Happy Friday everyone!
Today’s post comes to you from Kathy W. from We Draw Animals, who is on a personal mission to bring endangered species awareness one cute doodle at a time…take it away, Kathy!
Most parents know that the earliest years are some of the most important for any child. The way in which a child spends their formative moments can have a great impact for even years afterward. As such, educational play and tools have become increasingly over the years. Don’t forget, however, that the even simple, basic activities can have a tremendous benefit as well. One such activity is drawing, which after all these years still touts a number of developmental and interpersonal benefits.
Drawing Aids Brain Development and Cognitive Growth
In an increasingly visual world, the ability to navigate, comprehend, and manipulate images is of the utmost importance. Drawing prompts visualization. While a lot of early childhood education focuses on content or memory training, drawing has the bonus of challenging both a child’s ability to read and interact with the world around them as well as their capacity to create independently. From simple lessons of perspective and scale to more complex lessons in imagination and creativity, drawing is a tangible and personal activity.
And if nothing else, drawing is a time intensive activity that can increase a child’s attention span in ways that messing around with an iPad cannot.
Drawing Benefits Simple Fine Motor Skills
Even more straightforward is the benefit of drawing for its very tactile nature. Skills like grasping a pencil or pressing harder or softer to effect different shades make it that much easier to button a button, carefully tie a shoe, or learn to write when the time comes.
Apart from the very act of drawing, trying to represent the world around them encourages an exploration of all the differences that are so easy to take for granted. Before drawing an object why not run it over with your hands and feel what makes it unique? Or try another tactic and use your drawings to represent and conceptualize differences we might encounter. For example, many children love drawing animals-from family pets to exotic, endangered species that they might never encounter. The wonderful diversity in the natural world is an easy comparison that helps many kids imagine and learn about differences in size and texture and shape.
Drawing Is a Form of Self-Expression
his is a commonly accepted charm of drawing for all ages but is especially rewarding for younger children. Think about it-how frustrating must it be to not have the words or concepts to say how it is that you feel? Drawing can be a more easily interpreted go between than a conversation with a toddler.
For starters, it teaches children the benefit of expressing an emotion or feeling in a productive fashion instead of holding it inside. This can be especially true for children that have suffered traumatic experiences, though it is an important lesson for every person. As a moderated activity, drawing encourages both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication.
Just as drawing is a way of exploring the physical world around us, so too does the activity encourage a deeper psychological understanding of so many more abstract concepts. Things like time, memories, interpersonal relationships-these all become easier to grasp and process when we are in control of representing and expressing them.
Drawing is Something That You Can Do Together
Drawing and other arts and crafts are unique for the way that it blends independent work and together time. Everybody can draw and be challenged at his or her own level by a personal project. Similarly, everybody can learn more about each other by sharing, explaining, and taking pride in their work.
Drawing is engaging enough that it can be a good way to teach the importance of shared quiet time and respect. And drawing is simple enough that it can still allow for a good amount of conversation and multitasking while it is done.
So, while it can be tempting to buy a pad of paper and colored pencils as way of simultaneously buying some ‘me’ time, don’t forget the added benefits that could happen when you and your child draw together!
Thank you for visiting and have a fabulous and safe weekend!
