Growing Artists
How children actually learn to draw, what the stages look like, and what to say when a child shows you a page of circles. Nothing here predicts your child’s talent. It is about being a good audience.
Stages of child art development, from first marks to realistic drawing
Scribbles, symbols, schemas and the wobbly leap toward realism. A rough map of how children's drawing changes, and what you can safely ignore.
9 min read
The toddler scribble stage: what your child is really doing with that crayon
Disordered, controlled, then named. What a toddler's scribbles are actually doing, which tools are safe, and how to survive the walls.
9 min read
Why children draw circles first (and what comes after)
Circles are the first shape most children master, and they turn into faces, suns and tadpole people. What it means, and what it definitely does not.
8 min read
What your child's drawings mean, and what they don't
Online guides love to decode kids' drawings. Here is what a drawing can tell you, what it cannot, and what to do with the worry that brought you here.
8 min read
Tadpole people: how kids learn to draw a person
The head-with-legs figure is a milestone, not a mistake. Here is the usual route from tadpole people to full figures, and what to say along the way.
8 min read
Houses, suns and rainbows: why every kid draws the same things
Square house, triangle roof, smiling sun. Why children everywhere settle on the same little set of symbols, and how to open up the repertoire without nagging.
8 min read
When your child says "I can't draw"
The sentence that stops a happy drawer in their tracks. Why it shows up, what to say that actually helps, and a few tricks that take the pressure off realism.
8 min read
How to praise a child's drawing without killing their curiosity
Skip the automatic "it's beautiful". Here is what to say instead, with example lines for a three-year-old, a six-year-old and a nine-year-old.
8 min read
Left-handed kids and drawing: grip, smudges and setup
Smudged hands, hooked wrists and scissors that fight back. A practical setup guide for left-handed kids who draw, and why you should not try to switch them.
8 min read
When your child draws the same thing over and over
Forty dragons, one per page. Repetition is usually practice, play and comfort rolled together. Here is how to build on it and when to gently open the door.
8 min read