4 yr old ds has absolutely no interest in using pencil or drawing,is this normal?

[brimfull]

thank god he's a september baby and has another year of preschool ,but he just doesn't want to draw or paint or anything like that.He can hold a pencil in the correct way but needs correcting.Is it worth persevering ,will he eventually want to use a pencil and draw? Anyone else been through this?

[southeastastra]

he will! my ds just 5 has started drawing really good pictures in the last few months, before he didn't do much apart from scribble! he'll pick it up in his own time

[brimfull]

oh,there is hope for him yet,thanks

[Pinotmum]

My ds was 4 at the beginning of this month and doesn't draw or colour in anything unless he is given something to colour in. He is much more into small world play - cars, trains etc and riding his bike or kicking a ball. He can write his name as pre-school get them to do this. I am sure he will become interested in time

[TooTickyTheAppleBobber]

My ds2 has only just started to show an interest and he's just turned 5.

[brimfull]

thanks for replies,was beginning to think he had a problem.

[Piffle]

dd turned 4 last week
She holds pencil wonderfully well but has zero control, she scribbles only. Has never drawn anything except big scribbly circles

[singersgirl]

Neither of my boys were interested in drawing or writing before they started school. DS2 in particular could barely write his name and never drew anything. His interest soon picked up and a few weeks after starting school he was drawing pictures - not great ones, but still.

[Zippetydoodahzippetyday]

I too worried about this with my DS as he has never been interested in drawing of any kind when he was in Nursery, plus the fact he's left handed made it incredibly difficult for him. Since he has started school though and has a special pencil at school he can hold a pencil properly and is even drawing at home now....it really is an achievement for him. He actually enjoys colouring now because he can hold the pens.

[beckybraAAARGHstraps]

Ds couldn't hold a pencil when he started school, let alone do anything meaningful with it. He still isn't interested in drawing at all. His interests lie elsewhere. I've stopped worrying about it now.

[northerner]

My ds is 4.5 and started school in SEpt. Right up untill going to school he was the same as this. Would refuse to write/draw/hold a pen. He would avoid it at all costs, despite my encouragemnet.

Since school started he is a changed child. He still doesn't ask to do it, but does not object when I suggest.

He'll get there

[BudaBeast]

Seems to be a boy thing. My DS is the same. He is now 5 and an August birthday so is in Yr 1. Is starting to take a bit more interest but even his teacher says not to push it (thank God she has a boy too!).

Ds's teacher did say to me that his muscles in finger/hands were quite weak so suggested doing things to strengthen then like squeezing spongy balls etc. Lego is great for fine motor skills too as are jigsaws etc.

[KateF]

Having worked in a reception class I would say he is a completely typical 4 yr old boy!

[WigWamBam]

Dd could never be bothered with pencils, drawing or painting until she started school. At pre-school there were always things she found much more exciting, so if the teacher asked her to do a picture or a drawing to show her pencil control, she'd scribble something really quickly so she could get on with the interesting stuff.

Once she started Reception it changed very quickly, and now she loves to write and draw. I wouldn't worry too much about it; it will come.

[throckenholt]

mine was pretty much uninterested in drawing until he started school at just over 4. Now at 5.25 he loves it - but he only really started drawing of his own volition over the summer - I was really surprised the first time .

[brimfull]

wow what a lot of encouraging replies,I'll definatley stop fretting about it and hope that he'll blossom at school.Will maybe buy him some lego for xmas.
Thanks all.

[SSSandy]

Will he paint with a paintbrush? I started sending dd to artschool on Saturdays when she turned 4. She loves it and that's when she really got interested in drawing and painting. She was having problems cutting with scissors as well as holding a pencil probably. She's been going for 2 years now, it's great and made a huge difference.

[brimfull]

no he won't even do that ssandy,likes to play with the water though.Thanks for the suggestion .

[nutcracker]

I have a nearly 4 yr old Ds who is exactly like this. Very occasionally he will scribble on paper for about 2 seconds if his sisters are drawing, but otherwise, he just isn't interested.

[fullmoonfiend]

ggirl - at our preschool there are quite a few (mainly boys) who have no concept of drawing/painting as a leisure activity! It may just be his interest and talents are more 3d...building, constructing etc. Please don't worry, my ds is almost 9 and has only very recently started drawing for fun (as opposed to being 'forced' to at school)

[gigwig]

hi ggirl, our DS - just 4 - is very much the same. pre school teachers have spoken to us about it, said just to give him lots of encouragement and to make drawing etc fun with no pressure.

I got a roll of lining paper, chunky felt tips and laid the paper on the floor and get DS to do draw train lines/rivers/roads - things he is interested in - he likes this cos its on the floor and he can do big shapes.

[Zippetydoodahzippetyday]

I found it strange with having a girl first, DD (6) loves drawing painting etc and it was always the first thing she went to when she was at playgroup. DS never did this, he went straight for the cars and bricks etc.

Just shows the difference between boys and girls.

DS is showing a great interest in numbers too - his sister does not.

Just exactly like DP and I. He still writes terribly and I am hopeless at figures.

[foxinsocks]

oh I should really find you some of my old posts

I agonised about dd who hardly ever picked up a pencil. Even the whole way through reception, she hardly did any drawing and could barely write her name. Suddenly, at the end of yr1, she started writing a bit better and now in yr2, we cannot stop her drawing.

Some children just come later to it all. Get him doing stuff like drawing in sand (with his finger) and fine motor control (like building lego). It will come with time!

[Marina]

Ds was another late-to-art child too. Now he draws and writes constantly at 7. I was worried about the lateness, I remember it well.

[brimfull]

great suggestions ,I'll get some big paper gigwig and try the train track thing,he loves trains and rockets.
Glad I'm not the only one who worries about this.

[nikkie]

My dd2 has just started drawing she is 5.2,she has progressed straight to drawing people!