A child of around two and a half years should be able to hold a crayon and learn to draw a range of shapes with ease.
Most kids will have a natural instinct and enjoyment in making marks on paper, so all you need to do is give them a few starting points to help their creativity blossom!
1. Drawing helps fine motor skills develop
Fine motor skills are any specialised movements of the hands, wrists, and fingers which we use throughout our lifetime for typing, writing, and so on. It is important to develop them from an early age, and manipulating a pen or crayon is one of the best ways to do this.
2. It improves hand-eye coordination
Drawing is so satisfying for a child because they can immediately see the results of their actions on paper. This boosts fine motor skills and will make it easier for them to learn how to write with a pencil later on. To maximise hand to eye coordination, encourage your child to draw simple objects from life, such as an apple or a leaf.
3. It encourages visual awareness
Drawing will help your child to learn about concepts such as distance, scale, and proportion. Avoid telling your child exactly what to draw most of the time, but occasionally encourage them to depict a tree alongside a house or person, for example.
4. It helps them solve problems creatively
Give your child free rein as much as possible and avoid the urge to help them out. Let them discover for themselves how to express emotion in a face, or add leaves and branches onto a tree.
5. It boosts self esteem
Your child will naturally be proud of creating something they can show you, so take an interest in their artwork, and put it on the fridge!
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