As your toddler grows they will begin to show interested in making their mark, this may be on walls, carpets, floors themselves. This is completely normal and not a sign of bad behaviour you simply have to explain that it is wrong to draw on anything other than the things you wish them to draw on, it will take time but it will get through, often this can come to late for cream sofa’s or carpets, thank god for stain devils they remove stains from most surfaces but always check the label as you don’t want to make the problem worse.Eventually their endless scribbling with a chunky pen or crayon will make that first picture, a true prize. By two to three you'll find circles and lines appearing in the drawings, and by the time they get to preschool you may see these shapes being put together to form stick figures. Children learn to draw the same way they learn to speak, and later write by copying.
Drawing with children helps them discover that shapes can carry meanings, and more importantly, that they can create shapes themselves. Drawing with babies and toddlers is great fun. Start with simple shapes, naming them and stating the colour that they have used. They will recognise many from their picture books. Draw simple faces. As you draw, explain what you are doing: “look, a happy smile, a sad face, curly hair, this one has ear-rings“. Draw trees, flowers, grass, a house, and animals. They will quickly develop their own style and that will adorn your fridge and walls for many years to come, try to encourage it is a great way of expressing themselves and you never know you may just be the parent of a buddy Picasso.
