Fine motor development
Toddlers explore making scribbles, lines, and circles with markers on paper.
Be Prepared: The activity is aimed at helping toddlers see the effect of putting a marker on paper. The focus is on scribbles, lines, and circles. There also is support for children’s recognition of colors. The activity is not a lesson in drawing or copying an image of something. Avoid asking questions, such as “What are you drawing?” or comments, such as “Your picture looks like a cat.” The activity emphasizes children’s motions with their markers.
Put markers of different colors in several cups. Keep the markers out of reach until you are ready to guide the activity. Cover the top of a low table with white paper. Tape the ends to prevent it from moving. If toddlers seem interested in your work in taping the paper, describe each step of what you are doing. Toddlers will be interested in your actions and description.
[Invite several toddlers to the table for coloring. Help each toddler put on a smock or craft apron.]
Let’s all color together.
[Hold and point to a marker.]
What is this called? (a marker)
We can make lots of marks on our paper today.
[Point to tip of the marker.]
Remember, this is called the marker tip. The tip goes on the paper.
[Demonstrate by making a small mark on the paper. Also demonstrate the types of marks described below.]
We can move a marker on our paper in different ways. Our marks may go up and down, or from side to side. We can scribble or go around and around. You may color on the paper any way you like.
We have many different colors of markers. You may choose a color you like.
[Invite each toddler to select one marker from a cup. State the name of the color selected by each toddler. Example: “Aiden, you picked a blue marker.” Remove marker lids and place in a basket or dish for safekeeping. Sit or kneel so you are at children’s eye level.]
[Encourage toddlers to make marks on the paper. Use your marker to scribble and make lines and circles. Do not divert children from making scribbles, lines, and/or circles by drawing or providing a picture of a flower, cat, person, or some other more elaborate images.
Describe toddlers’ efforts with markers. Examples: “When we push the marker along the paper it leaves color.” “We are using a lot of colors on the paper.”
Comment on the colors of marks. Example: “Tyrone’s marks are red. Sherri’s marks are blue.”
Point to any circular shapes on the paper. Use your finger to trace a circle or circular shape as you describe it. Examples: “Trina, you used your marker to go around. Your line starts here and goes around like a circle.” “Aiden, some of your marks look like circles.”
Point to and describe lines on the paper. Example: “I see some really long lines here. This line is long. Here is a short line.” Trace a line with your finger and describe it. Example: “This long green line reaches from here to here.”
Acknowledge and expand on children’s utterances about their efforts or the emerging picture. Example: “Yes, Trina, it is a big one. We are making a big picture together with different colors, scribbles, and lines.”]
Would you like to use a different color? We have some other colors you could use.
[Point to and say the names of several of the colors available. If a child opts for a different color, say the color she/he is relinquishing and the color she/he is taking. Example: “You were making yellow marks. Now you have a marker that will make green marks.”]
[Print each toddler’s name next to part of his/her coloring. Say the toddler’s name aloud as you print neatly.]
We made a lot of different marks together. We put different colors on the paper. We moved the markers on our paper to make scribbles and lines. Now we are finished. We will put the lids on our markers and our markers will go into the basket.
[You might wish to add a title to the work, such as “We Color Together” and hang the paper in the room.]
Fine motor skills differ considerably across young children. Some toddlers may promptly begin using markers. Other toddlers may need gentle encouragement to begin making marks on paper.
You are likely to see toddlers make scribbles and probably experiment with different movements of their markers. With repeated opportunities to use markers, toddlers at this age may begin to be more intentional with their use of markers. For several weeks a toddler’s marks may look similar, with repeated lines or circular shapes. Over time, the circle shapes may begin to emerge from scribbles. It is not necessary to teach a toddler how to draw a circle, but simply to notice it and talk with the child about the shape of marks on the paper.
Some toddlers will favor a particular color, perhaps without knowing the color name. It is fine if a child uses one color repeatedly.
Extra support
Enrichment
Fine motor development
Toddlers explore coloring with crayons on the textured surfaces of boxes.
Support toddlers’ motor development by introducing the element of texture to drawing. Gather large cardboard boxes and invite toddlers to pretend the boxes are a boat or a car. We can color on our pretend boat or car. You also may wish to provide several small boxes, as suggested in an Extra Support tip.
Encourage toddlers to scribble side to side and in circular motions to increase awareness of specific movements with a crayon. Draw attention to the bumpy surface of cardboard. This can help toddlers discover that adding pressure to the crayon produces a clear mark.
After toddlers color on the bumpy cardboard, gather the crayons. Toddlers will enjoy playing with the boxes as make-believe cars or boats. Generally two toddlers can fit in a box car. A smaller box, such as a shoebox, could be used to color a home for an animal figure or doll.
This activity may continue for days. More color can be added to the boxes and they can be set out in different areas of the room to suggest different uses.
Providing boxes to color gives toddlers new experiences with borders. Drawing on a piece of paper is limited to one defined space. A box can be colored outside or inside, turned over, or turned on end. See Extra Support tips if the space possibilities seem too challenging to a toddler.
Drawing attention to the bumpy surface of a box can help toddlers explore using more pressure with their crayon. Give toddlers time to discover on their own what happens when they press harder on their crayon. The intent of the activity is to draw on a textured surface. Toddlers are not expected to draw specific features of a car or boat. Omit the suggestion that the boxes represent a car or boat if this detracts from toddlers’ drawing.
The activity moves from support for fine motor to gross motor when the boxes are offered as materials for play. Awareness of spatial relationships is emphasized when toddlers figure out how to put their body in a box.
Extra support
Enrichment
Fine motor development
Toddlers use crayons or markers to draw a road or path for small toys.
Line
Select a focus for this coloring activity, based on the interests of toddlers: a road for cars to travel on or a path for animals to walk on. Invite 2–3 toddlers to participate. Unroll paper on the floor and tape the ends. Place a set of animal figures or small vehicles along the length of the paper, depending on toddlers’ interests. Sit with toddlers. Suggest they color some lines on the paper for a pretend road the toy cars can travel on or a path for the animals to walk on. Encourage toddlers to use long, bold marks to help them see the effect of holding and moving the marker (or crayon) in a specific way.
Move 1–2 of the toys (animals or small vehicles) near the roads/paths as you talk with toddlers about its pretend purpose. Encourage toddlers to move a toy along the road/path. They may decide to extend the road/path or add a new road/path. Toddlers may wish to continue playing with the toys on the paper after you have collected the drawing materials.
Some toddlers may lie down on the floor to make the marks. Toddlers will use muscles in the upper body to maintain a position for coloring on the floor. You may see toddlers who prefer a sitting position on the floor.
Remind toddlers the crayons are to color the paper, not the toys. Repeating a phrase, such as “Crayons are for paper.” Saying the phrase in a friendly tone helps toddlers remember, similar to an adult recalling words in a commercial.
Your gentle, ongoing guidance is needed for this activity.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: large paper, tape, crayons, string
Prepare a crayon table that toddlers may use independently. Lay a large paper on a table top and secure it with tape. Tie 30” of string to a chubby crayon. Put a piece of tape over the tied string to prevent it from slipping off the crayon. Tape the loose end of the string to the edge of the table. Repeat with three more crayons. Space the crayons to allow toddlers room to make colored marks. The activity uses crayons rather than markers because toddlers are less likely to mark their skin and clothes with crayon.
Materials Needed: crayons, paper, tape, markers
Children of different ages in your setting will benefit from different types of support for using markers (or crayons). If an infant shows interest in coloring, consider taping paper to a high chair tray and providing one chubby crayon. Stay in close proximity to the infant to talk about his/her movements of the crayon and to ensure the infant does not chew on the crayon. Chubby crayons work well for younger toddlers (12–24 months).
Encourage preschool-age children to experiment with making large and small circles. Some children will be interested in making an item, such as a truck or person, whereas other children will scribble. Older children may appreciate a blank book made by fastening paper together. Some preschool-age and older children may represent an aspect of family life or playing with friends. A book format will help children to make several pictures that are related.
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