Art Milestones: What's Typical at Each Stage of Life

Children are born artists. At least according to art therapist Rhoda Kellog, author of the book Analyzing Children's Art. No one teaches an infant to scribble. Yet, for almost every young child, scribbling happens naturally. And it's as crucial a step for a child to take in learning graphic language, as babbling is to an infant's learning to speak.

Over time, a one-year-old's ability to scribble will evolve into what the preschooler deems “art.” While every child develops at his or her own pace, there are certain milestones typical on the journey. Here’s what parents can look for:

Ages 2-3: By the time they hit three, young children often have a capacity for controlled scribbles, and sometimes even create early human forms. These tend to look more like tadpoles than people and usually consist of a circular shape that doubles as both head and body, paired with matchstick legs. Somewhere between the ages of three and four, children enter what art therapist Victor Lowenfeld described as the pre-schematic phase.

Ages 4-6: In the beginning of this phase of pre-symbolism, which usually lasts until kindergarten or first grade, children begin drawing early human shapes that often leave out little details – like arms, for instance. University of Florida art professor Craig Roland says it's not a cause for concern. Children frequently overlook such features quite unintentionally.

As your child advances through the pre-symbolism phase, shapes and images of things around her will begin to appear in her drawing. But don't be surprised to see a house on top of a ball and a sun next to the child's head. In this Alice in Wonderland world, all of the elements are taking shape but nothing is quite where you expect it to be.