What's in a Scribble?

Scribbling is a developmental milestone in young children. Many people look at scribbles and think, "That is ugly." These drawings were done by a four year old who is exhibiting multiple skills in one drawing. If you look at the first drawing you can see lots of scribbles but there are also some cross-hatch symbols and some closed shapes. This child is also able to put multiple closed shapes together to create a recognizable picture. 

In the second drawing the child has taken time to carefully write down letters. You can see how children's scribbling is actually a precursor to early literacy as well as self expression. 

Try this: Supply children as young as 18 months with drawing materials, save even the "ugliest" scribbles and record the date. Look at the collection in sequential order after about a year or two. You will see the progression from scribbles to symbols to pictures. To make learning even more apparent to children, look through their portfolio with them and point out how they have progressed. Most children love to see how they have developed over time. It also validates the work that they do when they see you have saved it and want to talk about it.

More about stages of drawing:

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

Learn about the role of documentation:

http://www.reggiokids.com/about/about_approach.php