The Scribbling Stage (Ages 2-4)
Four distinct behaviors can be observed during the scribbling stage: manipulation, uncontrolled marking, controlled marking, and planned/named marking.Mark making in the scribbling stage is often accidental. Artwork in this stage will include bang dots, slash marks, mandalas, and open shapes. The creation of art is about kinesthetic movement and the manipulation of materials rather than what is put on the page. Additionally, at this stage children are able to recognize certain colors but rarely choose colors for specific purposes. Towards the end of this stage marks become more organized and children become more involved in the making of their artwork. The transitional benchmark for this stage is the creation of closed shapes, in addition to the naming of scribbles.
Because of the rapid development of sensory and motor functions around this age, progression through this stage will happen more quickly than the others. As children develop, they will begin to make connections between their actions and the marks that they create. Children at this stage will also begin to understand the notion of right and wrong along with other simple words and phrases, allowing them to verbally communicate while creating their art.
Figure 1
The marks in this boy's drawing show an interest in the feel of the paint through finger smudging. He is using mostly primary colors with no indication of meaning behind the color choices. In the center of the page there is an indication that he is beginning to understand closed shapes through the creation of rectangles. He is nearing the pre-schematic stage of development.
Figure 2
In this drawing the child uses a combination of purple and yellow marker. There are both open shapes and bang dots present showing the child's interest in experimenting with the material's capabilities. Slash marks are also visible on the left side of the paper.
Figure 3
The composition of Adriano's drawing is made up of uncontrolled marks in crayon. He uses both circular and linear shapes, nearing closed forms. There is no significance in the colors that he has chosen, seemingly having used every color available to him. This artwork was made as a kinesthetic activity rather than for representation.
Figure 4
Although it is on a book of recipes, Alexander's drawing it is not representative of food. He uses a single blue marker for the entire piece and there is evidence of slight bang dots on the paper. The piece looks to be drawn with one continuous line, the marker most likely never leaving the paper.
Figure 5
This drawing is purely about the manipulation of materials on the page. The child has drawn through the paint with a repetitive back and forth movement with no indication of patterning. There seems to be no consideration of specific colors on the page; both the red paint and the green paint are mixing together to create a brown hue.
Figure 6
In this drawing the child has chosen to use a single black crayon for the entire drawing. There is no indication that he has lifted his hand from the page and has instead continued to enjoy the kinesthetic movement of his arm moving across the paper. The drawing remains floating in the center of the paper.
