"I can't draw!" How to help a preschooler who feels stuck

It can happen surprisingly early. A four-year-old crumples up a drawing and says, "I can't draw!" Maybe the horse doesn't look like a horse. Maybe a big sister's drawing looks better. Maybe the picture in their head is simply much bigger than what their hands can do yet.

The good news: a few small changes in how we respond can keep young children drawing, and enjoying it.

Talk about what you see

Instead of a general "That's beautiful!", describe something specific: "You used so much purple." "These lines are really zigzaggy." "Your sun has a face!" It shows you really looked, and it doesn't put a score on the drawing.

Say "Tell me about it"

"What is it?" can feel like a test, especially if the answer seems obvious to them. "Tell me about your drawing" invites a story instead, and the story is often the best part.

Praise the doing, not the talent

"You worked on that for a long time" and "You tried a new colour" focus on things your child can control. Being told they're "a natural" can make the next drawing feel risky.

Things to skip

• Fixing the drawing. Drawing on your child's picture, even to help, can say "yours wasn't good enough".
• Correcting reality. Dogs can be purple. Houses can float. It's their world.
• Comparing. With brothers and sisters, with friends, or with the picture on the box.
• Drawing it for them. If they ask, draw your own version next to theirs instead.

Ways to get unstuck

• Start with a shape. Draw a circle and ask, "What could this become?"
• Take turns. You draw a line, they add something, you add something. Silly results guaranteed.
• Draw a feeling or a sound. "Draw what thunder sounds like" has no wrong answer.
• Give the drawing a reason. A birthday card, a monster for the bedroom door, a new character for a bedtime story.
• Change the tools. Chunky markers, chalk on the pavement or a big roll of paper on the floor can make drawing feel brand new.

Need a starting point? Try one of these 30 easy drawing ideas.

A reason to keep going

In Mookmik World, any drawing can become a friend, wobbly lines and all. Pip cuts the drawing out, your child gives it a voice, and off it goes to play. Seeing their own lines come to life can be a lovely reason to pick up the crayons again.