coloring skills

[Ohio12]

I have dd illustrate her narrations once or twice a week. I am having trouble getting her to do her best work on this. Also her best work is what I think a 3 or 4 yo might draw.

 

Although this is probably mostly her laid back personality, I think it might also be that she doesn't see the kind of drawing and coloring a typical first grader might do because she isn't in a classroom setting.

 

Has anyone else dealt with this? And isn't there a website out there to see typical drawing and coloring for different ages? thanks for any insight you can give.

[myfunnybunch]

Don't worry. :) Your dd is young yet. One of the lovely things about homeschooling is that kids can learn what they need to know when they are ready. There are some benefits...maybe she won't learn that a house is always a square with a peak at the top, a sun is always a circle with lines around it, a flower is a straight line with a circle surrounded by bumps, and so on. She'll get to draw things the way she sees them.

 

My ds was like this until about 8. I was worried about his drawing. His fine motor skills took off and so did his interest in drawing. It seems to be partly developmental, partly personality, and partly that he couldn't make his drawings come out the way they were in his head so he just did his best.

 

If you'd like to teach her drawing, maybe you can check out Drawing with Children from the library. The lessons are short and ejoyable and teach children to draw what they see.

 

Cat

[Mommy22alyns]

Don't worry about it. ;)

[Margo out of lurking]

My ds was like this until about 8. I was worried about his drawing. His fine motor skills took off and so did his interest in drawing.

 

My dd was also like this until the same age. I don't know about her drawing skills, but she was the worst colorer in her preschool, K and 1st grade classes. It also took her longer to write more neatly than other kids her age.

 

No big deal here, it all worked out with a little time.

[Dobela]

My son made his biggest jump after a one day art class for homeschoolers. The teacher showed a bit about using perspective, shading, and so on. Just the bare basics in a introductory way. I still dont' put any pressure on my ds, but he still made a change in his own drawing. If you don't have access to an art class, I would see if there are beginner videos you can watch together at the library.

[rlowetx]

My son was in 1st ps last year - couldn't get him to color or draw to save his life (and in his PS - this is precisely how they teach EVERYTHING!!!). His fine motor skills are great, he can use chopsticks for goodness sake.. so we stopped worrying about it... we talked to the teacher and asked her to stop worrying about it.. instead he worked on math worksheets.. he hates drawing and coloring, and always had.. it took me a while to realize that I hated it too..so unless you think they want to be Norman Rockwell, I say, find out what else they like and encourage that.. like eating sushi!... Now, on the flip side, give my boy some paint and he'll try to recreate anything.. he loves the masters and loves trying to paint like them.. go figure.:001_huh:

[OrganicAnn]

The only reason I would worry about this is if she has trouble writing, forming letters, drawing a straight line, drawing a circle etc. It would indicate that she had poor fine motor skills and something you might want to work on. But if it is only the coloring, then it isn't quite as important as writing skills.

[elw_miller]

The only reason I would worry about this is if she has trouble writing, forming letters, drawing a straight line, drawing a circle etc. It would indicate that she had poor fine motor skills and something you might want to work on. But if it is only the coloring, then it isn't quite as important as writing skills.

 

:iagree:

 

If you want her to see things that might inspire her, though, Highlights magazine has a section that shows pictures kids of different ages have created and sent to the magazine to be published. My dd4 loves looking at these pictures. Even though she enjoys looking at them, her drawings look kind of like the cave drawing by Sid the Sloth in the movie Ice Age. :lol: Ah well, they'll continue to develop as she does.

[Jen in PA]

My dd will be 6 tomorrow, and she is not very neat with coloring or writing.... in fact, it all looks pretty awful. But she loves to write and draw, gets plenty of practice, and has never seemed to notice that she's not very strong in this area. 4 year old DS is nearly as neat -- I can't always tell their work apart. The downside to his skill is that he is already a real perfectionist in this area, and is so hard on himself when he goes out of the lines or doesn't form a letter properly. I think it's better not to push the issue, and just let her skills develop with practice and no pressure.

[mamamace]

My 6 yo was slow in developing and is just now really getting into coloring, and her drawing is starting to improve. Every child is different. I had to be careful not to push b/c she is a typical first born personality and thinks things have to be just so. I can't even draw anything b/c she compares her stuff to an adult! Better late than early imho...

[HeProvides]

I got a book from the library with drawings done by children. The child's age was posted next to each picture. It really inspired my 7 year old daughter to try harder with her drawing. It did nothing for my 5 ds. Good luck

[skaterbabs]

Dot *can* color nicely, and chooses not to do so. Forget coloring in the lines, she thinks that's stupid. lol What I do is focus on coloring in the lines only occasionally, and let her do as she wishes the rest of the time.

 

I figure, if the worst trouble I have with her is not wanting to stay in the lines when she colors, I've got it easy. :lol:

[Kathy in MD]

The only reason I would worry about this is if she has trouble writing, forming letters, drawing a straight line, drawing a circle etc. It would indicate that she had poor fine motor skills and something you might want to work on. But if it is only the coloring, then it isn't quite as important as writing skills.

 

:iagree:

 

For many children, they need just a bit more time and focused work. But sometimes this may be what alerts you to dig deeper.

 

Poor coloring skills was just one symptom of the severe sensory problems my ds had. A few common signs to look for are sensitivity to textures, sudden loud noises, touch (my ds would immediately scratch if he was lightly touched), poor balance, speech problems when combined with other signs, fine motor and/or gross motor control problems and many more. And the list I threw together is rough and will not all be found in the same child. I suggest you get the Out-of-Syc Child if you suspect other problems other than just coloring skills.A little over a year of OT resolved most pf his problems, but OT is very time sensitive.

 

Chances are your dc doesn't suffer from sensory problems, but if you notice other delays or problems, check out the book.