Lesson 12 : Developmental Levels in Art in Children
Scribbling stage
Most children begin scribbling at about 1½ to 3 years of age. They will scribble with anything at hand and on anything nearby. Their first marks are usually an aimless group of lines. The crayon may be held upside down, or sideways, or even with the fist or between clenched fingers. Children may be pleased with this scribbling and get real enjoyment from it.
Early scribbling stage: Random scribbling During this stage, the young child does not have control over hand movement or the marks on a page. The marks are random and go in many directions. The direction of the marks depends on whether the child is drawing on the floor or on the low table. The way the crayon is held also affects how the scribbles look. Scribbling is the sensory experience of making marks that’s important at this stage, the child does not even recognize the scribbles that have been created. It is the process that is important to children when they are toddlers, there is no need to label their scribbles with their names.
Later scribbling stage: controlled scribbling At some point, children find a connection between their motions/movements and the marks on the page. This may be about 6 months after the child has started to scribble, but the time will vary with each child. This is very important step. The child has now found it possible to control the marks. Many times, an adult cannot see any real difference in these drawings. They still look like scribbles but, they are different in a very important way.
The scribble stage and Two-Dimensional media:
The term Two-Dimensional refers to any art form that is flat. Art in two-dimensional has only two sides, front and back. Example: Drawing, painting, collage and scribbling. Large, nontoxic crayons are good tools for two-dimensional art work. A child in the scribble stage should use large white papers. Crayon scribbles show up better on white paper, so the child can see more easily the results of scribbling. Painting is another good 2-dimensional art activity for children in the scribble stage. Paint brushes for 2 and 3 year old need to have 12 inch handles and ¾ to 1 inch bristles. Paint should be thick enough to have better control of hand and flow on the paper. The paper for painting may need to be heavier than newsprint because children will repeatedly paint the paper until it disintegrates.
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