Coloring books and crayons – kids love them. But, what if you just gave your child just a plain piece of paper? It can be a good idea to let your kids color “outside the box.”

Fresno City College Child Development Instructor Marilyn Moore doesn’t recommend using coloring books. She prefers to have kids color outside the box.  “Coloring outside the box refers to allowing young children to express themselves freely by not using what we refer to as dictated.”  Coloring books are an example of dictated art; on each page there is someone else’s idea and the child’s only task is to fill in the spaces.

Making a child draw inside the lines can be counterproductive.  Marilyn says, “I think children learn very quickly. They’re sharp on whose ideas are best and who you need to please. If an adult on a consistent basis presents a form or an expected result, the child quickly learns; oh, the adults are the ones that have the good ideas. I will simply follow the directions.” Therefore, Marilyn believes children stop thinking independently.

We sometimes underestimate children for having their own ideas. They’re rich and full of ideas.
Kathy Ervine is an Early Childhood Education Specialist at the Fresno City College Child Development Center.  Kathy says if children develop the idea, they can create; they are the artist. “Maybe they’re just going to have a mark on the paper but there are stages on learning to draw and write.”

Stages of Drawing

Scribbling
To begin with, Marilyn says a child will just scribble. “First we’ll see scribbling. The 18 month old to the young 2 year old characterized, just like it sounds, experimentation with lines.”

Controlled Scribbling
The next stage is what teachers call controlled scribbling.  “And that’s more typical of about a 3 year old. We’ll begin to see the making of shapes.  It’s just more controlled.”

Patterns
Then a preschooler moves on to patterns. “Around age four or so we’ll see much more attention paid to putting shapes inside of other shapes; lines next to shapes; kind of creating patterns and designs.”

Pictorial
Gradually they enter the pictorial stage. “In the older preschool years 4 to 6, we see what we call pictorial. That’s when you start to see trees and rainbows and houses and people and animals – things that we begin to recognize as representing reality.”

Parents and individuals caring for young children can appreciate this sequence and Marilyn says they may look for those big steps in development which might be missed if they are just filling in little sections of a picture in a coloring book.

It’s also a good idea to sit down with your child; draw with them and be sure to talk about what they’re drawing.  Encourage your child to draw outside the box and you may be in for a pleasant surprise!

More Info for parents

Child Development Center
Fresno City College
1101 East University Ave,
Fresno, CA 93741
244-2691