The Developmental Benefits of Art- Making (Drawing) & Children Ages 4-5

Submitted by

Aysenur Yucel

As part of a Tutorial in Social Services Administration

April 13, 2016

Chatham University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Table of Contents

1.Title Page...................................................................................................... 1

2. Abstract............................................................................................................ 2-3

3. Introduction.................................................................................................... 3-5

4. Body................................................................................................................ 5- 17

5. Analysis........................................................................................................ 18-21

6. References................................................................................................... 21-22

Abstract

This current paper brings awareness of an important topic in which involves art making

such as drawing and children ages 4-5. Also, this current paper presents information from peer

reviewed articles and studies in which researchers have conducted. Art making such as drawing

helps children with their development in many areas such as social, emotional, physical,

language, and cognitive. When children draw, they are able to move their body, which helps

them to develop their gross, and fine motor skills. Also, drawing helps children to develop

language skills because they are able to use language when talking and describing their drawings

to others. Children not only develop their physical and language skills, but also their social skills.

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Children interact and talk to their friends, as well as to the adults who are involved when they are

drawing. Lastly, children are able to use their creativity to come up with ideas on what to draw

which helps develop their cognitive skills. These following are developmental benefits that art

making such as drawing has for children. Children enjoy doing drawing, and do it on a daily

basis, but it does allow them to develop certain skills. So, this may be an important topic to

research about as well as to know because it deals with children’s development.

Keywords: art making, children, drawing, developmental areas, developmental benefits, ages 4-

5, social, language, physical, emotional, & cognitive skills

Introduction

In today’s world, children develop their ideas through the exploration of the environment

as well as by interacting and communicating with adults and their peers through play and other

experiences, but these experiences also include art- making. There is a great amount of research

out there that focuses on children’s art making such as drawing, as well as the developmental

benefits it has for the children such as social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive.

Children can develop their social skills through the interaction with their peers, as well as

with their teachers, parents, and other adults who are involved while the children are in the art

making process or making their drawings. They also can develop their emotional skills because

they can express their thoughts and feelings about their drawing to themselves or others. Not

only can children develop their emotional skills, but also their physical skills such as gross and

fine motor skills. Children can develop their gross motor skills because drawing allows children

to move around. While the children are completing their drawing, they are also moving around to

gather their materials, or when music is played in the background they are dancing while

drawing. They also develop their fine motor skills because as they are moving the pencil, or

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coloring using markers, crayons and colored pencils, they are also moving their arms and hands.

So, children can develop their social, emotional, and physical skills, but these are a few. Drawing

also allows children to develop their language skills. Children can develop their language skills

because they are talking with each other about their artwork, and they are learning to use

language and vocabulary. Children can learn new vocabulary such as art terms in which they

may not be familiar with, but as they are in the art making process they will get familiar with it.

Lastly, children can develop their cognitive skills because drawing allows them to use their

thinking and creativity. Also, through drawing children start to learn about the world around

them. When children draw, they each do their drawing in their own way, which shows that each

child is creative, unique, and has their own way of making their drawing. Drawing allows

children to do anything in which they like, and so there is no right or wrong answer.

Overall, these are the different developmental areas such as physical, social, emotional,

language and cognitive as well as how art making such as drawing benefits children. I chose this

research topic because of personal interest. I was not only interested in children’s art, making

and drawing, but also the developmental benefits drawing had for the children. I believed that

drawing was a very important topic to research about because it is something children enjoy

doing on a daily basis. Also, children start at an early age even if they are just scribbling, but

that is not the reason I wanted to focus my paper on 4-5 year old children. The reason is that

because I already have a background of that particular age, and I know what they are capable of

doing and learning. My plan for this research paper was to read peer reviewed articles in which

focused on the developmental benefits of art and children ages 4-5. I wanted to find out what

other researchers have done on this field of study, and then summarize their findings on this

research paper.

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Overall, the main purpose of this paper was to bring awareness of an important topic and

present the developmental benefits art making such as drawing had for the children. Also, the

main purpose of this paper was to provide information, and studies that other researchers have

conducted on this particular field of study. After reading those studies, and compiling the

information together, I wanted to present the information in which I found most important in my

tutorial paper so that whomever reads my tutorial paper can have an understanding of the

importance of this topic, as well as the developmental benefits that art making such as drawing

has for the children.

Body

Children’s development is very important and that there are a number of theories in which

exist in early childhood development which explain how young children develop and learn.

Based on the bio ecological systems theory, it focuses on the interactions and influences of the

outside environment of children’s development. The theorist who discovered this theory is Urie

Brofenbrenner. Urie Bronfenbrenner was an American psychologist who was interested in

human development, but also was interested in the interaction between the individual and the

environment. “He developed the ecological systems theory to explain how everything in a child

and the child’s environment affected how a child grew and developed”(Oswalt, 1995-2016). He

suggested that development should be represented as circles within circles, and each ring depicts

a different interactive system. The inside circle represents the child and the first layer outside the

child’s layer is the microsystem. The microsystem is the direct and immediate environment that

the child interacts with such as with their family, friends, classmates, teachers, neighbors, and

other people have a direct child’s environment. As for the second layer, which is the mesosystem

it depicts the interactions that is going on in the microsystem. For example, how the different

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parts of the child’s microsystem is working together to help the child develop. The third layer is

the exosystem, which affects the child more indirectly because these may be people that the child

may not interact a lot with. These may be people such as parents’ work places, extended family

members, and the neighborhood. These people may still have a large effect on the child. The last

layer is the macrosystem, which has a great influence on the child. The last layer involves the

laws, customs, and values of a particular society and these may affect the child negatively and

positively. (Oswalt, 1995-2016).

Overall, by looking at this theory, we have a better understanding why children develop and

learn as they do and the interactions they have within their environment. It does look like

children learn and develop better when they interact and engage with other. A way that children

can be engaged and interacted is through art making such as drawing. We will understand how

children can develop certain skills when they are drawing. Though the peer-reviewed articles we

will look at will mostly be about drawings, which is an aspect of visual arts. The two articles in

the beginning will talk about visual arts in general, but because children are first introduced to

drawing that will be the main focus. Also, drawing has many benefits to the different

developmental areas such as physical, emotional, social, language, cognitive skills, and these

following articles will explain why.

The first article is called: “The Importance of Art Viewing Experiences in Early Visual Arts:

The Exploration of a Master Art Teacher’s Strategies for Meaningful Early Arts Experiences” by

Angela Eckhoff (2008). In this article, even though the study focused on children ages from 4-

11, it still involved children who were 4-5 because researchers did it in two parts. First, they

studied 16 children, which involved 11 girls, and 5 boys. The second study involved preschool

age children and there were 9 girls, and 7 boys. The children were introduced to many artworks

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and the study took place during a summer program at the Denver Art Museum. The results were

collected through observations using field notes, transcriptions of audiotaped sessions, and semi-

structured interviews with the art teacher. The children’s talking about the art objects, an art

project, art tools, or art materials were the only focus for this study. The exploring within the

visual arts positively engaged the children during their art experiences. We can understand from

this study that children were able to use hands on materials to complete their art project. As they

were participating in this art project, and using hands on materials, they were learning the

different tools they used, exploring the different visual arts as well as talking with each other.

Overall, from the article: “The Importance of Art Viewing Experiences in Early Visual

Arts: The Exploration of a Master Art Teacher’s Strategies for Meaningful Early Arts

Experiences” by Angela Eckhoff (2008), we can understand that children were using the

different hands on materials, and exploring the different art materials, as well as making art, but

they were developing their physical, social, cognitive, and language skills in the meantime. We

can further our understanding that they were developing their physical skills because they were

moving their hands and arms to complete their art project. They were developing their social

skills because they were learning to talk and interact with each other. Not only were the children

learning and to talk and interact with each other from the study, they were also learning the

different tools they used and exploring the different visual arts. Lastly, children were coming up

with ideas for what they were going to do for their artwork which at the same time their

cognitive skills were developing. These were the areas of development that benefited from art.

The developmental areas of visual arts were also discussed in the following article.

The second article is called: “Conversational Pedagogy: Exploring Interactions Between a

Teaching Artist, and Young Learners During Visual Arts Experiences” by Angela Eckhoff

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(2012). It also talks about art making, and we can see the developmental benefits of art making.

In this article, there was a qualitative study and the purpose of the study was to gain insights and

understand conversation as an important component in early childhood arts. This study focused

on four year olds, and the study took place in a small public childcare center. The study used an

observational instrument to measure children’s interactions. These interactions included student

participation in the art experiences, and sharing their work. After conducting their study,

researchers analyzed their data and found that students spent more time engaging and working

with other students. From their study, researchers found that engagement, encouragement, and

conversations played a huge role in the art experiences of the children. Researchers concluded

that people should incorporate activities that involve drawing, and allow the children to

communicate while they are participating in the drawing activities.

Overall, the findings that researchers have found from their study in the article:

“Conversational Pedagogy: Exploring Interactions Between a Teaching Artist, and Young

Learners During Visual Arts Experiences” by Angela Eckhoff (2012) showed important

implications. It showed important implications because the researchers were able to see the

importance of conversations going on between the children during their art making. We can then

further our understanding that art was beneficial to children’s development because they learned

to interact and talk to one another. When children were talking and interacting with each other,

this showed that they were developing their social skills. Though, they were also developing

their language skills because it looked like the children were communicating with each other and

having conversations. Also, children were developing their physical skills especially their gross

motor skills because they were drawing and using their arms. Lastly, children were able to use

their creativity as well as their own ideas for their drawing because they were not doing the same

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drawing, which showed that art could allow children to develop their cognitive skills. In

conclusion, we can see how beneficial art making in general was for children, and their

development in the different areas. As mentioned before, the next few sections will contain peer

reviewed articles about drawing because that is an example of visual arts as well as a way of art

making for children ages 4-5.

The article we will look at is called: “Making meaning: children’s perspective expressed

through drawings”, by Johanna Einarsdottir, Sue Dockett, & Bob Perry (2009). In this article, it

discussed the importance of art making, examined the benefits, and discussed implications of

using art making as a way of engaging the children ages 4-6 years. Researchers have asked

children to share their experiences of preschool and asked children to draw. They asked the

children to draw about their preschool years because the researchers wanted to engage the

children in conversations. Children were given familiar art tools so that the researchers could

encourage them to engage in conversations. Researchers concluded from their study that not

everyone likes drawing, but drawing is beneficial because it is a way of communication.

Children were able to communicate with each other, which helped them to develop their

social skills. Children also were able to use their arm, and their hands to draw their experiences

in the preschool years, which helped to develop their physical and especially their gross motor

skills. They also were developing their cognitive skills because they had to think about their

preschool years in order to draw it onto the paper. Lastly, they were developing their language

skills because they were communicating with the adults as well as with other children who were

involved in the study.

Overall, we can understand that from the findings that researchers have found from their

study have important implications. It has important implications because much of the recent

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research that is done shows the importance of listening to children’s talk during their drawing. It

is important, and relevant to them because when children talk and draw, they construct and

convey meaning. In conclusion, even though they said that some might not enjoy drawing, the

article still shows the benefits that drawing has for children in the different developmental areas

and that drawing is a way of engaging with the children.

Children’s drawings and communication is also mentioned in the article called: “Young

children talking and drawing”, by Elizabeth Coates (2006). In this article, there was study in

which the purpose was to explore the relationship between children’s drawings, as well as

consider the implications and understand the relationship between their drawings to their

creative, and conceptual development. The study focused on children with ages 3-4 and 4-5. The

investigation of the study was open ended so researchers provided the children with art materials

and had them make images of their choice. The researchers role was to observe the conversations

the children had. Researchers investigated from their study the role of their talk, the nature of

their drawing, and children’s creative, and conceptual development.

Researchers concluded from the study that children were talking about their drawings,

but there was also a lot of social talk and it was not related to art, but children were talking about

their homes, families, friends, and class. Overall, from the article “Making meaning: children’s

perspective expressed through drawings”, by Johanna Einarsdottir, Sue Dockett, & Bob Perry

(2009)”, we can understand that during children’s drawings, there was a lot of social talk. This

showed that while children were drawing and doing their artwork, they were developing their

social skills. Also, children were developing their gross and fine motor skills because they were

drawing and using their arms. Children were drawing and given the freedom to draw anything of

their choice so they were using their creativity and cognitive skills to come up with something

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they wanted to draw. Lastly, children were able to talk with one another using complete

sentences, and words even if it was not about their drawings.

In the following article, it is also about drawing and how one can use children’s drawings

for communication. The article at is called: “The role of drawing in promoting young children’s

communication”, by Joyce Ofosua Anim (2012). In this article, researchers discussed the role of

drawing in enhancing children’s communication skills. Also, identified the various ways in

which people can use drawing to facilitate children’s communication. The study in this article

focused on the use of observation and semi structured interviews as their method for data

collection. The study was located in a preschool setting in Dublin and children ages 4-5 was

involved. Researchers concluded from their study that drawing was a way of learning and it

helped children to develop their language and communication skills. Also, researchers concluded

that drawing helped to express their feelings and emotions. We can understand from their

conclusion the impact of drawing on children’s communication skills, but also the value of

children’s drawings.

Overall, the main findings of the research in the article: “The role of drawing in

promoting young children’s communication”, by Joyce Ofosua Anim (2012) have demonstrated

how drawing can be an effective form of communication for children ages 4-5. In addition, the

findings highlighted the significance in the overall development of the child such as their

physical, social, language, and cognitive skills.

In another article called: “Young children drawing: the significance of the context”, by

Kathy Ring (2001). In this article, researchers discussed the role of drawing in children’s

development such as their physical, social, language, emotional, and cognitive. It was said in this

article “yet drawing is one of the many languages which children use to talk about their world,

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both to themselves, and to others” (Ring, 2001). So, researchers said that through drawing

children could represent action, emotion, ideas and experiences.

The study that was done in this article: “The role of drawing in promoting young

children’s communication”, by Joyce Ofosua Anim (2012)” focused on 4-5 year old children and

had a different way of using data, and collection. It was different because researchers collected

their data as part of a three-year longitudinal research project. The longitudinal research project

was about young children and drawing across settings. It was to illustrate the importance of the

context such as physical, social, and cultural. Their evidence was collected for one month, which

was at the beginning of the school year. Researchers collected case studies of seven children’s

use of drawings across home, and preschool settings. Their data was collected through booklets

of each child’s drawings in each setting. Also, semi-structured interviews between the adults and

children were used to collect data. In addition, photographs, and digital images were used to

gather data as well.

Researchers concluded from the study that the role of drawing in children’s learning was

frequently being misunderstood because adults were not seeing particularly the relationship

between drawing as communication and drawing as art. Researchers brought attention to those

who engaged children with drawing to reconsider the place and value of drawing within the

curriculum. So, not only should they give value to children’s drawings, but also they should

motivate children’s talking and support learning. Overall, we can understand from this article

the value of drawing, but also the value of learning through talking and engaging with the

children.

The next article we will look at is called: “ Conversations about visual arts: Facilitating

oral language, by Ni Chang (2014). In this article, researchers discussed visual arts such as

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drawings and how it could help children to enhance their oral language skills. This article

described the significance of facilitating children’s oral language by the talking between the

adults and the children. Researchers said that by age 4-5, most children already knew how to use

language, and knew how to express their thoughts and feelings. Though they said that drawing

was a way that could help children to develop their language skills because of the

communication that happened between the adults, and the children. The article used children

from birth to age 8 and did a qualitative research study. The conversations between the adult and

the child were audio taped. The purpose of the recording was for the researchers to collect data

on their interactions. This study was to explore the interactions between the adult and child as

well as how art facilitated oral language development. Researchers concluded from their study

that it was important that adults were talking to the children, as they were drawing and making

their art. In order for the children to develop their oral language skills, the adults were to

interact with them and talk to them simply asking them questions about their artwork such as:

“Could you please tell me about your drawing”(Chang, 2014)?

Overall, we can understand from this article: “Conversations about visual arts:

Facilitating oral language, by Ni Chang (2014)” that children can develop their language skills if

they are interacted with people, but they can also develop their other skills as well, which may

not be mentioned in this article itself. Even if this article only mentions about oral language and

how it benefits children’s development, we need to also take in consideration of the benefits that

drawing has for their physical such as their gross and fine motor skills, cognitive, emotional, and

social skills.

In another article called: “Drawing skills and science concepts in young children: A study

of the relationships, by P. Laverne Nelson, Sue S. Martin, and Vernoice G. Baldwin (1998). In

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this article, researchers discussed the relationships between drawing skills of young children ages

4-8 years, but in a scientific way. We wanted to know if children could develop their social and

cognitive skills when engaged in art. Even if researchers looked at the relationship between the

development of children’s drawing skills and their development in the cognitive area of science,

the study also investigated social and cognitive development of young children. The study

included one hundred seventeen children ranging in age from 4- 8 years, and they came from

local preschool programs and a public elementary school. Forty-two were boys, and 49 were

girls mostly Caucasian and they completed a material identification task, which was determining

the children’s ability to recognize materials of wood, metal, plastic, and glass. The children were

asked individually to show the materials that were made of wood, and the materials that were not

made of wood. Their correct responses were tallied. On the other hand, the drawing task

involved the children to draw anything they wanted and with no time limitations. The researchers

recorded any conversation that the child had during their drawing.

In this article: “Drawing skills and science concepts in young children: A study of the

relationships, by P. Laverne Nelson, Sue S. Martin, and Vernoice G. Baldwin (1998)”, in order

to prove that their study was accurate, researchers collected their data using a total drawing

score, which was a panel of three public school art teachers viewing each child’s drawing. The

panel rated the drawings according to their quality and gave a numerical score ranging from 1-4.

Instead of analyzing the drawing, they used the Gestalt Holistic Assessment, which was a tool

used to assess the overall quality of the art products. Another way they collected their data was to

ask the judges to place the drawings in one of the four developmental levels.

Researchers concluded from their study in the article “Drawing skills and science

concepts in young children: A study of the relationships, by P. Laverne Nelson, Sue S. Martin,

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and Vernoice G. Baldwin (1998)”, that it was limited because they only used one drawing task

and one materials identification task as their assessment. From looking at this article, we can

understand from their study that there was a connection between art and development in the

cognitive areas. Children could develop their cognitive skills because they were using their own

ideas, and creativity to make their art. Also, they were able to develop their social skills because

the children were talking and asking questions relating to their drawing task.

Children could also develop their physical, and language skills even if it was not the

focus of their study. Children were drawing so they were developing their gross motor skills as

well as their fine motor skills. For their gross motor skills, they were moving their arms and

hands to draw. For their fine motor skills, they were holding the pencil to write on the piece of

paper. Also, children were talking and asking questions relating to their drawing task so they

were using their language skills. In conclusion, the article shows the benefits of drawing for

children to their social and cognitive development, but also to other areas of development, which

are not presented in this tutorial. The following article called: “young children’s drawings, and

how their drawing reflected their feelings, thoughts, and actions” rather analyzed children’s

drawing, but it did talk about the developmental benefits as well.

In 2014, Hsu Ya-Huei article entitled young children’s drawings, and how their drawing

reflected their feelings, thoughts, and actions. The purpose of the study was to investigate any

meaningful expressions in the themes of young children’s drawings. The study that was done

was a qualitative research method in which used a case study, a nonparticipatory observation,

and document analysis. The case study was used to collect a large quantity of data from a single

or several cases. They collected young children’s drawings to determine the relationship between

young children’s drawings and the images they portrayed. Based on their research, researchers

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proposed a conclusion and several suggestions. Researchers concluded that drawings was an

alternative method of communication for young children, as well as enabled them to share their

ideas and emotions. In addition, drawing was a tool in which was used by the young children to

record their ideas, emotions, and experiences. Researchers discovered that young children used

their imagination and drew what they thought rather what they saw in their drawings. So,

drawing allowed the young children to use their creativity and helped them to understand the

difference between the sensory world and reality.

Overall, art making has many benefits, but we can understand from this article that

drawing has many benefits to young children’s development as well. The young children in the

article were able to express their thoughts and feelings, as well as use their ideas and creativity,

which showed that their cognitive and emotional skills were developing. Also, drawing was a

way of communication for the young children as it was mentioned in the article. This showed

that the young children were able to develop their language skills, and social skills through their

drawing making. Lastly, young children were making their drawings, and coloring, which this

was helping them to gain control of their gross and fine motor skills because their moving their

arms, and hands.

The last article is called: “Intention and meaning in young children’s drawing”, by Sue

Cox (2005). In this article, researchers discussed some ideas about young children’s drawings

and their development to making meaning and thinking. Researchers were interested in the way

in which children’s thinking developed. The study that was done took place over a period of a

year, and was spent in a nursery classroom. Children’s interactions in various activities were

observed and the study focused on drawing, painting, and other visual arts. The teachers and the

nursery assistants were supporting children’s ideas and communicating with the children. The

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researchers observation was done in a naturalistic way because as the children drew and painted,

researchers took notes on their talk, physical action, and their verbal, nonverbal interactions with

others. Their drawings and artwork were not the focus of this research so they were not observed.

The children’s interaction instead was the focus.

Researchers concluded from their study in the article: “Intention and meaning in young

children’s drawing”, by Sue Cox (2005) that the way children put together their drawing had a

purpose. The purpose was that children could recognize that power they put in their drawing, and

they knew that they were in the control of this. Also, researchers concluded from their study that

by exploring the aspects of the process and by showing the importance of talk, they were able to

understand drawing in its specific contexts. Researchers were able to show drawing as broader,

intentional meaning-making activity.

Overall, drawing does have many benefits for young children, and that we can have an

understanding that this article “Intention and meaning in young children’s drawing”, by Sue Cox

(2005)” does touch on some of the developmental benefits such as social, cognitive, emotional,

and physical. Children were interacting and talking so their social and language skills were

developing. They were also moving around, and using their arms for drawing and painting,

which their physical skills were developing. Also, children were thinking and using their ideas

for their drawing which they were developing their cognitive skills. Lastly, children were

experiencing and understanding the process of drawing, and painting so they were able to

develop their emotional skills.

In conclusion, the peer reviewed articles mentioned in this tutorial paper were very

helpful in learning and understanding the developmental benefits of art making such as drawing

for children ages 4-5. The next section will conclude the tutorial as well as emphasize the

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importance of art making such as drawing to children ages 4-5 and how it benefits them in the

different developmental areas.

Analysis

This tutorial paper focuses on the overall findings and studies that other researchers have

presented. We can conclude from their research and studies that art making such as drawing is

beneficial to the children’s development. In order for children to develop physically, socially,

mentally, and emotionally, they will need to engage in art activities that involve drawing.

Research shows that during their art making, children are able to develop their physical, social,

language, emotional, and cognitive skills. Art making such as drawing definitely has a

developmental benefit for children because not only they participate in the drawing process, but

they also develop certain skills.

It is important that children develop certain skills in order to be enrolled in school. Children

in their early years need to be encouraged and parents or other stakeholders have to ensure that

the children are developing these skills. It is mentioned in this tutorial paper that drawing can

help children with their development. So, this is why children’s drawings and their development

need to be understood by teachers, parents, and other stakeholders. Teachers, parents, caretakers

need to recognize the importance of art making such as drawing to the children’s development.

They need to keep in mind that children learn best when they are engaged in hands on activities.

Children only need a free drawing environment with appropriate resources as well as to be

interacted and engaged by their teachers, parents, or other stakeholders. We can understand that

children can draw, but they can also develop physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally.

There are many ways in which art making such as drawing can be used as a tool for children to

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help them develop. It was mentioned in the peer-reviewed articles, but the following are some

additional ways. The different developmental areas are broken down into categories.

Cognitive Skills: Children can develop their cognitive skills when they are drawing only if

someone is talking to them. One could be asking the children what they would like to draw or

help them brainstorm ideas. Allow the children to come up with some ideas of what they would

like to draw on their own, and have them list on a piece of paper. This will help develop their

cognitive skills. Once the children have an idea of what they would like to draw, then talk and

interact with the children while they are drawing because this will help to develop their social

skills.

Social Skills: Children can develop their social skills when they are drawing. A way to help

them develop this skill is to talk and interact with the children while they are drawing and

making their art. For example, a child decides to draw a cat on a piece of paper. One can talk to

the child while they are drawing the cat. One can ask the child what kind of cat they are drawing,

or ask them why they decided to draw a cat. They can interact with the child by asking questions

as well as letting them talk about their drawing and the cat. They can also develop their language

skills.

Language Skills: By talking and interacting with the children, they can also develop their

language skills. They can develop their language skills because as one is talking and interacting

with them, they will talk and interact back with that person. The children are able to use words

and complete sentences when talking and interacting during their art making which helps them to

build up their language skills. After the children are done with their drawing, they might also feel

something towards it, which will help them to develop their emotional skills.

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Emotional Skills: Children can develop their emotional skills by asking them what they

feel and what they think about their drawing. Children who are at age 4- 5 like to express what

they are feeling and thinking. Art making such as drawing gives that opportunity for the children.

For example, a child draws a flower because they are familiar with it and it reminds them of

Spring. You can then ask the child what they feel when they see the flower that they drew. The

child may say that the flower makes them feel happy, and excited because it reminds them of

Spring. Also, you can ask the child what they think about the flower. The child may say that the

flower reminds him of gardening because the child may have an experience where they planted a

flower with their mother. The drawing of a flower can allow the child to think back to the

experiences they had associated with the drawing and in this case the flower. We can see that the

child can develop their emotional skills as well as their physical when they interact and talk

about their drawing.

Physical Skills: Lastly, children can develop their physical skills such as their gross and fine

motor skills. They can develop this skill when you ask the children to get up and gather their

colored materials or play music in the background while they children are drawing. You can

allow the children to dance to the music while completing their drawing, and these will help

them to develop their gross and fine motor skills.

Overall, children take the great pleasure in moving the pencil across the surface such as the

paper, and leaving a mark on it, but drawing allows the children to do more than that. If only

people can see the importance and benefit of art making such as drawing to the different

developmental areas mentioned in this tutorial paper. Drawing may be something that children

do for enjoyment, but they also can develop certain skills. The purpose of this tutorial paper was

to talk about the developmental benefits of art making such as drawing to the children ages 4-5.

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In the peer- reviewed articles, the researchers discussed the importance of drawing, and how it

can help children with their development. I believe that there are a lot of research and studies out

there on this topic, but I think that people are not aware of and do not understand how art making

such as drawing can help children develop.

This research topic should be acknowledged because art making such as drawing does help

children to develop certain skills mentioned in this tutorial. We need to understand that children

enjoy drawing, but if drawing can be a tool to use with children in order to help them develop

their physical, social, language, emotional, and cognitive skills, then it should be used, and

children should be given more opportunities and time to draw. By completing my tutorial, I was

able to gain a better understanding of the developmental benefits that art making and drawing

has for all children, but the 4-5 year olds because that is the age I am putting my focus in.

References

Anim, J.O. (2012). The role of drawing in promoting the children’s communication.

Early Childhood Education.

Chang N. (2014). Conversations about visual arts: Facilitating oral language. Early Childhood

Education Journal. 42(6), 415-422

Coates, E., Coates, A. (2006). Young children talking and drawing. International Journal of Early

Years Education. 14(3), 221-241

Cox, S. (2005). Intention and Meaning in Young Children's Drawing. International Journal of

Art & Design Education. 24(2), 185-195

Eckhoff, A. (2008). The Importance of Art Viewing Experiences in Early Visual Arts: The

Exploration of a Master Art Teacher’s Strategies for Meaningful Early Arts

Experiences. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35(5), 463-472

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Eckhoff, A. (2012). Conversational Pedagogy: Exploring Interactions Between a Teaching

Artist, and Young Learners During Visual Arts Experience. Early Childhood

Education Journal, 41(5), 365-372

Einarsdottir, J., Dockett, S & Perry B. (2009). Making meaning: children’s perspective expressed

through drawings. Early Child Development and Care. 179(2), 217-232

Hunter, S. (2016). Why is drawing important for children’s development. Kiwi Families.

Retrieved from: http://www.kiwifamilies.co.nz/2012/06/why-drawing-important-

childrens-development/

Nelson, P.L, Martin, S.S & Baldwin, V.G. (1998). Drawing skills and science concepts in

young children: A study of relationships. Studies in Art Education. 39(3)

Oswalt, Angela. (1995-2016). Child & adolescent development: Overview Urie Bronfenbrenner

and child development. Gulf Bend Center. Retrieved from:

http://www.gulfbend.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=7930&cn=28

Ring, K. (2001). Young children drawing: the significance of the context. Education Line.

Ya-Huei, H. (2014). Analyzing children’s drawings. 21st Century Academic Forum Conference

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