Developmental Stages in Children’s Art
Children all pass through the same stages of their development, but the pace of their development varies. The stages vary from child to child, however, are clearly seen with daily drawings that are kept and studied. Movement towards complexity takes the form of small changes rather than giant leaps.
* Stages inspired from Bob Steele’s 1997 book “Draw Me a Story : An Illustrated Exploration of Drawing-as-Language”
Scribble to Mature Realism:
SCRIBBLE
Typically, children are about 18 months to 3 years old when they are at this stage of development.
Children make random scribbles and explore materials in a playful way.
At first the scribbles are uncontrolled and then progressively become controlled.
Children are experimenting with holding a pencil (left or right handed).
The drawer discovers and points to a familiar object found in the random scribble. This is called named scribble.
Children are learning to talk about marks, color, etc.
PRE-SCHEMATIC STAGE
Ages 2 to 4 years old.
Colors are used unrealistically and children tend to use their favorite colors.
Draw simple people with few features.
Tadpole figure people are drawn with a large head on tiny body with extended arms.
Objects are floating in space – not anchored.
Figure is normally three heads high.
X-ray drawings – show interiors and exteriors at the same time.
SCHEMATIC STAGE
Ages 5 to 8 years old.
Children have a set schema about a way of drawing. Might draw a fish in the same way in many drawings.
Use more realistic color.
Often make color choices based on stereotypical notions of the proper color of things such as a blue sky and green grass.
A sky line and ground line start to show.
More proportionate body and head and shows more detail.
Start to understand relationship between their art and their world.
Create stories to go along with their drawings.
PRETEEN STAGE
Ages 9 to 11 years old.
Incorporate more detail in drawings.
Want images to be very realistic and become frustrated if this cannot be achieved.
The “I can’t draw” syndrome typically starts to emerge at this stage.
Use of perspective in space is developing.
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