4KookieKids Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 My son just turned 4 and really loves to draw. He especially loves to draw things out of those "how to draw ...." books (like planes, trains, boats, helicopters, etc.), but most of them are just too advanced for him (shapes are difficult, instructions involve erasing, etc.). I'd say most of the ones that we've run across at our library are geared more toward 6-8 year olds (or older). Luckily, he's got a lot of imagination and doesn't appear bothered by the fact that his pictures don't have a lot in common with the ones in the book. :D (I've heard of kids getting frustrated that there pictures weren't "right.") Does anyone have good suggestions for a 4 year old? I think it'd be a great way for him to practice his fine motor skills (which aren't very hot right now), and -- well -- he just loves it and asks for it daily! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 Ed Emberley books? They are a little busy for a 4 y.o., perhaps. You could photocopy a section of the page and enlarge it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I have a dd who will be four in December. We have been using several drawing books with her out of desperation! She would pretty much melt down if she couldn't get her pictures 'right.' Daddy has taken many of the How to Draw...books and simplified the drawings a bit, then we put the examples in a binder for her. She will draw sea creatures all day if given a chance. We also have her graph paper to draw on as it seems to really help her get the proportions correct. The other thing we did was to take a drawing from a VERY simple coloring book, cover up a portion with a white square of paper, then make a copy. She could then 'finish' the drawing. This really helped her practice a bit and was a much smaller project for her to tackle without as much frustration. But the biggest help has been the Draw Write Now books. She loves them. The drawings are very simple, an have really given her confidence and improved fine motor skills. She also colors the pics with colored pencils as it seems to build up those muscles really well. I am going to try to attach a couple of pics just to show how quickly her skills have grown. The first picture (the chicken) she did at the end of August, and the second (horse) she did mid October. The Barn we recently did. I do let her use a ruler for things like the barn as he gets very frustrated at having straight, symmetrical lines! You could just skip the writing portion for now if he isn't interested. ETA: finally managed to upload pics but the quality isn't the best. Still, you can get the idea. We have the DWN books in PDF, which is cheaper, but I ended up buying them in paperback anyway for convenience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 My son who is also 4 in December just hit a "writing" phase. It is what he is focused on right now. And we are using the series Draw Write Now. He absolutely adores it. We were able to print sheets from the blog 1+1+1=1. To make the most of the drawing aspect you do need to have the books also. The writing is a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted November 5, 2013 Share Posted November 5, 2013 I would love to see those pics Keri. James just started doing the book last week. I will post his chicken and pig. Apparently I can't attach pictures because the file is too big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaCEmom Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Draw Write Now & the Usborne drawing books are the best beginner ones I've found. There are also a couple of Scholastic books that you can get in ebook format on the teacher express website. I think they're even having a dollar days sale right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaCEmom Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Here are the 2 we have: http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/follow-the-directions-draw-write-activities-mkt9728 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaCEmom Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/follow-the-directions-draw-it-all-by-yourself-mkt940 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Oh! I completely forgot to mention in my above post the VERY first drawing book we ever used. Kumon makes one designed for 3/4/5 year old kid. It is a nice transition for how to learn to draw common things via 'shape drawing'. Very geometrical, but provides the needed background and confidence. I have also noticed that my dd seems more willing to add common items she learned to draw from the Kumon book to her drawings now. http://www.amazon.com/First-Book-Drawing-Kumon-Workbooks/dp/1934968021 Now she likes to draw so much I am wrapping up an entire ream of printer paper of her very own for Xmas--mostly so she stops robbing the printer:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 I have a dd who will be four in December. We have been using several drawing books with her out of desperation! She would pretty much melt down if she couldn't get her pictures 'right.' Daddy has taken many of the How to Draw...books and simplified the drawings a bit, then we put the examples in a binder for her. She will draw sea creatures all day if given a chance. We also have her graph paper to draw on as it seems to really help her get the proportions correct. The other thing we did was to take a drawing from a VERY simple coloring book, cover up a portion with a white square of paper, then make a copy. She could then 'finish' the drawing. This really helped her practice a bit and was a much smaller project for her to tackle without as much frustration. But the biggest help has been the Draw Write Now books. She loves them. The drawings are very simple, an have really given her confidence and improved fine motor skills. She also colors the pics with colored pencils as it seems to build up those muscles really well. I am going to try to attach a couple of pics just to show how quickly her skills have grown. The first picture (the chicken) she did at the end of August, and the second (horse) she did mid October. The Barn we recently did. I do let her use a ruler for things like the barn as he gets very frustrated at having straight, symmetrical lines! You could just skip the writing portion for now if he isn't interested. ETA: finally managed to upload pics but the quality isn't the best. Still, you can get the idea. We have the DWN books in PDF, which is cheaper, but I ended up buying them in paperback anyway for convenience. Did your almost 4 year old draw those pictures? I'm impressed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 For that age I recommend the Usborne Playtime series. I can Draw Animals and I can Draw People. The next step up from those is Draw Write Now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Did your almost 4 year old draw those pictures? I'm impressed! Thanks:) Yes, but it has been a struggle. She is such a perfectionist that originally we thought about putting the drawing materials away! Daddy is a bit of an artist and has been drawing with her since she found hold a crayon, but the DWN books are another level. But they are so great as they go literally line by line. And she has her own enormous eraser that she will use over and over until she is okay with it or I tell her it looks fine. It usually takes her about a week of drawing an coloring to get the picture and her sentences done, working 15-20 min or so a day...if she wants to:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4KookieKids Posted November 6, 2013 Author Share Posted November 6, 2013 Wow! Thanks for all those great suggestions! I'm really excited to go look at these now, and I'd been so doubtful I could find something like this (since everything else was so above his level). And I agree -- those pictures are amazing! He'll be so excited! Thank you all so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 At that age, our kids adored the Ed Emberley books. The Christmas we got them, we brought them to our family gathering and every single person there got into them and had a blast. http://www.amazon.com/Ed-Emberley/e/B000AQ77ZK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Oldest dd enjoyed the Ed Emberly fingerprint books at that age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Kerileanne, you sole me on Draw Write Now, I ordered the first one for my almost 6 & almost 4 year old. I thought about waiting until Christmas to give it to them but I think I'm too excited to wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Oh! I completely forgot to mention in my above post the VERY first drawing book we ever used. Kumon makes one designed for 3/4/5 year old kid. It is a nice transition for how to learn to draw common things via 'shape drawing'. Very geometrical, but provides the needed background and confidence. I have also noticed that my dd seems more willing to add common items she learned to draw from the Kumon book to her drawings now. http://www.amazon.com/First-Book-Drawing-Kumon-Workbooks/dp/1934968021 Now she likes to draw so much I am wrapping up an entire ream of printer paper of her very own for Xmas--mostly so she stops robbing the printer:) I was going to recommend this book as well. My dd used it before beginning the Draw, Write, Now series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Make sure to check out 1+1+1=1. It is a blog and they offer free Printables that accompany the the Draw Write Now books. many kids balk at writing but my son loves working through these sheets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teneo Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 For that age I recommend the Usborne Playtime series. I can Draw Animals and I can Draw People. The next step up from those is Draw Write Now. Those look really interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepymom Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Another vote for Ed Emberley. My kid loves those books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2queens&1princenmyhouse Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 For that age I recommend the Usborne Playtime series. I can Draw Animals and I can Draw People. The next step up from those is Draw Write Now. We have these and love them. I did check the DWN Columbus book out for Columbus Day and DS loved it, so I see more of those in our future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 When younger DS was about 5yo, he did some really amazing drawings following the books by Freddie Levin (1-2-3 Draw series). The Big Yellow Drawing Book is a really helpful starting point for learning perspective, shading, etc. And Ed Emberly's books are super simple and easy to reproduce. Big Yellow Drawing Book by O'Neill Ed Emberly's Big Green Drawing Book -- and others by Emberly 1-2-3 Draw series by Levin Drawing Lessons for Kids -- free online What to Draw and How to Draw It -- pdf of a vintage book by Lutz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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