As soon as your toddler can hold a chunky crayon comfortably, he's ready to scribble and color with it. Giving him plenty of opportunities to doodle to his heart’s content helps your tot develop strength and control in his fingers now — and eventually, helps him understand that marks and lines can represent objects, shapes and letters.
Here’s how to introduce scribbling and coloring to your little Picasso, plus why this is such an important milestone. Fair warning: He might get so excited about making his mark that he scribbles everywhere except on the paper!
When do kids start coloring?
Break out those chunky crayons around the 1-year mark. Most toddlers are ready to start coloring and scribbling between 12 and 15 months, but like all things child-related, learning to draw is a process that happens in phases.
Here’s a timeline of when your budding artist may take off:
- 12 to 15 months: When your toddler has mastered the pincer grasp (holding objects with his thumb and forefinger), he'll likely be ready and willing to grasp a crayon well enough to make marks with it. Around this time, toddlers will use crayons primarily for large random arcs, blobs and unintentional scrawling — a study in pleasure rather than technique.
- 15 to 18 months: Your toddler's scribbling and coloring will probably graduate to expressive interpretation. You may not be able to see the forest or the trees in those swirls, but you’ll start to see blocks of color and more definitive marks and patterns.
- 18 to 24 months: His scribbles will likely fill up more space on the paper. At this age, every crayon stroke represents something to your little artist — those swirly loops may be a puppy or those vibrant stripes may be his daddy.
How to help your toddler start coloring
When it comes to your toddler's art supplies, safety comes first. Because he’s likely to put whatever he’s coloring with into his mouth, make sure all supplies are non-toxic — luckily, most kid-friendly art products are. However, you’ll want to stay away from pencils and pens, as their sharp points can be a poking hazard.
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To make the most of scribbling sessions, tape a few sheets of paper to the tray of your child's high chair or the floor to reduce the odds that they’ll slide around and frustrate him. Offer a few chunky, non-toxic crayons (they’re easier for itty-bitty hands to hold and are harder to break), and let him go wild — chances are, he’ll quickly realize the simple cause-and-effect of putting a crayon to paper on his own.
A certain amount of crayon nibbling is inevitable at this age, and probably won’t hurt him, but it should be discouraged (and watch out for possible tummy upset).
With any kid-friendly activity, close supervision is crucial, but do resist the temptation to give your curious toddler direction when it comes to creating works of art — let him explore on his own as much as possible.
What not to worry about when it comes to toddler scribbling
If your toddler isn’t interested in drawing or scribbling, he may want to get creative with other mixed media and techniques instead.
For example, he might enjoy drawing and coloring with chalk on a chalkboard, construction paper or the sidewalk; using rubber stamps; making collages with glue and paper, fabric and feathers; or painting with non-toxic, water-based paints using a thick-handled paint brush or sponges. Your child also may have fun drawing with markers (make sure they're water-based and washable) and squeezing, rolling and shaping child-safe play clay.
If your child isn’t able to deliberately release an object he’s holding by 12 months, still uses a fisted grasp to hold a crayon or doesn’t use a pincer grasp at 18 months, or can’t imitate a drawing of a vertical line by 24 months, mention it to your pediatrician.
When do kids start drawing?
Once your little Leonardo has mastered the art of scribbling and coloring, he’ll start moving on to bigger and better things. At around age 3, he’ll be able to draw more recognizable shapes, including circles.
As for when kids start drawing people? Expect a family portrait sometime around the age of 4. His people might not look like anyone in particular, but they’ll probably have at least a face, a body, and some arms or legs (or both). At this age, children also start drawing other familiar objects, like the sun or flowers.
As he gets nearer to kindergarten, your child will know the difference between drawing and writing, so his pictures might have “words” underneath that describe his masterpiece.
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