How do you encorage kids to draw?

[MilaMae]

Have noticed my nearly 4 year old boys just don't do it. Am an ex primary teacher so don't want to stifle their creativity & teach them how to draw the perfect face etc. Just want to encorage them to enjoy art and drawing, doodling etc.

[collisionfrances]

Dont make a big deal of it.

Get lots of paper and pencils and crayons and feltips etc and sit on the floor and draw with them.

Draw squiggles and see if you can turn it into an animal.

Draw circles into faces.

When you have an egg in a shell see if they will draw a face on it.

[scattyspice]

My 4 yr old doesn't like drawing much either (or painting). But covered the garden in chalk pictures of all the family! (at least I think thats what they were ).

I was tempted to take photos as was sad when the rain washed them away.

[HedTwigg]

you draw in front of them

[Miaou]

MilaMae - afaik that's quite normal for boys! I used to be a nursery auxiliary and taught a little boy who would back away in a corner whenever I got the crayons out!! So we tried different things to get him interested that didn't involve holding something (paintbrush, pencil, crayon etc) as that was his sticking point.

Some ideas:

• Go outside, weight down a piece of paper and stand on a chair. Drop eggshells filled with paint onto the paper - the results are great and it is so much fun to do
  
  
• Bubble pictures - Use washing up liquid and water and paint mixed together (turn up and down very slowly in a bottle so that they don't creaate bubbles, or swish very gently in a bowl. Give your child a straw and get them to blow bubbles into the mixture (have a very serious talk about blowing NOT sucking first and get them to practise blowing through the straw!!). Then get a piece of paper and press it onto the bubbles. Hey presto - bubble picture!
  
  
• Outside again - paint and old toothbrush. Dip in paint and flick onto paper. Very decorative.
  
  
• Handprints. Saucers with different coloured paint in - put hand in then print on paper. If you are feeling really adventurous you could do feet too! You could then cut them out and make them into things - two hands overlapped make a spider or octopus, overlap the palms and make a bird flying, footprints can make animal heads (add googly eyes, for eg).
  
  
  From these really fun (but messy!) activities they will gain confidence which will hopefully encourage them to pick up a paintbrush/pen etc and have a go themselves at creating something

[krispie]

i rarely do 'creative stuff' with my ds (age 4) and was amazed when he sat down the other day and drew his family in great detail(face, body, arms, legs, fingers, ears..EYEBROWS etc.) The last time i saw him pick up a pencil he was still doing random scribbles.
have now become obsessed, convincing self that he is child prodigy and force him to draw every day

seriously though - he was not drawing AT ALL a few months ago and has suddenly really got into it (he was 4 in may).

some gentle encouragement wouldnt hurt though, maybe just sit down with them with a load of new crayons / paper etc and get creative!

[Hathor]

Miaou great ideas. Am tempted to run outside now and spend rest of evening doing these (while dc in bed)

[MilaMae]

Wow all!!! Thanks for the lovely ideas and encouragement. Also good to know also they're pretty normal. Love the egg shell thing and cutting out hand prints, putting faces in circles etc. Off with the pox next week so will have a go.

I take Twigg's point too. They adore books, letters, words etc as I've always either got my nose in a book or are reading to them. Just realised I never draw in front of them. Slightly embarrassing as I was art co-ordinator. When teaching I saw so many kids who were terrified of drawing thinking they weren't very good at it so have gone completely the other way which probably hasn't helped.

Thanks again

[Fauve]

Best advice I had was (from an art book): give them loads of paper/other stuff to draw on, plus loads of things to draw with, the whole gamut. Just keep buying the stuff and giving it to them. I find LIDL is good for cheap pens/crayons/art pads, etc.

[Budababe]

Haven't read whole thread yet but my DS is almost 6 and is only just interested in colouring and drawing. About in the last 4 or 5 months.

[Kbear]

Always have a pad and pencils each in the car so on journeys they amuse themselves by drawing or scribbling. They will like doing it rather than staring bored out of the window and you will have a peaceful journey!

[Budababe]

OK have now read and am loving Miaou's suggestions! Thanks! Will save up for a boring day!

[collisionfrances]

although I was ignored I rather thought my ideas were good too.

[Hathor]

Oh sorry. Thank you collision.

[Hathor]

Will be drawing on boiled eggs tomorrow breakfast time.

[Miaou]

collision - blu is looking for you!!

[collisionfrances]

tell her I am here!!

[MilaMae]

Collision I loved your ideas too!!!!

[Miaou]

lol - she was trying to CAT you but because you namechanged she couldn't find you ... hold on and I'll bump the thread ...

[Marina]

Do make sure they can help themselves to the art stuff you buy. They are just out of the age range where it is tempting to keep all this stuff under lock and key
Lots of great ideas on here!
IME, though, or maybe we've just been unlucky with our cheap felt-tips etc, GOOD stuff gets used time and again. The dcs prefer the quite small collection of Stabilo colour pencils they have, over a lovely looking rainbow collection from Woolies...whose leads keep snapping and which don't provide even and strong coverage on paper. I think once they are a bit older "proper" pencils and felt-tips are worth the investment. Just a thought.

[Kbear]

Marina - I agree with letting them use the good stuff. My two get to use my mum's extensive art materials at her house, watercolour pencils, pastels, acrylic paint even. They obv had the cheap crayons etc in the beginning but once they're old enough to take care of stuff (about 4/5) letting them use the quality stuff is a good idea I think. They even have their own wooden art boxes (ebay!) filled with paints and pens.

[roisin]

My boys didn't draw much at all at that age, but we always had art materials on open access (but to be used just in one specific room), and they've both really grown into it.

They are 8 and 10 now and both enjoy drawing and doodling immensely, and it's one of their favourite things to do. At a very early age I was told I was rubbish at drawing, which became a self-fulfilling prophecy; so I'm delighted that they get so much pleasure from it.

[roisin]

At each birthday and Christmas they always get new packs of quality gear (e.g. Staedtler pencils, rubbers, and pencil sharpeners, and quality felt tips and pencil crayons), which they love.

[Countingthegreyhairs]

Great thread this.

Brilliant ideas from Maiou too. I'm definitely going to be doing the bubble prints tomorrow.

My dd and I just sit down side by side with a big box of art materials (including paints, pencils, scissors, glue, paper plates, tissue paper, foil sweet wrappers etc etc) and just get on with our individual projects. Sometimes I come up with an idea from the internet and do it, sometimes she follows it, sometimes she goes in her own direction. I made the mistake at first of over-directing it all and she lost her enthusiasm. Now I just let her do what she wants and she loves it.

Agree wholeheartedly about using good materials. Yes, it's more expensive, but the results are so much better. Also, the cheap felt tips tend to permanently stain clothes whereas the (often German) makes are much better and wash out. So you save money in the end!

[MilaMae]

I was very inspired at the weekend so went and spent£30 in Tescos on supplies!!!!!

Had a massive sort out of the black hole then put a tray on the table with the nice quality pencils, pens and crayons and different types of paper. They loved it!!!!!

I did Collisions circles thing and made faces then DT2 did his own!!!!! Totally amazed no idea he could do it. DT1 asked me to draw a train which I did, he then put steam and track onto my drawing.

It was so lovely to recognise what they'd drawn. My lovely dreamy moment was put in it's place though when DT1 started to frantically look for a green pencil to put a booga on one of his faces!!!!!!

[winestein]

Nothing to add, other than a while ago on MN I spotted someone had a solution to the sucking rather than blowing straw problem. Pierce near the top of the straw with a needle, which allows blowing, but the liquid won't reach the top if sucking.