Drawing and toddlers go hand-in-hand. It is a great way to work on vocabulary, practice sight words, and teach them appreciation for creative arts. The problem is, we aren’t all Picasso’s.
If you have little or no artistic skill, the key to drawing with your toddler is cheating. Yep. Cheating.
Simply find yourself a children’s book on drawing. I say children’s book because there are generally fewer steps and simpler, cartoon style drawings. We aren’t aiming for still life’s in oil here. The goal is to be able to draw a simple picture that your toddler can recognize.
I love the How to Draw 101… series. The instructions are really easy and the end result is actually pretty good. I use “How to Draw 101 Animals” about every other day with my toddler. (I, regrettably, paid full price on an impulse buy at a retail store. I recommend clicking here to buy it at a discount through Amazon.com.)
Sometimes, he chooses a picture. I draw it and write the name under it. When he wants to watch a movie, I write three titles on the chalkboard with a little picture of an animal from the movie next to it so he can choose. Sometimes, we choose a letter of the alphabet and draw a bunch of animals that start with that letter. I am not joking. I use these books all the time!
Not only does my son think I can draw, but I am actually learning how to as I practice.