Drawing: A Creative Way of Self Expression

The role of drawing in a child’s learning is frequently misunderstood. Even in the classrooms, where the opportunity to draw is often freely available, there is usually an adult focusing upon 'mark making leading to writing' rather than communication and creativity. Yet drawing is one of the many languages which children use to 'talk' about their world, both to themselves and to others. Drawing is one such activity which is highly related to the creative development of children. Drawing is sometimes considered to have been originated from children’s physical play and action.
The child’s development is an interaction between what is unfolding in the child and what available within the environment. Drawing is perceived as a reflection of children's inner schematic representations, the developing organizational or conceptual systems by which they make sense of diverse aspects of life. There is a close interrelation between a range of conceptual interests and emotional concerns, which are reflected within Childs ‘artistic’ representations. It is suggested that the babies for the expression of emotion and the representation of objects and events form an interpersonal arena between the caregiver and the self. It is within this interpersonal relationship that the child acquires skills in viewing, handling and visually tracking objects.

It is a common human trait that we want to give shape to everything we come across. Whether it’s in our imagination, or in words or even in the form of some drawings, we always try to give shape to our thoughts. When children draw something into their art copies, it is actually the expression of their inner feelings. It is not that every child will like to do paintings or drawings. But as an activity, drawing is an ideal one. There are some children who start creating different objects on papers using the color pencil at an age of 12 or 13 months. Their writing and drawing skills advance in tiny incremental steps throughout the toddler years until they are able to draw identifiable pictures and, finally, put a few letters down on paper. While children are engaged in drawing, they actually start noticing small things. It is through drawing that one trains the eye to notice details and understand how things are put together and work. Observation makes better drawing and drawing motivates better observation.

Painting, drawing, cutting and pasting all help to develop fine motors skills in young children, which in turn helps them to be writing-ready as they near school age. Children are not born with a pencil in their hand, so it takes time to develop the skills required to make one work. Creative play helps to develop those skills. Encouraging creativity in your child doesn’t need to be expensive, but it is important that they have some basic equipment available to use when the creative bug bites. Things like crayons, paints, colored paper, scissors, and glue should be basics in the creative play box, but there are literally hundreds of other things parents can include as well. Children are probably the most creative in this world. Drawing is that activity which gives the children’s creative part to come out to the fullest extent.