Our two year old got his hands on some lovely new crayons today. Honey sticks are made in New Zealand from pure bees wax and natural pigments and they are beautiful.
He and I sat quietly, on our own, drawing together.
He took each crayon out of the box carefully and remarked on each colour. When he had them all spread out across the table he carefully chose one to draw with.
A short purple line on the paper. Then another. Then some scribbles. Time to change colours for some circular scribbles. I did my own looping lines sitting next to him.
“You draw led (red) mama” he said.
“Yes” I replied “I like the red crayon, it makes good lines”.
“Me have led?” he asked and I handed it over, watching him make careful red scribbles of his own.
After a few minutes he was done. He tumbled the crayons back into the box and wandered off, leaving his drawing on the table.
At around a year of age children are beginning to develop the fine motor control to grasp a crayon, but they are probably more interested in chewing on it than drawing with it. Later in their second year, around 16-18 months of age, they will become interested in making marks on paper. At this stage it is all about cause and effect and the ‘physicality’ of making marks.
Approaching their second birthdays, children begin to develop representational and symbolic thinking. Their drawing begins to become representational, but it may not appear so to adults. After their second birthday, they better understand that pictures can depict objects and their drawings become more and more representational. They become interested in colours and will begin to choose a specific colour to draw with. They are still much more interested in the process of creating than the finished product.
Encouraging this early exploration of drawing and creating is an important and fun activity and honey sticks crayons are a wonderful introduction to drawing.
Honey Sticks are non-toxic and completely natural so any little nibbles here or there are not the end of the world. They are thick and chunky, making them perfect for small hands that are still developing a refined grasp. It also means they don’t break easily so they last longer. They make strong, clear, colourful, marks on the paper with little effort - important for a toddler who is easily frustrated and has a short attention span.
Offer your toddler large pieces of paper to draw on. They need a big space to draw as it is still a very physical, ‘whole body’, process. Taping the paper to the surface to stop it sliding around will allow a toddler to focus on making the marks, not worrying about holding the paper.
Art and drawing for young children is all about the process, the action and enjoyment of the moment. It is not about the finished product.
Enjoy the process with your children. Draw with them, not for them. Sit next to them and draw, scribble, explore and create on your own paper. Talk about what you are both doing. Notice the colours and the marks you are making. Are you making long thin lines or lots of little dots? How does the crayons sound when it hits the paper? How do the crayons feel in your hands? How do you feel when you draw? You don’t need to ask ‘what is it?’ when ‘it’ is something they will tell you.
You can purchase Honey Sticks Crayons here in the eco toys shop.
Article by Kate - Early Childhood Educator and Mum to 6 year old twin girls and a two year old boy. Blogging at picklebums.com
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