, making a few light markings across the paper, or she might be more vigorous with her scribblings.

    • 2

      Continue to provide your toddler with paper and crayons to master his scribbling skills. Within a few months, you'll have a fridge, wall and storage box full of his masterpieces. When he first begins scribbling, his fine motor skills have not yet developed enough to create distinctive shapes. In fact, his early drawings are more of a result of movements from his shoulder than from his wrist or fingers. He will also likely hold the crayon with a fist rather than between his fingers. You can slowly begin to introduce a pencil grip to help position his fingers properly.

    • 3

      Provide positive encouragement with specific feedback. Instead of saying ̶0;That̵7;s a pretty picture,̶1; point out what is good about the artwork. For example, ̶0;I love how much of the space you colored̶1; or ̶0;You worked really hard using all of those beautiful colors.̶1;

    • 4

      Show your toddler how to draw basic shapes. By a 1 1/2 years old, your toddler will likely be more involved in each of his drawings. While he won̵7;t be able to copy elaborate pictures or shapes, he will try to imitate as much as possible. Show him a circle and let him try to make one; you can help guide his arm at first to show him what the motion feels like. Try zigzag and squiggly lines, ovals, squares and rectangles, too. Don̵7;t spend too much time having your toddler copy your work; his fine motor skills will develop with plenty of opportunities to practice his own artwork.

    • 5

      Introduce your toddler to a variety of different art materials to keep it fun. You can let her color with crayons, pencil crayons, washable markers, paint and finger paint. Dip the end of a carrot in finger paint and let your child draw with the carrot.

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