Art Stages Resources

Scribbles may not make any sense to an adult. They look like a lot of lines, loops, and squiggles. But these marks are very important to a young child. They are a child's way of writing her thoughts. Drawing and scribbling are the first steps in using the skills children will need later for writing.

*Scribbles have meaning - Better Kid Care (Penn State Extension). (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://extension.psu.edu/youth/betterkidcare/early-care/our-resources/tip-pages/tips/scribbles-have-meaning

Young children's first writing is scribbling. They scribble up and down and around with pencils, markers, chalk, paint brushes, and even their fingers. Most adults tend to disregard this early stage of writing, saying: "Oh, it's only scribbling." But scribbling is to writing what babbling is to speaking: an early stage of children's development that should be encouraged.

*Early Writing and Scribbling. (2006, January 1). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://www.education.com/reference/article/early-writing-scribbling/

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Earlychildhood NEWS is the online resource for teachers and parents of young children, infants to age 8. You will find articles about developmentally appropriate practice, child health, safety and behavior as well as links to teacher resources and networking opportunities.

*Developmental Stages of Art. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=546

One who works with young children must know the different stages children go through in the development of art abilities. These stages are called "developmental levels." A developmental level is a guide to knowing what a child can do in art at different ages, but it is not a strict guideline.

*DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF CHILDREN’S ART. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://webshare.northseattle.edu/fam180/topics/art/DEVELOPMENTALART.MLP.htm

These stages are taken from Bob Steel's Draw Me a Story: An Illustrated Exploration of Drawing-as-Language, ©1997. This stage is typical of children between 18 months and 3 years. Scribbles are random. Children are exploring art materials in a playful way. Scribbles move from uncontrolled to progressively more controlled.

*Developmental Stages of Children's Drawings. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://www.earlychildhoodcentral.org/childrens-art/developmental-stages

Art, Design and Psychology Introduction Children explore the world around them through intellectual, physical and emotional methods All these factors play a part in their art.

*Childrens Art. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://www.users.totalise.co.uk/~kbroom/Lectures/children.htm

Your child just spent five minutes scribbling on a sheet of paper and then proceeded to tell you about the amazing picture she created. As you nod your head in mock understanding while she explains the dragon, castle, and trees in her scribbling, you wonder what IS really going on, and if your child ever will actually draw the things she is describing.

*Children and Their Art: Stages of Development. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://sarahlipoff.com/2010/04/05/children-and-their-art-stages-of-development

Creative play and artistic activity are important to children's overall development. They help nurture imagination, and also develop problem-solving, thinking and motor skills. School children start to learn that some problems have a single solution (two plus two always equals four). They also develop skills for finding the right result for a given problem.

*Artistic Play. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://site.ildikokudlik.com/artistic-play/

Immy (3 1/2 years): I want to draw this flower in my field journal. Me: Okay then. Immy: But I can't. Will you draw it for me? Me: I think you can. Let's look at the shapes of the flower. I can see circles in this flower and you know how to draw circles.

*Kids Art: Conversations About Drawing | Childhood101. (2011, September 27). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://childhood101.com/2011/09/kids-art-conversations-about-drawing/

At this stage, children also begin to see the connection between their movements and the marks they make. Before this time, children's scribbles were the result of the sheer pleasure of moving their arms and hands. Now children connect those motions to their art-work. Children may even begin to name their drawings at this stage.

*Stages of Art Page 5. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://starsclass.com/stars/curriculum/art/page/5.html

Timeline of drawing development in children from ages 2 through 16.

*Drawing Development in Children. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://www.learningdesign.com/Portfolio/DrawDev/kiddrawing.html

Understanding the stages of artistic development can help you become better at creating art. It can also help you become a more effective art teacher. We develop artistically. Just like we develop other skills like talking and walking in stages, we develop artistic skills in the same way.

*TheVirtualInstructor Blog. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://thevirtualinstructor.com/blog/the-stages-of-artistic-development

Parents know the magic that a simple coloring book and a pack of crayons can work on a screaming toddler. But did you know that those random-looking scribbles are an important developmental step along your child's path to reading and writing? As early as 15 months, children enter the first of what's called the 5 Stages of Scribbling.

*The Link Between Art and Literacy: The 5 Stages of Scribbling | DarienLibrary.org. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2015, from http://www.darienlibrary.org/node/1039

Each of these stages refers to a combination of visual characteristics found in the art work of children. "Developmental-Stage" theory assumes that the stages occur in a sequential order. Little attempt has been made to relate these stages of growth in art directly to chronological age because so many factors contribute to the child's development in art.

*THE FIVE STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN’S ART. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2015, from http://my.ilstu.edu/~eostewa/ART309/Five_Stages.htm

(2 to 4 years) The Scribble stage is made up of four sub-stages. (a) Disordered - uncontrolled markings that could be bold or light depending upon the personality of the child. At this age the child has little or no control over motor activity. (b) Longitudinal - controlled repetitions of motions.

*LOWENFELD'S. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2015, from http://www.d.umn.edu/~jbrutger/Lowenf.html