The Complete Guide to Children's Drawings: Accessing Children‘s Emotional World through their Artwork
or a season). In these cases, it is important to compare such artwork to spontaneous drawings made by the child at home.
Free choice is essential to the success of our interpretation. It is important for the child to choose the page size, drawing tools and colors. This will contribute to his free and authentic expression, and paint a more reliable picture of his subjective emotional world.
Having met these conditions, you must check whether the child uses a dominant hand or whether he is still switching hands. You must also check whether he prefers a certain position (lying, standing and even walking). The answers to those questions have direct bearing to the degree of pressure applied to the drawing tool and the angles from which the various elements on the page are drawn.
Finally, you must know the child’s exact age (in months) in order to assess his developmental level. In younger ages, children may achieve developmental leaps every month, so that frequent analysis of their artwork combined with awareness of their precise age will provide clearer indications as to their emotional state.
The drawings shed light not only on the child’s inner world, but also on his social environment and the various influences of the adults in his life – from his parents and wider family, through his teachers to people he met on the street or saw on TV; all of them shape the child’s worldview and all will leave their mark on his art.
How to Respond to Children’s Drawings?
As you pick up your child from kindergarten at the end of the day, you see him bursting enthusiasm as he presents you with his most recent masterpiece. You look at the drawing and don’t know how to react. At first (as well as second) glance, it simply looks like a senseless doodle. And yet, since you want to encourage your child, you mumble things like, “Wow! This is the most beautiful drawing I’ve ever seen!” In most cases, that’s all there is to it: the child seems pleased, and the parent is happy, having succeeded in the positive reinforcement task.
This triple encounter – parent, child and drawing – offers a splendid opportunity to conduct a meaningful conversation about the child’s inner world. But first of all, the parent has to be truly available to attend to the child’s artwork.
As in other parenting situations, this is the first question you need to ask yourselves: “Do I have the energy and patience to totally be with my children?” Granted, it is important to teach our child that we cannot be available to them around the clock; as adults, we have desires, needs and occupations that are independent of his existence. On the other hand, as parents, we are aware of the child’s needs and willing to channel them to other times when we are more available. It is essential to fulfill the promise and “reconvene the meeting” at a later time, instead of just blurting “this is so beautiful”, without even gazing at the drawing.
When you first look at the drawing, it is important that you refer to what you can see – even if it’s just a scribble consisting of seemingly random blots of paint. You can say things like: “I see you drew over the entire page… pressed hard on the marker… used lots of colors/only two colors… drew many lines”. These specific references indicate to the child that the parent is indeed observing his drawing and noticing every little detail he made such an effort to produce.
Naturally, you can also ask the child to explain what he drew, but it’s just as important to respect his answer, rather than badger him with questions such as “Why this way and not otherwise”, or suggest ideas for additional elements. Thus, when your child paints the sky green or red, there is no need to correct him out of fear his perception may be flawed. The drawing is a window onto his inner world, and there is no reason to assume that he is confused about the world outside.
When observing the drawing, bear in mind that it is also a product of his motor development. As such, it is not always pregnant with symbolic meaning. Sometimes your child simply enjoys the process of creating by way of manipulating objects in the world and leaving his mark.
Next, you should wait before complimenting the child, and try to hold a real conversation about the drawing. More often than not, your child will be happy to talk about it. In the conversation, you can mediate between the child’s world and the world of art, and draw his attention to the fact that he loves a particular color that appears time and again both in his drawings and in his room, for example. Invite the child to tell you what he drew, whether verbally or simply by showing your interest through body language and curious eyes.
During the schematic stage (ages 5–8) when human figures tend to appear more frequently in drawings you can broaden the dialogue and talk about the figures’ character. If one character looks angry, for example, you can ask the child why and start a conversation about anger in daily life, about real-life events that may have inspired him to draw that figure, just as you would talk to an artist about his artwork and its emotional underpinnings.
Figure 1-27:Asking questions about the drawing: What grows on the tree? Why is that man sad?
In older ages, you can ask your child about what is hidden in the drawing, and not only about what is clearly visible. For instance, if he drew a house with windows, you can ask him who lives in the room the window’s in. This will start a fascinating and imaginative conversation. You can also use the drawing as a stepping stone to the world of knowledge and riddles: How do clouds form? Why can’t we fly? How do we know the fruits on the tree are ready to eat?
You will not always get answers to your questions – some children will prefer philosophical questions while others will prefer concrete ones, all in accordance with their age and character.
Nevertheless, note that questions such as, why didn’t you draw daddy, or why are you big and mommy small, are unnecessary, and will usually not produce an informative reply. In general, you should avoid overwhelming your child with questions so as not to pressure him.
When you want to give your child a compliment, say things you really mean. Saying things like “this is the most beautiful drawing in the world” is clearly problematic in that sense – it is too demanding. It is better to say, “this is a wonderful gift… this is the most beautiful gift I have ever received”. You can also refer to emotions related to the act of drawing: “I’m so happy that you drew for me… I love it when you give me your drawings… I’ve noticed you enjoy drawing very much…”
When you give a compliment, it is important to encourage the creative process and experience, rather than the final outcome. You can be proud of the drawing and show it to the entire family, but at the same time you must be attentive to your child’s reactions and make sure your pride does not make him feel under pressure to perform. Sometimes the best compliment is to keep the drawing near your bed or in your briefcase.
When lots of drawings fill the house and there is no room for new one, you can ask your child how he would like to distribute them among relatives, as special, personal gifts. Grandpa and grandma will surely be happy to receive a decorated album of drawings. Another option is to put several drawings one next to the other (on the table or on the fridge) and photograph your child as he presents them. You can then place the photos in an album, so that the drawings will not be forgotten.
In different periods of his life, every child needs a different approach to his artwork. Sometimes he likes a kind word or expects a profound conversation, and sometimes he would prefer a dramatic reaction and applause. When there are several children in the house, it is important to attend to each child’s drawings individually, without comparisons. If you use the same compliment with everyone, it is liable to be perceived inauthentic.
Intervention in Children’s Drawings
“Daddy, draw me a castle with knights and fire breathing dragons!” The child asks, and daddy complies. He does his best to draw the most lavish castle, with the mightiest forts and bravest knights, spending time and effort on sketching the wall and windows. Finally, he presents the drawing proudly to his child. The child smiles, hangs it in his room and… stops drawing! From now on, he prefers doing anything but drawing. After a while, whey you ask him in passing why he’s not drawing anymore,