How to interpret & celebrate the scribbles and art of babies and toddlers

Ever wonder what those curly ques, zig zags and scribbly messes in your baby's and toddler's drawings actually mean? Yes, they do mean something, according to the fun book Celebrate the Scribble: Appreciating Children's Art. It was written by renowned play and childhood development experts Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff. The book looks beyond the surface of children’s first scribbles to uncover important clues about their development.

Celebrate the Scribble points out that children benefit from their parents celebrating their artwork, no matter what level they're at. It also provides some interesting insights into what the drawings of children of different ages mean.

“Children open up creatively when parents celebrate their first scribbles,” says author Dr. Hirsh-Pasek. “This early encouragement, as well as the time parents and toddlers spend playing together, gives children the tools they need to be successful at school and creative thinking skills they’ll rely on as adults in our ever-changing world.”

“Just as important, they don’t need fancy flashcards or electronic gadgets; going back to the basics, such as scribbling and making up stories, is what children really need for a solid creative start,” she adds.

Here's a brief look at the meanings of scribbles by age from the book: 

Some of my daughter Ava's scribbles at 29 months old

• 9-12 months old -  Children enjoy the feeling of basic creative motions, such as sliding their fingers through oatmeal or moving spinach around on their highchair tray. Parents can encourage exploration by letting their children get messy. They can marvel at the marks they make when they rub their food around the highchair tray or make their first crayon dots and dashes on paper.
• 12-15 months old- Children begin to experiment with movement and color. Their marks on the page are still random, but begin to show motor control and back and forth movements. Parents who find it hard to know what to say about a dot or dash can engage their children by naming the colors, describing the action and even commenting on the emerging, yet unpredictable, patterns.
• 15-18 months old - Children feel the universal desire to create and begin to make intentional choices about design and color. Children now expect their art tools to leave a trace. Parents can encourage children to explore by painting on large pieces of paper, or making water splashes on the patio.
• 18-24 months old -During this period, children will begin drawings and change them midway through, which demonstrates forethought. Parents can engage children by showing enthusiasm about their changing design and color choices.
• 24-30 months old - Accompanied by language, children’s art forms take on more meaning. They can now start to describe their scribbles. Parents can ask questions about their child’s art to help them develop new vocabulary and literacy skills. Early storytelling blooms as parents and children chat about the artwork.
• 30-36 months old - By this stage, parents might be able to recognize figures and objects in their child’s drawings, but should not impose their ideas on the young artist. Parents can ask open ended questions to encourage creative thinking and sharing, without focusing on “what it is.”

All proceeds from Celebrate the Scribble will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.