Observational Drawing For Preschoolers And Kids To Improve Drawing Skills

All children love to draw! It starts from doodling on walls, tables and every available surface, and slowly they learn to draw on paper. Once your child has learned to draw on paper, they look around them and look for things to draw. Therefore, they draw by observing objects around them. But did you know that drawing from observation has numerous benefits for kids? To learn about these benefits and ideas to teach observational drawing to kindergarten kids, we have covered some information for you below. Let’s read!

What Is Observational Drawing?

Looking for an answer to define observational drawing to your child? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.

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Observational drawing is nothing complex but simply drawing what you see. It can be anything, like a flower, a book, a fruit, a TV, etc. Kids have to draw what’s in front of them, and it has to be somewhat like whatever they are drawing.

Remember that the purpose of observational drawing is the process of drawing. The goal is not to create a beautiful piece of artwork to hang on the wall or to draw perfectly, and it is not even necessary to finish the drawing. The only goal is to make your child simply copy what they see in front of them.

Why Is It Important To Teach Observational Drawing To Your Child?

Wondering why teaching observational drawing skills to your child is important? Here are some reasons why teaching these skills to your child can be beneficial for them. Let’s take a look at these points.

• Kids stop drawing from memory and, instead, use their senses to draw.
• It teaches kids to use the resources they have on hand.
• It trains kids’ eyes and hands to work together.
• It gives kids a chance to practice concentration skills.
• It gives kids a chance to truly see an object’s shapes, patterns, perspective, colours, shadows, contours, and how all of the details interact.
• It helps kids to improve their drawing skills.

When To Teach Observational Drawing To Your Kids?

Four or five years is the apt age to teach your little one observational drawing. But there is no restriction. If you feel that your child is ready to learn and understand this type of drawing before they are five years old, you can teach them observational drawing. If your child shows signs of not learning observational drawing at this age, do not force them to practice it. Let the motivation to learn come from their side.

Different Techniques Of Observational Drawing

In this section, we have observational drawing techniques that you can use while teaching your child. Let’s take a look at them.

1. Outlines

Real objects don’t have bold, dark lines or outline around them, so try and avoid making them.

2. Cross Hatching

This technique can be used to create tonal shading, where lines are placed at an angle to one another.

How Can You Draw From Observation?

Here is an activity to help your child draw from observation.

What You Will Need

• Drawing sheet
• Pencil
• Other materials, such as coloured markers or pastels
• Eraser

How To Make

1. Set the drawing paper and drawing materials down in front of the object you want your child to draw.
2. Ask them to sketch the overall form loosely. Guide them to draw as large as possible on the drawing paper.
3. Define the contours and shapes by looking back and forth from the object to your drawing paper.
4. Once they have drawn the object, ask them to add details, like shading, patterns, and colours.

Tips To Get Started With Observational Drawing For Kids

Below are some observational drawing tips to teach your child that will help them to draw with a little clarity.

1. When They Are Drawing a Simple Shape, Ask Them:

• “What shape does the object look like to you?”
• “How big are you going to draw the shape on your sheet?”
• “The texture of the object looks like dots to me. Where is that on your drawing?”

2. When They Are Drawing a Little Complicated Shape, Ask Them:

• “Why don’t we start with the centre of the object?”
• “What shape does that look like to you?”
• “A triangle? Okay, where are you going to draw your triangle?”
• “What part of the object are you ready to draw next?”

Observational Drawing Ideas For Kids

Teaching observational drawing to a child can be challenging. Therefore, we have listed a few activities below that will be helpful when teaching your little one about this concept.

• Keep a fruit in front of your child and ask them to draw and colour it.
• Ask your child to draw their favourite cartoon character.
• Give your child building blocks and ask them to make a building or a bridge. Once they are done building with blocks, ask them to observe the building they just made and draw it on paper.
• Take your child to a park, and ask them to draw the tree in front of them.
• Light a candle and place it in front of your child, and ask them to draw what they see.
• Kids love watching videos and playing games on a cell phone, so why not ask them to draw the device?
• Take your child to the children’s library. Let them observe how the books are placed on the shelves. Ask them to draw how the books are kept in a line.
• While you are busy cooking, ask your child to sit in the kitchen and draw the oven or refrigerator.
• Sit with your child on the balcony. Show them how a car is parked and encourage them to draw it.
• You can ask your little one to draw their bedroom and the things they can see there.
• Keep a muffin in front of your child on a plate. Tell them they can have it only after drawing what they see.
• Make your child sit in front of the mirror, ask them to observe themselves and draw.
• If you have a pet at home, you can ask your child to draw them.
• Getting ready for a party and wishing to keep your child busy? Ask them to draw your jewellery while you get ready.
• Give your child a sheet, pencil and crayons. Ask them to draw the footrest.
• You can place vegetables like onions, carrots, and capsicum in front of your child and ask them to draw what’s in front of them.
• Kids love soft toys, so ask them to draw the favourite ones they own.
• Does your child also grab your sunglasses and flaunt them whenever you step out? Give your sunglasses to your child and ask them to draw them on a piece of paper.
• Ask your child to take out any one thing from the refrigerator and draw it.
• If you have a fireplace at home, you can make your child sit in front of it and encourage them to draw the same.
• You’ll definitely be having a framed photo at home. Keep it in front of your little one and ask them to draw it.
• Ask your child to get their favourite pair of shoes from the shoe rack and draw them.
• Drawing a living room table can help kids to learn about shapes like a square, a rectangle or a circle.
• Take your child to the terrace and ask them to draw what the terrace looks like to them.
• Encourage your child to draw the chandelier hanging in your living room.

We hope this article and the activities mentioned above helped you to teach your child’s observational drawing. Keep in mind that the idea is to teach your child to draw what’s in front of them, even if it does not look exactly like the object. Happy drawing!

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