Observational Drawing with Young Children - a scientific process

Besides art, drawing can be used for more scientific purposes, too.  One of the ways we use drawing with children at the YCCF is in the process of "observational drawings."  Children at the art table often draw for fun and to express their thoughts and ideas.  While this is a vitally important experience for children to have, there is another reason (and way) to use drawing.

Observational drawing is the experience of looking closely at something-- and drawing what you see.  We use this type of drawing for a different reasons, but generally, it is intended to help children focus on what it is they are looking at, to notice the different elements of the object(s) and to create a representation in order to help them better understand it. 

These drawings represent preschool children's  observations of tadpoles in their early stage of development.  In the coming days and weeks, the children will watch as the tadpoles change-- as they first grow legs, then lose their tails, and ultimately become frogs.  As this happens, children will have the opportunity to watch and sketch the changes.  They will record, as scientists do, their observations onto paper so that they can reflect on the changes they saw.  Teachers will ask questions, "What's different now about the tadpoles? Let's look at the drawings from last week and see what changes have happened." 

How can you extend the learning at home?  Help your child notice the phenomena that happen all around him.  Give her a clipboard and pencil to sketch things they see and wonder about in the world.  For very young children, it is helpful to choose parts of things to sketch instead of entire objects (e.g.- sketch the wheel of the car, not the whole car.)  Talk about and label the parts of things that you see if your child is interested.  This is yet another opportunity to expand her vocabulary!  Compare his drawings of one tree/bird/truck to other ones you see.  How are they alike and how are they different?  Refrain from giving your child suggestions about how to approach her drawing.  Learning to draw is a developmental process-- one that takes time and practice, and each child goes about this in his own way.