When children show you their drawings, rather than assuming what the picture is, ask them to tell you about it. You may find there's much more than meets the eye!

Materials:

• Paper
• Markers
• Paints
• Crayons

Directions:

You could talk about the kinds of things children often draw:

• a self-portrait;
• a portrait of family members;
• a drawing of a car, or bus, or house, or pet;
• a drawing of something they have seen (the bulldozer at a neighborhood construction site).

Young children seldom draw things the way they look to adults, but by asking children to tell you about what they have drawn, you can come to learn what the lines and curves and shapes mean to them. Some children might want you to write down the words they say about their pictures. You could write the words on the back or on a separate piece of paper and attach it to the child's work with tape or a paper clip so you don't alter their work. Older children might be able to "read" the words back to you as they begin to learn what letters mean.

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