It’s more than just a fun way to pass the time: your child’s doodling habit might just help hone your little one’s memory skills too.
The benefits of drawing
Research has indicated that children can learn to remember things more effectively through creative activities like drawing1. By drawing from memory, children are able to improve their visual memory when they recall the details of what they have seen.
Drawing can also help a child to remember both the good and bad experiences and to express his or her reactions to these events, through art.
How to help your kids love drawing
For a child to benefit from this fun and creative activity, it's important that you provide encouragement and assist your child with some basic drawing techniques.
Supply your children with drawing materials, such as crayons, colour pencils, and colouring books to get them started with the basics of colouring.
Begin by teaching your child to draw simple shapes, and show him or her how to sketch circles, squares and rectangles. As soon as your child gets the hang of the basics of drawing, choose subjects that are consistent with relatively easy shapes and lines to practise with.
Each time your kids see or experience something new, ask them to sketch these out. This gives children the opportunity to practise their memory skills.
Even if their drawings do not look like the original object or subject, don't say so, as that can be demoralising. Instead, ask your children why they chose that particular colour or shape to picture the object on paper.
1The effect of drawing on memory performance in young children. Butler, Sarnia; Gross, Julien; Hayne, Harlene, Developmental Psychology, Vol 31(4), Jul 1995, 597-608. Retrieved on August 27, 2015 from Reserach Gate: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/232470760_The_Effect_of_Drawing_on_Memory_Performance_in_Young_Children
