Need some help with K with my ds

[plain jane]

My ds does not like to draw and because of this, when he does have to draw something he is not very good.

 

He lacks strength in his hand and I fear this is mostly my fault. I never made him color when he was younger. He never liked it so I never pushed the issue. Thing is, now he has problems forming nice circles and, consequently, any letters that require circles, like a, d, o, p, etc.

 

This also translate into his drawings and now he's very embarrassed that he can't draw.

 

So, I am going to up the coloring (now that he's officially in K I can make him do it all in the name of "school" ;)) and would also like something to teach an extreme beginner how to draw. I need guidance in this as I'm busy with older kids. I don't need something to self teach, but something that I can work through with him that will give me a basic schedule/progression to follow.

 

Just as a note, even the Draw Write Now book 1 is far too hard for him. He's barely mastering a drawing of Mat Man from HWT. I can't even get him to venture out and do Mat Girl. ;) DS *never* draws for fun. Ever. He's never once wanted to draw a sun or a tree or anything of the sort. I need something that will not only encourage him to do so, but teach him how.

 

Also, he colors very well. Does a beautiful job actually, but doesn't enjoy it. He doesn't complain that it hurts or anything, but he finds no joy in it. I still want to make him do more so that he can build hand strength, and hopefully this will spill over to his penmanship and drawing skills.

 

I'm looking for some ideas for what to give him to color. He doesn't like the typical Spiderman or whatnot sheets. He does color the little readers from Saxon Phonics and a couple bible worksheets but I'm at a loss as to what else I can give him. He does far better with small details than he does coloring large areas (and prefers the smaller details). The Dover books, however, are too detailed. :rolleyes:

 

Any ideas as to what I can give him for coloring work that I can say ties into school but doesn't seem too much like busywork?

[KristenR]

What about changing the medium a bit. More dd likes to draw but I noticed she was bored with crayons. Colored pencils are something I don't pull out all the time but BOY does she love them. Its like a special treat. And don't get me started on markers!!

 

Maybe just shaking it up a bit like that will inspire your son.

 

Also, check out Dover and Spirizzi Press coloring books and maybe you can find a specific subject that appeals to him personally. They have so many to choose from.

[justLisa]

Check out the Ed Emberley books, or the drafting from Draw Right Now. DS does not enjoy life like drawing, but he does like to sketch or draw character like things. He just wants to get his point across, not spend hours painting/coloring. Ed Emberley is great, he takes the stick man to a whole new level!

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ed-Emberleys-Drawing-Book-Emberley/dp/0316789720/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322425964&sr=8-2

 

We have the above, and 3 more. I plan to get a couple more for Christmas.

[plain jane]

Check out the Ed Emberley books, or the drafting from Draw Right Now. DS does not enjoy life like drawing, but he does like to sketch or draw character like things. He just wants to get his point across, not spend hours painting/coloring. Ed Emberley is great, he takes the stick man to a whole new level!

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ed-Emberleys-Drawing-Book-Emberley/dp/0316789720/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322425964&sr=8-2

 

We have the above, and 3 more. I plan to get a couple more for Christmas.

 

Thanks for this suggestion. I had forgotten about these books since my older kids didn't enjoy them. I think he may though. :)

 

Do they progress in difficulty at all? Is there one I should be starting with or will any of them work?

[justLisa]

Well, the animals one is good. The one called making a world has so many small figures it might be more difficult. However, DS LOVES all the little stick type men.

[Mrs. A]

One book that we started recently is Drawing with Children. My DS was not a "colorer" at all, but since we began this book he has been drawing and coloring almost every day! I had hoped the book would help, but I never expected him to take off like this! The author recommends using markers rather than crayons because they are easier and more versatile.

[MeganW]

He lacks strength in his hand and I fear this is mostly my fault. I never made him color when he was younger. He never liked it so I never pushed the issue. Thing is, now he has problems forming nice circles and, consequently, any letters that require circles, like a, d, o, p, etc.

 

Before starting a drawing program, I would focus on hand strengthening.

- Playdoh EVERY SINGLE DAY. (One of my kids' favs is finding stuff I have hidden in there - marbles, buttons, etc.)

- Cutting is another great strengthening activity - be sure to show him how to do it properly. Thumb "high to the sky", and other than opening & closing the scissors, the hand with the scissors in it should stay still. The other hand should be moving the paper to the appropriate place in the scissors, not the scissors moving around the paper.

- Legos

- tearing paper

- squirt bottles or water guns

- tongs, tweezers, holepunches, clothespins, etc.

[LifeLovePassion]

Before starting a drawing program, I would focus on hand strengthening.

- Playdoh EVERY SINGLE DAY. (One of my kids' favs is finding stuff I have hidden in there - marbles, buttons, etc.)

- Cutting is another great strengthening activity - be sure to show him how to do it properly. Thumb "high to the sky", and other than opening & closing the scissors, the hand with the scissors in it should stay still. The other hand should be moving the paper to the appropriate place in the scissors, not the scissors moving around the paper.

- Legos

- tearing paper

- squirt bottles or water guns

- tongs, tweezers, holepunches, clothespins, etc.

this. I'd work on fine motor skills first. Are you on pinterest, tons of ideas there.

[zenjenn]

I'm an artist and I totally on board with what Megan posted. If he does not like formal coloring/drawing because it is a source of frustration to him, you may be in for an exercise in futility.

 

Scribble, cut (there are some "scissor skills" books that my daughter LOVED when she was in K), play dough, simple mazes, dot-to-dots... even some of those sticker mosaics can be great. (The child has to locate the sticker, peel it off, and place it on the mosaic.) I even let my K daughter play educational games on her Leapster during school time because handling the stylus was great for her (boy, was she miffed once I cut her off from school-use Leapster time for 1st grade!)

 

What is nice for K is offer *choices*. All choices that improve motor skill, but empowers him to be independent, and actively engaged with the activity rather than being half-assed about it. What I found is most kids get around to all the choices eventually, because they naturally want some variety. If left to their own devices they will even eventually get to that stuff you NEVER thought they would. I'm not a big unschooling advocate for but for early childhood development, it can be a great way to go. Something like a membership to enchantedlearning.com can give you access to more options, and just go ahead and purchase a bunch of activity books, craft kits, manipulatives, etc, so he has options. No TV, no toys, etc, during school time, but here are a bunch of options. Most of them look suspiciously like fun, but you've carefully selected skill-building options.

 

Once those motor skills really kick in I think you'll find he is more receptive to writing and drawing.

Edited November 27, 2011 by zenjenn

[Aurelia]

Ariel still thinks the DWN books are too hard, but she loved Usborne's I Can Draw Animals for beginning drawing. The pictures are very simple. They also have I Can Draw People, and for the next step there is What Shall I Draw?.