Children's Art Developmental Progress
Age 2 to 4/
Scribbling stage
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Holds pencil in preferred hand, with improved tripod grasp
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Matches 3-4 colours correctly
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Recognises minute details in picture books
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Enjoys simple familiar stories read from picture book
Age 4 to 7/
Pre-schematic stage
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Colors become more realistic and stereotypical
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Often create stories to go along with their drawings
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Skyline and ground lines start to show
Age 7 to 9/
Schematic stage
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Drawings become far more detailed
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Colors are reflected as they appear in nature
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They may become very frustrated if they are unable to create a realistic picture.
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This is the time when children may express “I can’t draw.”
Age 9 to 11/
Dawning realism stage
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Becomes aware of a lack of ability to show objects the way they appear in the surrounding environment
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Objects no longer stand on a base line
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Three dimensional effects are achieved along with shading and use of subtle color combinations
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The human is shown as girl, boy, woman, man clearly defined with a feeling for details often resulting in a "stiffness" of representation
Note: The above content is from:
FROM BIRTH TO FIVE YEARS: CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS, Mary Dorothy Sheridan, Routledge, 2008
CREATIVE AND MENTAL GROWTH, Viktor Lowenfeld, Macmillan Co., New York, 1947.
THE FIVE STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN’S ART
From Salome R. A. and Moore, B. E.