Should I be worried about this?

2-Step · August 2013

My son just turned four. He is smart and social. He knows his letters and numbers and can write his name. He is exceptional with gross motor skills, like he attracts major attention wherever we go with his ability to hit a fast pitch, golf at the driving range, catch pop fly balls, play soccer etc. He is obsessed with sports and has been from day one.

The thing he won't or maybe can't do is draw/color. His preschool teacher seems somewhat concerned about this. I also thought it just wasn't his thing. Today when I got to preschool there were two drawings in his box. One looked like it was colored by a 3rd grade IMO. It was a picture of a little girl and every color was right, her skin was peach her dress was purple, the lines in the dress were pink etc. Everything was pretty well within the lines and looked like it took some time. Then, attached to it was my DS's version. It had one giant scribble across the entire page in blue and that was it. I think she was trying to get me to see where he is at compared to other kids maybe?

He loves to paint and will write letters/play word games, but he will not color for anything. I've tried to get him to do it at home and he usually scribbles and then throws the crayon across the room. The other day he crumbled a crayon up in pieces and I told him if he didnt use them properly we would have to throw his new crayon set away. He said OK and did it himself!

My though is that it is just not his thing and he wants to get the picture done so he can move on to something else. He is not artistic and not interested in art at all. But, the teacher seems concerned that he is not coloring at the level of other kids in the class. He has no attention issues and is very calm and sweet in class she says.

Is this something I should be worried about or is the teacher overreacting?

RondackHiker · August 2013

I don't know. I might call his pedi and ask about it. It may be just that he's not interested, but it seems like he should be able to do more than a large scribble at the age of four.

2-Step · August 2013

RondackHiker said:

I don't know. I might call his pedi and ask about it. It may be just that he's not interested, but it seems like he should be able to do more than a large scribble at the age of four.

Yeah, I called the pedi and he is not due for his yearly appointment until October, so I thought I would just address it then. But then I got worried about it. I'm not sure he can't do it, it might just be that he won't. He is pretty stubborn. However, I would hate to dismiss it and then have it be a real problem with he enters kindergarten. I guess I'll try working with him more and see.

RondackHiker · August 2013

https://www.learningdesign.com/Portfolio/DrawDev/kiddrawing.html

Here's some info about regular drawing development. Now, I don't know if it 'drawing milestones' really mean anything. They may mean nothing, especially since he's hitting other milestones.

Curls218 · August 2013

This may sound like a silly question, but is he color blind? I'm just trying to think why he'd get frustrated with coloring specifically when he's excelling in other areas.

RondackHiker · August 2013

mariahd1 said:

Curls218 said:

This may sound like a silly question, but is he color blind? I'm just trying to think why he'd get frustrated with coloring specifically when he's excelling in other areas.

Lurking... This! My husband is color blind, all colors, and would always get low grades for coloring a leaf blue or the sky pink. He hated art class until he was diagnosed, and by then the damage was done.

This is a good idea. The throwing and crumpling the crayon made me wonder if he was frustrated.

My hand used to hurt when I learned to write because I held it wrong. Maybe it could also be something like that?

I think there's a number of things you could look into for this.

Does he like other forms of art, like tracing or gluing shapes? If he does, I wonder if there's something making him struggle and become frustrated.

LoCarb · August 2013

Is it only crayons? Have you tried markers or the Crayola color explosion and large floor mat pad?

2-Step · August 2013

Thanks for the responses. I am interested about the color blind thing. I may ask his pedi about that.

He does seem on track in other areas, even other fine motor skills like buttoning, lacing, legos etc. I probably need to encourage more drawing/art. We do a lot of gross motor stuff here at home, but not a ton of the other stuff.

st.augbride · August 2013

Can he identify all his colors? That would help you address that. If so (meaning color blindness isn't the issue), it might be worth seeing an OT to get an assessment and see what they say. You could always just get some exercises to do at home and maybe f/u once or twice per month if needed for a bit.

groovygrl · August 2013

My four yr old boy also does not like anything related to drawing or writing. He usually opts out of the writing stuff in preschool if it optional though it will be interesting to see how that goes in pre-k. He can write his name but not very well & spaces out the letters so much he can never write it in the space provided...he def knows all his colors and letters and is able to trace things when he feels like it. I have chalked it up to not being something he enjoys doing (he really doesn't like most art-related activities in general though he's also easily frustrated when he doesnt catch on to something quickly) and did not worry about it much though I can see it being a bigger issue in pre-k so I guess I will have to wait & see if they can get him to do more this year.
GL!

MNgirl326 · August 2013

A lot of kids get frustrated with coloring with crayons because it takes vey specialized fine motor skills, You can't color too hard, or the crayon breaks, you can't color to light or the color doesn't show up. Also some kids get frustrated that crayons get dull so quickly.

And free draw can be very overwhelming for some kids because there are SO many things they could draw, but the developmentally they can't get their hand to do what their brain wants them to do.

I would check the color blindness thing. But honestly, other then that I wouldn't push it. Celebrate his success when it comes to art, but otherwise, let him be. Pushing him is only going to get him more frustrated. Also maybe try different types of art utensils- colored pencils, bigger thicker crayons, markers, maybe even pastels. Let him see that there are LOTS of different types of art mediums. And Maybe show him it is okay to make mistakes. Sit down with some paper and let him watch you- let him see you make a mistake, model how you can fix your mistake, etc.

Good luck!

2-Step · August 2013

abartow said:

A lot of kids get frustrated with coloring with crayons because it takes vey specialized fine motor skills, You can't color too hard, or the crayon breaks, you can't color to light or the color doesn't show up. Also some kids get frustrated that crayons get dull so quickly.
And free draw can be very overwhelming for some kids because there are SO many things they could draw, but the developmentally they can't get their hand to do what their brain wants them to do.
I would check the color blindness thing. But honestly, other then that I wouldn't push it. Celebrate his success when it comes to art, but otherwise, let him be. Pushing him is only going to get him more frustrated. Also maybe try different types of art utensils- colored pencils, bigger thicker crayons, markers, maybe even pastels. Let him see that there are LOTS of different types of art mediums. And Maybe show him it is okay to make mistakes. Sit down with some paper and let him watch you- let him see you make a mistake, model how you can fix your mistake, etc.
Good luck!

Thanks, this is great advice. I got some markers and colored pencils and encouraged him to draw tonight. He drew a house and then was frustrated because it didn't look right. He is quite a perfectionist and I think that is playing into it. I modeled some ideas of windows, a sun, people and he copied them down and did a great job. But, then he was done. He had no desire to come up with things to draw on his own. Then he scribbled over the entire picture because it didn't look right and he wanted to "hide it from daddy". I'm thinking the perfectionism might be playing into this more than I previously thought.

thedash · August 2013

Could you look online for sports themed coloring pages for him? Also if he's concerned about perfection try a simple color by numbers idea where you put a green G on the grass and a blue B on the sky so he doesn't have to make decisions about what color goes where.

I also hated art in school because I was a perfectionist about it. I always thought my pictures looked dumb or ugly compared to the ones in the books. Maybe you could try to introduce a more forgiving art form. I remember making sun catchers with swirled paint and tie dyed shirts. They were more fun for me because they are supposed to be messy and uneven. Oh and I am colorblind but still enjoyed the bright colors I can actually see!

nosoup4u · August 2013

How does he do with writing letters? You said before that he can write his name, does he like to just "write" in general? He's okay with other fine motor skills?

I agree with getting him other materials to draw with - markers, oil pastels, pencils, pens, etc. But also encourage other media - painting (specifically, watercolor paints) are great, play-doh/clay, cutting with scissors. If he likes coloring books, go ahead, but he might not be interested. Art is definitely more than just drawing (I teach art, btw).

My older son wasn't interested in drawing until he could draw representational figures fairly well. He didn't draw much is first year of Pre-K, but it really picked up this past year (when he was 4.5+). Try not to draw things for him, or even show him how to make things - you can talk about how *you* would do it, but really emphasize that everyone draws differently, esp. kids vs. grown-ups. But it's great to sit and doodle/draw with him, my kids always like that quite a bit. Even if it's studying the different lines that can be made with markers vs. crayons (which might be more of a low-pressure way to draw for him).

If he seems to have trouble with fine-motor skills in general, I think it'd be worth a visit to an OT, like someone said above. But it does sound like his teacher is panicking a bit.

litzo27 · August 2013

I agree with PP - if he doesn't seem to have issue with fine motor skills such as writing and actually enjoys them then I would not worry about it. Not every kid likes every activity. DS1 will not put on a costume or a mask or have his face painted or play any dress up for his life. But he loves all other activities. I like the prior suggestion of trying other mediums. I personally hate crayons but love paints and pencils. Maybe he'll like something.

Oh and unfortunately it's hard to test for color-blindness at this age. My father is color-blind so my sons have 50/50 chance but we're just going to test now at 5.

TCMom78 · August 2013

Try stencils or tracing? Maybe that will help him feel like what he makes is more "realistic". Or have him copy some abstract art? Finger paints? Stamping? Plopping paint onto paper? Starting with those things might be better?

groovygrl · August 2013

I forgot to add to my post that MH tells me that he was so bad at coloring in kindergarten that he had to go to "a special class" (??? occ therapy?) to learn to color in the lines...he has very little interest in art or art related things to this day , so I do think part of could just be part of who my DS is... while I don't want him to be delayed/troubled in writing and would love for him to be more interested in art, I don't feel the need ot push him at something he clearly isn't interested in. I guess I don't really understand why (other than for writing or if there is a true fine motor concern) kids *have* to enjoy art any more than they have to enjoy other activities?

RondackHiker · August 2013

groovygrl said:
I forgot to add to my post that MH tells me that he was so bad at coloring in kindergarten that he had to go to "a special class" (??? occ therapy?) to learn to color in the lines...he has very little interest in art or art related things to this day , so I do think part of could just be part of who my DS is... while I don't want him to be delayed/troubled in writing and would love for him to be more interested in art, I don't feel the need ot push him at something he clearly isn't interested in. I guess I don't really understand why (other than for writing or if there is a true fine motor concern) kids *have* to enjoy art any more than they have to enjoy other activities?

I'd be more concerned about his perfectionist tendencies preventing him from enjoying something fun.

He doesn't HAVE to enjoy it, but drawing is used in school. We used to have to draw and illustrate things in school at all grade levels. I'd want to know he's capable of drawing

groovygrl · August 2013

True re drawing things in the school years... and the perfectionist tendencies, that is a whole separate issue than not liking to draw... GL OP, hope it is just a phase or one of those things...

2-Step · August 2013

Ok, I bought an art set and we've tried watercolor, colored pencils and pens. He seems to really like the watercolors and pens, but he still doesn't like coloring within the lines. He can do it because we practiced "just for fun" and he did great, but was bored after coloring half of a goat and every time he went a tiny bit outside the lines he stopped and pointed at it and said "oops!". I also bought some activity books with connect the dots and mazes and he is loving those. I think he likes having a goal and being able to "win".

Did I mention he is competitive and a perfectionist? This is a kid who would only potty train if someone said they were going to beat him to the bathroom to go first and make more pee than him. That was the ONLY motivator that worked for him. So, I am thinking it might be personality more than anything.

I will keep an eye on it though. Thanks for all of your thoughtful responses.

tyke29 · August 2013

You may also want to talk with teacher about not making it a big deal. So he feels more comfortable doing it his way. My DS just started K-3 and I love that his teacher lets him do stuff his way - but right. Like the instructions were to draw around your hand. My DS placed his hand down and drew all the way around it (not figures - just a larger cirlce shape). I love that she thought that was fine. Just because it is not prefect or the way most people would do it, it is still good and fine. And coloring in the lines at 4 years old is hard. I would think that is more like 1st grade.

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