mumtoboys Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 My eldest is coming up 4 and he's not the slightest bit interested in drawing. He will make a few scribbles but that's it. He quite likes doing painting but I must admit I'm too lazy to do it very often as it's so messy with a little one as well (21 mths). Has anyone else had success encouraging a reluctant artist. I'm keen he at least does a bit of art as it's useful practise for starting to write etc. Thanks Alice http://www.ifnotschool.blogspot.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 My 5yo boy did not like to draw at all until two things happened...he got a little older and more coordinated, and we started using an art program. We use Atelier art and the kids can't get enough of it. My 4yo DD does like to draw, and she is using Draw-Write-Now as a handwriting/drawing hybrid and loving it. I do not make her copy the sentences from it, but sometimes she chooses to. This is a program I have accessible to the kids, but don't require it. Even the hate-to-draw 5yo will sometimes use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 My eldest is coming up 4 and he's not the slightest bit interested in drawing. He will make a few scribbles but that's it. I would just give it time--not-quite-four is still very young. My middle child would have nothing to do with coloring, drawing, or the like at four and even five. Between five and six his small motor skills improved to the point of being much more proficient with pencils and crayons, and he began to dabble in drawing, but still got very frustrated when he couldn't make things look "right" in his eyes. Now he's eight and drawing is his favorite thing to do. If he likes painting, keep doing that. Painting on an easel and using a small brush is helpful for kids who struggle with small motor skills (not that yours does, but mine did). I know it's messy, but you can accomplish tasks in the same skill set as drawing while doing something he likes instead of something he's not ready to do. Wait till the little one is sleeping :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1GirlTwinBoys Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Draw-Write-Now My kid's really like this too. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheWillFly Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 My son is also not quite 4. He is just getting into drawing on the chalk-board. He really loves when we turn it into a game. I will draw a circle and then he has to try and do it the same way. Sometimes it is just wiggly lines on the board and other times we end up with a whole nature scene. He has no desire to do anything on paper other than paint. I think he struggles to figure out the correct pressure to get the results he wants so painting and chalk are much easier for him. If he's not interested I'd give it a bit more time while still being sure to give him plenty of fine motor skill activities that he is interested in doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumtoboys Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 Great ideas thanks! Watercolours may be the way to go and an easel is a great idea. We have carpets in the dining room which is the only room we could do it. But then I could use the kitchen. Keep the ideas coming! I think you might be right Melinda about him not having the fine motor skills yet as I can sometimes see he's frustrated he can't make a recognisable drawing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Oh, I thought of some other things. Kumon has these great books that help with fine motor skills. Things like mazes, cutting, tracing, cut/paste crafts, etc. My kids *love* these and think it is a treat when they get to do them. They are cheap (about $5 for a book of 40 or so activities) and lots of fun. We also have done a lot of dot-to-dots and things like lacing cards, stringing beads or cheerios, and playing with Play-Doh. Oh, and video games/computer games help a lot with hand/eye coordination if they need that. Also, you could make a sand/rice tray and have them draw letters/pictures in that, make sand letter cards to trace or do rubbings, or make letters with Play-Doh. We have a great book that combines letters with art called Art Across the Alphabet, which we enjoyed when they were learning letters. One last thing, Mighty Mind/tangrams/pattern blocks help with fine motor, but also spatial skills (and the kids think they are fun). Please post if that is not enough stuff. I'm sure I have more ideas. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Has anyone else had success encouraging a reluctant artist. I have! I love, love, love this book! Ish by Peter Reynolds http://www.amazon.com/Ish-Peter-H-Reynolds/dp/076362344X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237993230&sr=8-1 At the age of 4, my son would barely color or draw for mere seconds before deciding he'd had enough. After reading this book a few times, he got drawing supplies out on his own and drew a person-ish type creation. He hasn't stopped drawing since. It might not work for every child but for mine, I think it encouraged the idea of creating with abandon simply for the sake of enjoyment. To add to my thrill, he draws pictures and when I ask him to tell me about them, he tells me a story which I type out as he's talking. I can print them out and tape them to the back of pictures and he thinks that's the neatest thing. Now he wants to put them side to side and make his own books with multiple pictures and an ongoing story. I also like his book The Dot. I'm keeping them for the grandkids. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I second draw.write.now. My dd4 is the type of child that needs a lot of structure, and needs to know exactly what to do. Open-ended drawing does not appeal to her. She likes having step-by-step instructions, which draw.write.now gives her. I'm hoping that once she has built up some confidence she will be able to use the drawing skills she's learned and add some creativity to her projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenS Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 My son, at that age, HATED drawing. He'd scribble or make patterns or paint or whatever, but he would NOT draw even the most basic stick person or tree. Just refused to do it. I kind of worried, because his fine motor skills seemed to be lagging too, but I didn't push. At his preschool graduation (he attended one day a week that year) they had a wall hung with drawings the kids had done of their families. I cried like a baby when I saw Ted's ... the boy who wouldn't draw had drawn the most complete picture ... down to the fingers and toes of each person. And he'd labelled us all by name and age. LOL. None of the other kids' pictures even came close to that level of detail. I figured then I should just let him go at his own pace. Perfectionism is what holds him back. We occasionally pull out a Draw Write Now or a Mark Kistler and have a family 'art lesson' just so he can see that there are steps if he wants to follow them, but these days (first grade) he draws on his own just fine. Perhaps not up to what other first grade kids do, but quite well considering his former reluctance. Ed Emberley has some nice easy drawing books too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumtoboys Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 At his preschool graduation (he attended one day a week that year) they had a wall hung with drawings the kids had done of their families. I cried like a baby when I saw Ted's ... the boy who wouldn't draw had drawn the most complete picture ... down to the fingers and toes of each person. And he'd labelled us all by name and age. LOL. None of the other kids' pictures even came close to that level of detail. Wow .. that's amazing. Hopefully my DS can suddenly take off too ... he does with most things thinking about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 For painting, we use a plastic picnic table cloth spread over the table (you could put one on the floor too, since you have carpet). I found that I like using fingerpaint paper even though we're using brushes instead. The paint just really flows nicely across fingerpaint paper. I sometimes cut the paper into smaller sizes also--we have 11"x16" paper, and I cut several sheets in half. Sometimes I'll cut some of those in half again. We use tempera paint--I got some very inexpensively from Dick Blick Art, online. I also sometimes wait until the younger one is in bed for a nap. We just did some painting today, in fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I thought of something else. Another thing that has helped dd is using pastels and markers. I think some kids (dd included) get tired easily with crayons/pencils because they have to work so hard with them. This sounds like it may be the issue with your ds, because he likes to paint (which doesn't require as much hand exertion). Drawing/scribbling/writing practice using crayons and pencils is essential for improving fine motor skills, so I wouldn't stop encouraging him to use them, but I would also give him the opportunity to use other, easier materials like thick markers, dot paint, and oil pastels. The pastels are nice because they aren't as messy as paint, but the colors are very vivid and they glide on very nicely. I've noticed that dd4 shows much more creativity when she is using the pastels vs. the crayons and she will work on a drawing much longer, too. It's much easier to be creative when your hand isn't tired! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Please remember there are stages of art development. First come random marks, then deliberate marks. Then scribbling, then circular scribbling. Then you start to see crosses, then shapes resembling circles. (This is where writing and art start to differentiate.) Mandelas and suns come next. Drawings of people at this stage are based on development--what the child knows, not what he sees. This is when you get those funny folks with legs sticking out of their heads and no bodies--it's technically a sun shape. Drawings get more sophisticated from there--you do not have to introduce the typical forms for houses (a square topped by a triangle) or trees ("lollipop" trees) in order for kids to draw them. You will also see the addition of a baseline ("grass") and a more pictoral drawing as the last stages of development-driven art. If you are more process-oriented than product oriented, stay away from crafts and stick to art, and don't ask "what is it" but do say "tell me about your picture!" they are more likely to enjoy art, especially if they are at all sensitive to criticism. You can also provide materials that may be more interesting than crayons and pencils--try pastels, chalk, paints, fingerpaints... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 If you are more process-oriented than product oriented, stay away from crafts and stick to art, and don't ask "what is it" but do say "tell me about your picture!" they are more likely to enjoy art, especially if they are at all sensitive to criticism. A good book that makes points like this, helping you know what to say and what not to say is "The Art of Teaching Art to Children". I got it from my library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann@thebeach Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 My oldest son was never interested in coloring or drawing at a young age. He went to one yr of preschool and his teacher said he needed "work coloring in the lines" but he just didn't care about this. He never drew anything in the next few yrs because he said it was too hard. When he turned 7 I had him try Draw Write Now and he really liked it. He loved that if he followed the steps he could actually draw something! I realized he loves to follow directions and this was just what he needed to be able to move forward with drawing. I can't say he's a good artist (unlike his very artistic sister) but he likes to illustrate his stories and I always encourage him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 My favourite place for people to make mess is outside... :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Has anyone else had success encouraging a reluctant artist. I'm keen he at least does a bit of art as it's useful practise for starting to write etc. My hints (and kiddo now loves art): Stockmar crayons. Kiddo took to them. An easel at kid level, all ready to go. Playing with them: scribbling and drawing as you go crayoning in "time" to music....sort of dancing in place with a crayon in hand at the easel. Fingerpaint Color games (this requires something with a full rainbow, like many crayons or colored pencils) "Which red is darker than this one?" as you draw a big red gash across the paper on the easel. Kumon cut and paste books. Ed Emberleys thumbprint books. Kid makes thumbprint, you draw silly thing on it. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinmom Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I agree...just give it time. When my ds was 4 all he was interested in was painting. He wouldn't even color--hated it. But sometime after he turned 5, he got interested in coloring. Then came drawing, and now I can't get him to stop doodling all over his math page. He absolutely LOVES to draw now, and I would say it's one of his passions. I think in his case it was a matter of not having the skills yet to enjoy it. Don't force it. One tip someone gave me was to show him how to trace, though at age 4 that might be hard still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 I just want to say. . . Have you read Why Gender Matters? by Leonard Sax? It was a true eye-opener for me, particular in matter of "art" and boys. Given that all I have are boys, that was kind of a big deal. Boys' art, especially at a younger age, is very. . . "descriptive". Meaning, you have to take the time after they draw to listen to what it is they drew -- because they tend to draw in all action. A single "scribble" could be the complete action of *something* ("cave man beating up a saber-toothed tiger and then,. . ."). I have learned that by taking time, while my children are younger, to "appreciate" their art (by listening to the stories that go with), my children have developed a great appreciation for art in turn. My 16 yo is a fantastic artist, and loves to draw photographic quality pictures. (Not that all my children are artists by any means. . .but they appreciate it now.) That said, like others have mentioned, he's kind of on the young side; especially, as he may be lacking fine-motor skills at this point. Have you tried clay? After all, "sculpture" is an art form. There's something very *energetic* about clay (or playdough) that appeals to boys. (And if you are having a bad day, there's something very theraputic about beating clay to a pulp. . .thus, encouraging you to join in!) What is the exterior of your house? We had a stucco house once when my children were young and using it as a canvas and sidewalk chalk was great fun. (And you can't negate the fun of "erasing" it with a hose on a hot summer day!) Sidewalk art is good too. . . Hmm, the more I think about it, the more I'm inclined to advise you to work *big*. Boys tend to (not EVERY boy, of course, but generally) develop fine-motor skills "late". I wouldn't discourage him by pushing art that requires skills he may not have developed yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumtoboys Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 Boys' art, especially at a younger age, is very. . . "descriptive". Meaning, you have to take the time after they draw to listen to what it is they drew -- because they tend to draw in all action. A single "scribble" could be the complete action of *something* ("cave man beating up a saber-toothed tiger and then,. . ."). I'm sure you're on to something here .. this sounds like a really interesting book. Today we got out the paints and DS drew a big blob of brown (a monster) and then a big blog of blue which crashed into the brown ... making an even bigger murky blob. It was a wave crashing into the sea monster! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 What is the exterior of your house? We had a stucco house once when my children were young and using it as a canvas and sidewalk chalk was great fun. (And you can't negate the fun of "erasing" it with a hose on a hot summer day!) Sidewalk art is good too. Good idea. Our house is brick. I think we have some sidewalk chalk around here...I'll probably let them draw on the back of the house this summer. Wait till I tell dh my plans. :lol: He'll flip, but hey, it'll wash off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenS Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 LOL. Just make sure it's where the rain really WILL wash it off ... we had some parts of the bricks drawn on by chalk, and between the angle of the wind/rain and the overhang of the eaves ... it took quite some time before it wore off on its own. :) Big chalk drawing is a blast though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 My almost-4-year-old just scribbles too. Once he surprised me and wrote his name. :) I'll just let him start drawing when he's ready... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iteachmine Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Encouraging the artist in your child (even if you can't draw) : 101 failure-proof, home-tested projects by Sally Warner I found this at my local library. It has great information. I have also used Preschool Art: It's the Process Not the Product and Primary Art by MaryAnn Kohl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 My dd never liked to color, but she likes to sculpt, which she's actually quite good at. You can buy Sculpey (polymer modeling clay that you bake to dry, great stuff) with your 40% off coupon on Hobby Lobby or Michael's. She also likes the Complete-a-Sketch books Timberdoodle sells. Nothing says you have to do art that they make. You can do picture study and call it good. Discovering Great Artists is good either for the projects or as a list of artists to use for picture study. You just google them or search at the National Gallery of Art, right-click to save the picture, then print at walgreens, easy peasy. We look at the prints, talk about them (just talk, nothing fancy or brilliant), then she puts them in her photo album and labels. At the end of the week we do the art project from DGA (or in our case Discovering Great American Artists) about the person. If they don't like more traditional art, think out of the box. I'm not much of an artist, but I like to quilt. Some boys really get into fiber arts (crochet, quilting, etc.). And of course there's architecture and building. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 My sons still make murals on the side of our house for birthday parties on the deck (they are teenagers). The house is shingles, with an overhang, and it takes about six weeks for a mural to go away. Actually, we really like that it lasts as long as it does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinmom Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 My sons still make murals on the side of our house for birthday parties on the deck (they are teenagers). The house is shingles, with an overhang, and it takes about six weeks for a mural to go away. Actually, we really like that it lasts as long as it does. what do they use? chalk? washable paint? I like this idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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