Art is an important aspect of learning in early childhood education and should be carefully designed to enhance your artistic development and foster an appreciation for beauty in your world. Art enriches the lives of all preschoolers and toddlers as it provides them with experiences to find meaning about themselves and the world around them.

“From the moment the child discovers what it looks like and how it feels to write lines on paper, he has found something that he will never lose, he has found art” – R. Kellogg 1969.

Rhoda Kellogg has studied 100,000 drawings of young children drawn with pencil, pen, crayon, or paintbrush, and this extensive study has significantly aided our understanding of children’s artistic development. She was particularly interested in young children’s doodles and found that children progress from scribbling to drawing using a built-in and spontaneous self-learning method and would continue until children were 5 years old and only into later years. developmental stages in which children’s works of art can be trained and guided by an adult.

Kellogg also identified various symbols that have been drawn by children of various cultures. The mandala design, which is a simple circle or square divided by intersecting lines, is produced by children in different parts of the world. Kellogg also found that preschoolers and toddlers, unlike older children, are not concerned that their artwork looks good or resemble real things, but instead wave their hands to express a feeling that it comes from within and they are delighted with the movement and squiggles they produce. With this knowledge in mind, it is important not to force them to look at physical objects and try to copy them, but to allow them to experiment, create in their own unique way, thus giving them the opportunity to express their own ideas and feelings.

The stages of artistic development are the scribbling stage, the basic form stage, and the pictorial stage. Although there is a predictable pattern to their development, preschoolers and young children move through the levels in different ways and at their own pace. These stages can assist parents or teachers as they work with young children and provide planning guidelines for a specific group of children.

Kellogg’s Stages of Development

1. Scribble stage

These are the first drawings of young children. They are simple, random markings, made for the pleasure of scribbling. During this stage, young children are not concerned with trying to draw to represent something, but rather enjoy the process of scribbling on paper.

2. Basic form stage

Children begin to draw simple lines and shapes. Kellogg identified several universal symbols that children use around the world. These include the mandala, the sun, stairs, spirals, wavy lines, and rainbows. These symbols were being used to communicate and were the beginnings of writing. Children at this stage continue to draw for pleasure.

3. Pictorial setting

During this stage, children use the shapes from stage 2 to draw symbolic representations of real people and things like houses, trees, and windows. They begin to identify their pictures, tell related stories, and expand their pictures to include new meanings and understanding.

Positive and appropriate parenting for preschoolers and young children beginning artistic endeavors can provide a solid foundation for the later development and enjoyment of artistic experiences.