CHAPTER 11 —Developmental Levels and Art

 
OVERVIEW
Children grow and develop in their creative abilities just as they do in mental, physical,
social, and emotional areas. There are developmental stages in art that are guides to
what a child can do in art at different ages. There is no exact pattern for each age level,
but a gradual process of development through which every child progresses. An
understanding of developmental levels tells a teacher what came before and what is to
come in the artwork of children.
 
Cooke, Lowenfeld, and Kellogg are a few of the children’s art theorists discussed in
Chapter 11. Basic to all art theories is that each stage of art is a part of the natural and
normal aspects of child growth and development. These stages are sequential, with
each stage characterized by increasing progress. There are three developmental levels
in drawing that apply to early childhood development: the scribble stage, the basic
forms stage, and the pictorial stage.
 
The scribble stage begins at about age 18 months to 2 years. It is made up of the early
stage of random/disordered scribbling and the later stage of controlled scribbling. The
basic forms stage follows the scribble stage. This stage is achieved when the child has
enough motor control and hand-eye coordination to repeat forms such as rectangles,
squares, and circles. The basic forms stage is made up of the early basic forms stage
(oval or circle) and the later basic forms stage (rectangle and square).
 
The third stage of art development is the pictorial stage. Pictures or first drawings are
made by the child for a purpose. Basic forms perfected in the preceding stage suggest
images to the child that stand for ideas in the child’s own mind. The pictures children
draw are made up of symbols. Symbols are a visual representation of something
important to the child.
 
The first drawing stage is made up of the early pictorial stage and the later pictorial
stage. The later pictorial stage involves the child’s development and use of his or her
personal scheme. This is the child’s individual, special way of drawing forms. First
drawings are an important step in the development of written communication.
 
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, students should be able to:
 Define the concept of developmental levels/stages of art and their importance in
early childhood education.

Describe the scribble stage, including appropriate materials for use in this stage.

Explain the basic forms (preschematic) stage, including appropriate materials for use
in this stage.

Discuss the pictorial (schematic) stage, including appropriate materials for use in this
stage.

Discuss the gang stage, including appropriate materials for use in this stage.

 
KEY TERMS
basic forms stage — The child is able to make basic forms such as rectangles,
squares, and circles because of increased motor control and hand-eye coordination.
controlled scribbling — The child has found it possible to control the marks made.
The child is able to make the marks go in the direction(s) desired.
developmental levels in art — A guide to what a child can do in art at different ages,
but not a strict guideline. Individual differences must always be taken into consideration.
There are three developmental levels in drawing: the scribble stage, the basic forms
stage, and the pictorial stage.
disordered/random scribbling — The young child does not have control over hand
movements or the marks on a page. The marks are random and go in many directions.
early basic forms stage — This stage involves the ability to draw an oval or circle.
Both of these early forms develop from circular scribbles.
early pictorial stage — The stage at which a child works on making and perfecting one
or many symbols.
emergent diagram shapes — Basic forms or diagrams made with single lines forming
crosses and outlines of circles, triangle, and other shapes.
gang stage — The stage in art development when the child becomes more aware of
how things look in his or her drawings. This awareness is often expressed with more
detail in the child’s schema.
later basic forms stage — This stage involves the ability to draw the rectangle and
square. These are made when the child can purposefully draw separate lines of any
length desired.
later pictorial stage — The stage at which a child draws symbols easily and more
exactly.
mandala — A variety of circular patterns.
pictorial stage — Pictures or first drawings are made by the child for a purpose. These
are made up of a child’s symbols.
portfolio — Samples of the child’s work collected over time.
pre-schematic — In the basic forms stage, forms are drawn in and of themselves and
not to represent a particular object. For example, the child draws a rectangular form
over and over in a variety of sizes. At this point, this rectangle is not the child’s scheme
or idea of a house.
representational art — Art in which symbols are used to represent an idea.
schema — An individual pattern or way of drawing unique to an individual.
scribble stage — This stage begins at about age 18 months to 2 years. It is made up of
the early scribble stage (random/disordered scribbling) and the later scribble stage
(controlled scribbling).
symbol — A visual representation of something important to the child.
two-dimensional media — Any art form that is flat.
 
SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AND EXPERIENCES
Books:
If students are interested in reading more about the theorists referred to in the chapter,
these books offer a good start.

Arnheim, R. (1954). Art and visual perception: The psychology of the creative

experience. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Cole, N. R. (1960). The arts in the classroom. New York: The John Day Co.

Goodenough, R. (1926). Measurement of intelligence by drawings. New York:

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Lasky, L., & Mukerji R. (1980). Art: Basic for young children. Washington, DC:
NAEYC.

 McFee, J. (1970). Preparation for art (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage

Learning.

Piaget, J. (1955). The child’s conception of reality. London: Routledge and Kegan

Paul.

Seefeldt, C. (1995, March). “Art: A serious work.” Young Children, 39–44.

 
Websites:
http://portfolio.educ.kent.edu/schneiderj/kids.htm  (Links to an external site.)Links to
an external site.. This website gives details of characteristics of each stage in
children’s art development.
http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/alkhalai/child.characte.html  (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site.. Children’s Drawings and the Developmental
Artistic Characteristics. On this website, the theories of Lowenfeld, Mendelowitz,
 Read, Kellogg, Edwards and Hurwitz, and Day are discussed in their relationship
to children’s art development.
 
TRANSPARENCY
Theories of Art Development

 
Cognitive Theory:

Goodenough (1926), Reggio Emilia (1987)

Children draw what they know

Children’s drawings represent their level of thinking

Children’s drawings increase in complexity as the children grow and have

more experiences

 
Cognitive Development Theory:

Piaget (1955)

Art is related to the ability to understand object permanence

What is absent can be recalled

 
Psychoanalytic Theory:

Cole (1960)

Children draw what they feel

Art reflects deep, inner emotions

 
Perceptual Theory:

Arnheim (1954)
 Children draw what they see

Children see wholes or total images structured by the brain

 
Perceptual Delineation Theory:

McFee (1970)

Children draw because of several factors

Factors include readiness, psychological environment, information

processing, and manipulation of materials

 
OBSERVATION SHEET
Developmental Levels — Painting

 
Observe children easel painting in one of these age groups: (a) 3-4 years old;
(b) 5-6 years old; or (c) 7-8 years old. Observe the following points and write a
brief statement next to each.
 
Age of Child:
______________________________________________________________
 
Place/Time of Observation:
______________________________________________________________
 
Amount of Time Spent Observing:
______________________________________________________________
 
Brush Handling:
 
 
 
Use of Color:
 
 
 
Verbalization During Painting:
 
 
 
Naming of Artwork:
 
 
 
Compare and contrast your observations with those of members of your
group. Did your age or grade level fall into specific developmental stages?
Was there a range in ability levels within and among the groups? Discuss your
findings with your classmates.
 
 
Discovering Developmental Levels of Art
 
Collect artwork samples from children. Use Figure 11-12 in the text, “Examples of
Development in Children’s Drawing,” to complete the following items for each sample.
Check off all that apply. Provide a short example or description for each.
 
Age/Grade Level of Child:
____________________________________________________
Time It Took to Make the Artwork:
____________________________________________________
 
Basic Scribbles:
____    Random
____    Controlled
____    Dots
____    Lines
____    Multiple lines
____    Zig-zags
____    Roaming lines
____    Whorls
____    Loops
____    Circles
 
Combined Controlled Scribbles:
____    Crosses
____    Mandalas
____    Stars
____    Closed shapes
 
Basic Forms:
____    Circles
____    Ovals
____    Squares
____    Rectangles
____    Sun faces
____    Suns
 
Combination of Basic Forms:
____    Human figures with limbs
____    Human figures with torsos
____    Houses
____    Animals
____    Cars, machines
 
Pictorial Stage:
____    Human figures with limbs used in a drawing
____    Human figures with limbs and objects used in a drawing
____    Human figures with limbs and objects used to tell a story in a drawing
 
 
Art Development
 
Preschool Level
Collect examples of artwork from a nursery school or preschool group of
children. Observe the variety of expression. Try to classify the scribbles
according to disordered, controlled, or naming of scribbling stage. Compare
the drawings for use of space, control of line, boldness or timidity of motion.
 
Observe a child who is making his first representational symbols. Keep a
verbatim record of his comments for several different 15-minute periods. What
relationship is there between his verbal and his graphic expression?
 
Kindergarten Level
Collect drawings from a kindergarten class and list the various methods of
portrayal of sensory experiences. Check especially for symbols, sounds, and
movements.
 
Observe the activity of a group of kindergarten children during their free play
and during organized games. Relate the amount of parallel play to the
discussion of the use of space in drawings. What are the differences or
similarities between these two activities?
 
From a collection of paintings by 5-year-olds, list the objects that are painted
with a visually established color-object relationship. List those objects that are
painted with no visually established color-object relationship. What might
cause some of these choices of color?
 
Elementary Level
Collect drawings of a man done by a 2  grade class. Find how many different
nd

symbols are used for nose, mouth, body, arms, and so forth. What percentage
of these children are using geometric shapes for their expression? Compare
these with drawings done by a 3  grade class to see if the percentages
rd

change.
 
How many children in a 1  grade class use the base line in their
st

representations? Compare the percentage with a 2  grade class.

nd

 
Keep a list of the different reasons for exaggerations, omissions, or neglect of
parts as shown in drawings. Illustrate each from examples of children’s work.