Understanding Toddlers' Drawings (ZZ from www.toddlerstoday.com)

Rare is the toddler who will pass up a chance to scribble on any available canvas. Paper, walls, refrigerator doors – young Picassos and Rembrandts generally aren't picky. Parents often take delight in praising the artwork of these young masters, but is there more to the seemingly random scribbles of toddlers than meets the eye?

Boy Drawing "At around 18 months to two and a half years of age, children mostly 'feel' the world through body movements, and they can share these feelings with others, " says Dr. Robert Winter, chairman of the art department and coordinator of the art therapy program at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, North Carolina. A careful look at toddler's drawings can reveal much about their development, and can even provide us with clues to their well-being. According to Winter, parents can track the development of fine motor control by observing the progression of children's artwork "from loose random lines drawn with crayons to controlled lines drawn with pencils or markers."

Thus, even before their language ability permits them to converse freely, toddlers can use their artwork to convey important information to their parents and caregivers. But can a toddler's scribbles alert his parents to potentially dangerous situations? "Generally speaking, since children do not have a drawing schema in mind during the scribbling stage, it is extremely difficult to detect precise danger signals," says Winter. But children who don't express an interest in scribbling at this age may in itself be a sign of a delay in development.

When children begin to "name" their scribbles, usually between ages three and a half and four and a half, parents should take note. As they gain a broader understanding of the world around them, the elements in children's drawings will solidify and take on clearer forms.

The language used when talking to children about their artwork is crucial. Never put words in the child's mouth. Instead of interpreting their drawings – "Oh, look, this is a flower, right?" – parents should ask their children, "Can you tell me about your drawing?" Faced with such a question, Winter maintains, "the child will feel comfortable describing the drawing and, in fact, will feel a sense of accomplishment and pride." If parents put words into the child's mouth, "she will tend to please us by agreeing. Nonetheless, this is not the image generated in her mind," he says.

The size of the canvas a child chooses is often significant. Children at this age are naturally egotistical. A child who consistently draws only on a small area of the page or who uses minimal symbols in his drawings may be suffering some form of abuse. Although there is generally no significance to the number of fingers drawn on a hand, a large, fingerless circle in place of a hand is sometimes an indication of physical abuse.

"Children at this stage will use color for its emotional and contrasting appeal," says Winter. "When a crisis sets in the first thing to go is color." If a child who has previously used and enjoyed color in her artwork exhibits a sudden and extended rejection of color in favor of black or gray, she may be in a state of denial or apathy. "Often times, the 'colorless' shape or symbol in the midst of colorful shapes and symbols reveals, by simple contrast, the origin of the problem – a person, a family member, a fear or a phobia," Winter explains.

If a child scribbles over a drawing with black lines, she may be trying to erase her drawing or make it invisible. If the scribbles were done while a parent or other adult was speaking with the child, it can indicate that the conversation was somehow painful to the child. In such cases, the, the paper will frequently be torn from the pressure, or the pencil (or crayon or marker) will be broken as the child grips it tightly.

In deciphering children's drawings, parents need to remember that patterns are the key – and "patterns are manifested after extended periods of time – six months to a year at least," says Winter. So one drawing in black and white does not mean that a child is disturbed, but if he constantly rejects color in favor of black, gray, and white, it may indicate a problem worth investigating.

Warning Signs
Child Drawing Children first represent human forms with a round circle for the head and strokes for extremities. If parents notice that other details have been added to the drawing – eyes, noses, mouths, ears, for example – but the form is still without feet, this may indicate a sense of insecurity. But, Winter says, "scribblers do not conceive space as adults do. Therefore, spatial relationships are irrelevant. Our observation should concentrate on the graphic symbols only." So if the child draws a person with feet who seems to be standing on nothing, that's all right.

"The circle containing the face is usually very revealing," says Winter. It is here where children begin adding details and features – hair, eyes, mouth – and much can be learned from the details they draw. Winter notes several clear warning signs, but stresses again that the key is to look for patterns which manifest themselves over time, not isolated incidents.

* Exceptionally large ears, unadorned by earrings, can indicate verbal abuse. Sometimes the child will draw lines leading to the ears, to demonstrate the abusive tone she frequently encounters.


* An anxious, uncomfortable child may represent the mouth with a long slit. On the other hand, if the child does not draw a mouth at all, it may be a sign of his inability to communicate.


* When a child draws "empty" eyes, it may mean that she has difficulty relating to the reality around her. In a sense, the child is blind to reality.


* Jagged teeth frequently indicate a tendency toward aggressive behavior, especially when coupled with other serrated graphic symbols such as spiked fingers, feet, ears, and hair.

Toddlers are by nature expressive people. It's up to their parents to listen closely to the many messages children send, especially the unspoken ones.