20+ Drawing People Activities( Why Teach+ Benefits + Stages)

Hey there, parents and guardians! Did you know that drawing a person isn’t just a fun activity but also a super important part of your child’s development?

In this article, we’ll dive into the six excellent benefits of drawing people and developmental stages and activities to help your child build positive body awareness.

Six benefits of drawing a person for your child’s development

Promotes Creativity:

Drawing people gets those creative juices flowing in your kiddos! It encourages them to let their imagination run wild and to create unique characters and stories that are entirely their own.

Develops Fine Motor Skills:

Drawing requires using small muscles in the hands and fingers, which are essential for developing fine motor skills.

As children learn to control their hands and fingers, they’ll be better equipped to perform other activities that require manual dexterity, like playing musical instruments or knitting.

Enhances Hand-Eye Coordination:

Drawing requires the eyes and hands to work together perfectly, improving hand-eye coordination. This skill is essential in so many areas of life, from playing sports to driving and even typing!

Improves Concentration:

Drawing requires concentration and focus, two skills that can help your child in all aspects of their life. As they learn to concentrate on their drawings, they’ll be better able to focus on other school and home tasks.

Builds Confidence:

Drawing can improve your child’s self-esteem and confidence! When they see the fantastic results of their efforts on paper, they’ll feel proud of what they’ve accomplished and ready to take on the world.

Promotes Empathy:

Drawing people can also encourage empathy and understanding. As your child draws people from different backgrounds and cultures, they’ll learn to appreciate and understand the differences between people. This can help them develop greater empathy and compassion for others.

Unleash your child’s inner artist with these 24 activities to prepare them to draw:

• Ensure your child has age-appropriate drawing tools, like colorful crayons, markers, and blank paper.
•  Encourage your little one to draw without restrictions, so they can let their creativity run wild.
•  Play fun games like Pictionary that involve drawing, and let your child’s imagination soar.
•  Provide references such as pictures, books, and videos to inspire your child’s drawings.
•  Let your child draw with other kids to learn and share new ideas.
•  Create a dedicated drawing space, like a cool corner or a particular table, where your child can comfortably work their magic.
•  Set up still-life objects for your child to draw, so they can practice drawing things from real life.
•  Draw with your child and show them different techniques, like shading or blending colors.
•  Use stick figures to help your child understand proportions.
•  Please encourage your child to draw from observation, like a beautiful butterfly or their favorite toy.
•  Provide a variety of colors for your child to use to experiment with different shades and hues.
•  Teach your child to draw basic shapes such as circles, squares, and triangles, and watch their creativity grow.
•  Give your child simple prompts, like “draw a happy face,” to help them get started on their drawings.
•  Create a collaborative drawing by taking turns adding to a picture, and watch your child’s creativity and imagination come to life.
•  Introduce your child to different drawing styles and techniques, like cartooning or anime.
•  Draw your child’s favorite characters together, like Elsa or Spiderman.
•  Teach your child to draw different expressions on faces, like happy, sad, or surprised.
•  Let your child draw on different surfaces, like windows or chalkboards, to give them a different drawing experience.
•  Use drawing to reinforce learning, like drawing the alphabet or numbers.
•  Draw with your non-dominant hand to encourage creativity and challenge yourself.
•  Teach your child to draw different body positions, like standing or sitting.
•  Draw a picture of a scene and have your child draw characters to fit into it, like a beautiful garden with fairies.
•  Create a memory drawing by asking your child to draw a recent event, like a fun family outing.
•  Draw your child’s portrait, have them draw yours, and treasure these priceless keepsakes forever!

Developmental stages your child might go through as they create their artistic masterpieces

Scribbling:

Let your child unleash their inner artist with fun scribbling exercises. Who knows what fantastic shapes and lines they’ll come up with?

Pre-schematic stage:

Circles, lines, and simple shapes – oh my! Please encourage your child to create these basic building blocks of art to get them started.

Schematic stage:

Watch your child’s drawings take shape as they progress to this stage of basic object creation. They might surprise you with their artistic talent!

Dawning realism stage:

Ready for more detail? Your child will be! They’ll start creating more realistic drawings with basic proportions that amaze you.

Pseudo-naturalistic stage:

The details keep coming! Your child will start to add even more realistic touches to their drawings.

The stage of decision-making:

Your child’s artistic choices will start to take center stage. They’ll decide what to include and exclude in their drawings to make them unique.

The stage of increased dexterity:

Advanced techniques and tools are on the horizon! Your child will soon be drawing like a pro.

The stage of increased awareness:

Encourage your child to notice details and patterns in their drawings. Who knows what hidden treasures they’ll discover?

The stage of experimentation:

Your child will love trying new styles and techniques. Who knows what they’ll come up with next?

The stage of personal style:

Your child will have developed a unique drawing style. Watch out, Picasso – there’s a new artist in town!

Why Teach Them How to Draw People

Helps children understand themselves and others:

Drawing people is a great way to learn about different body types and understand how everyone is unique in their way. It also teaches children to appreciate differences and celebrate diversity.

Teaches empathy and social skills:

Drawing people from different cultures and backgrounds can help children develop empathy and understanding toward others. Plus, practicing social skills by collaborating with others on a drawing is fun.

Therapeutic activity for children experiencing emotional difficulties:

Drawing people can be a great way to express emotions and feelings safely and creatively. It’s like having your therapist but with crayons and paper!

Encourages creativity and imagination:

Drawing people allows children to create their unique characters and stories. It’s a great way to exercise their creativity and imagination.

Helps develop a positive body image:

Children can learn to appreciate their bodies and feel more confident in their skin by drawing people of different shapes and sizes. Drawing people also promotes body positivity and self-love.

What Do These Stages Tell About Development?

• These stages can tell us much about how children develop their cognitive and physical abilities as they grow.
•  As kids become more aware of the world around them, they start drawing to express their ideas and emotions.
•  The early stages are about getting comfortable with shapes and proportions, while the later stages show how kids can master more complex forms and details.
•  Plus, as they progress, they’re building the skills they need for all other activities, from writing to typing!
•  It’s incredible how much you can learn about a child’s development just by looking at their drawings!

Activity ideas that are sure to get your little ones feeling good about themselves

Play “Simon Says” with body movements

Please encourage your child to follow your lead and mimic different movements to help them become more aware of their body.

Have a dance party

Blast some music and get your child moving to help them feel comfortable in their skin.

Use positive body language.

Try to avoid negative comments about appearance and instead focus on using positive words and body language.

Practice self-affirmations

Help your child develop a positive body image by regularly practicing self-affirmations together.

Provide opportunities for outdoor play.

Encourage physical activity and exploration by providing opportunities for outdoor play.

Offer a variety of healthy foods.

Introduce a range of healthy foods to promote a healthy body.

Encourage your child to dress themselves.

Allow your child to choose their outfits and dress themselves to promote independence.

Teach your child about body diversity.

Help your child understand and celebrate differences in body types and sizes.

Use books and media that promote positive body image.

Choose books and media that depict positive body images and diversity.

Provide opportunities for sensory play.

Use sensory activities to help children understand how their bodies work.

Encourage participation in physical activities.

Please encourage your child to participate in sports or other physical activities they enjoy.

Avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad.”

Promote a healthy relationship with food by avoiding labeling foods as “good” or “bad.”

Teach your child how to care for their body.

Please encourage your child to care for their body by teaching them habits like brushing their teeth and washing their hands.

Provide opportunities for relaxation and self-care

Introduce relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga to help your child feel good inside and out.

Encourage your child to try new physical activities.

Please help your child build confidence by encouraging them to try new physical activities.

Celebrate physical accomplishments

Celebrate and acknowledge your child’s physical accomplishments, such as climbing a tree or riding a bike.

Teach your child about body boundaries.

Help your child develop a healthy sense of body boundaries and personal space.

Avoid comparing bodies

Avoid comparing your child’s body to others or commenting negatively about your own body.

Encourage appreciation and care for their body.

Please help your child appreciate and care for their body, regardless of appearance.

Provide opportunities for creative expression.

Please encourage your child to express themselves creatively through drawing, writing, or music.

Drawing a person is a fun activity and an essential part of your child’s development. By encouraging your child to attract people, you can help them develop crucial skills such as hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and concentration.

Additionally, teaching your child how to draw people can promote empathy, positive body image, and self-expression. So grab some paper and drawing tools and let your child’s creativity soar!