What do children's drawings tell us? 8 iconic features | Child's health

Tells Irina Vshivkova, senior methodologist, psychologist at the City Psychological and Pedagogical Center (Moscow):

- Indeed, a drawing of any person can reflect a lot. And even if we want to draw in such a way that the drawing is “unreadable”, it will still not be 100% possible. Many experts call a child’s drawing graphic speech, which reflects everything the child saw and heard (even if the baby does not speak yet). In addition, the drawing can reflect the real biochemical state of the body, health, well-being and, naturally, stable personality characteristics.

Many serious studies have been conducted on the use of drawing as a diagnostic method not only in the clinical practice of psychiatry, but also in the treatment of somatic diseases (for example, cardiology, oncology). Of course, a medical diagnosis is made by a doctor. However, the drawing sometimes helps to suggest the presence of diseases or health problems.

If you want to understand what a child’s drawing reflects, you shouldn’t read reference books for specialists! There is a high risk of misinterpretation. For example, often mothers and fathers believe that if a child often uses the color black, it means he has depression, fears, etc. Nothing of the kind! The color black itself does not mean this. Moreover, there is an age when the appearance of black and dark shades in drawings indicates the positive dynamics of the child’s development.

Important

We draw conclusions only if we see certain signs in several drawings drawn in one period of time!

Character of lines

If the drawing is made with clear, distinct lines, it means that the child is open to the world, confident in himself, or simply has a clear idea of what he is drawing. When the lines are weak, barely noticeable, it’s worth thinking about.

The simplest option is that the child simply does not know how to use a pen or pencil or has the wrong tool. After all, parents do not always use the right pencils and do not even always know that there are pencils for children 2 years old, 3-5 years old, and for schoolchildren.

The second probable option is that the child has little idea what he is being asked to draw, but is afraid to ask. Or he is generally not very confident in himself. Perhaps he is not praised or hugged enough, he has few friends, etc. Tell such a child more about the world around him, praise him even for small successes, spend time together more often.

There are more serious reasons for fuzzy lines. Sometimes hand weakness is a consequence of neurological disorders. The child may not complain about anything. Children under 10 years of age cannot always adequately feel pain and understand what and where it hurts. Because of this, many diseases associated with disruption of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system are diagnosed quite late. It seems to adults: the child is lazy to draw or write beautifully, he doesn’t try. Nobody thinks about the disease, because according to our ideas, the patient should suffer. But this is not the case. If you notice that there is virtually no pressure in the child’s drawings and this is not related to the first two reasons, you should show him to a neurologist or surgeon. Such health disorders are often diagnosed in schoolchildren who have poor spelling and pathological illiteracy. But they can be easily eliminated if you start working with your child on time.

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How to understand a child by his drawing? Psychology of children's drawings. consultation on the topic

HOW TO UNDERSTAND A CHILD BY HIS DRAWING?

PSYCHOLOGY OF CHILDREN'S DRAWINGS.

The psychology of children's drawings is very important for parents, as it allows them to find out the needs of their baby and identify problems in the early stages.

Usually the themes of children's drawings are quite simple - they can depict houses, animals, people around them, or cartoon characters.

You can interpret the most frequently encountered drawings yourself - in any drawing there are always several basic criteria by which you can judge the child’s temperament and emotional state. What do children's drawings mean in psychology?

Landscapes with a forest, lawn or street without people in children can signal loneliness and communication problems. If a child draws deserted landscapes, most likely his relationships with peers are not going well.
A drawing of a house speaks of fatigue and the need for comfort and relaxation surrounded by loved ones.
Drawings of monsters can indicate internal tension, fear and discomfort. Often such images reflect popular childhood fears.
Attention should be paid to the drawing of the family. The picture of a family in children's psychology clearly demonstrates how they see their family. If the family is depicted in its entirety and in bright colors, it means that things are going well and the child is comfortable. If the child does not portray someone, it is worth thinking about - perhaps this person is missing in the child’s life, he pays little attention to the child. Black and brown colors in the image of a family speak of the problems and negativity that the child feels. Also, for young children, the largest figure will mean the head of the family in a child’s understanding.
Drawing a tree in psychology means the desire for knowledge and development. However, how exactly the tree is drawn is also important. In child psychology, there are tests on drawings - one of these tests is that the child is asked to draw a tree. By the presence or absence of roots, one can judge how deeply the child is accustomed to thinking. A curvature of the trunk or an unusually shaped trunk indicates stress, dissatisfaction and discomfort. You can easily evaluate the crown of a tree by the lines of which it consists - whether the lines are rounded or with pointed corners, thin or bold, solid or broken.
In psychology, animal drawings are considered a good sign - they indicate the child’s calmness and joy.
Interpretations of a person’s drawing are given a special place in psychology - this is especially interesting when working with children. If a child draws another person, this often indicates a lack of communication. It is also worth paying attention to whether a specific person or a certain collective image is drawn. If a person is drawn in dark colors and unnaturally large, perhaps the child has a fear of people.
If a child draws himself, this indicates a need for self-knowledge and self-expression. Children's drawings are often not very proportional; you can also tell a lot from the small details of the image. For example, large ears indicate boldness and a desire to stand out, short legs indicate low self-esteem, and long arms indicate that the child is always ready to try new things.

dreams and hidden desires;
the basics of character and its priorities;
correspondence between the baby’s current level of development and his age.

By regularly analyzing children's drawings, you can learn to better understand your baby.

Basically, children draw what surrounds them: family, pets, nature, home, and so on.

A child is influenced by everything that surrounds him. All emotions, experiences, fears and doubts are necessarily reflected in his work. Boys often draw equipment, heroes, weapons, cars. At the same time, their plot is mainly dynamic, that is, shown in motion. Girls prefer castles, princesses, animals, but their plot, on the contrary, is static.

The kind of books, cartoons and games that surround them also have a very strong influence on children.

It is important to take into account the age of the child. It is best to assess the psycho-emotional state of a child based on the drawing of a 4-6 year old child. He creates more consciously.

If we look at it in general, we can identify the following patterns:

Optimistic children draw easily and naturally. The image itself is of medium size and is located in the middle of the sheet. The characters are pleasant, you can see calmness and a smile on their faces.
Introverted children often do not draw hands at all - this just speaks of their unsociability and shyness.
Anxious children, unsure of themselves, most often show small drawings. Their creativity occupies only a small part of the sheet. The characters have short arms and legs, which expresses their feeling of insecurity.
Aggressive children draw disproportionately large hands with large fingers. This expresses their desire to win.

When analyzing a child’s creativity, it is necessary to pay special attention directly to the depicted plot:

The absence of people, as well as animals, indicates problems in communication and isolation.
Frequent images of dangerous animals, predators, with large teeth, claws or horns - all this reflects the existing internal tension in the baby.
Weapons, tanks, battles, dinosaurs are the norm in the boy’s drawings. Thus, he begins to realize his gender status in society. But stories like this from a girl speak of her hidden aggression.

A child's drawing is usually multi-colored and variegated - usually children use 5-6 colors, this is considered the norm. The more confident the child feels, the brighter the colors he uses. Of course, not everything is so simple: a child can shade dad black, because dad really has a favorite sweater of that color, but if some pencil is among the favorites and one or two colors clearly predominate in the drawing, then it’s worth paying attention to this factor.

Most experts rely on the interpretation of colors by Max Lüscher, a psychologist and color researcher. He came to the conclusion that the choice of color reflects a person’s psychological state and even indicates his physical health.

Each of the colors has its own symbolic meaning:

dark blue – concentration, focus on internal problems, the need for peace and satisfaction, introspection;
green – balance, independence, perseverance, stubbornness, desire for security;
red – willpower, eccentricity, outward focus, aggression, increased activity, excitability;
yellow – positive emotions, spontaneity, curiosity, optimism;
purple – fantasy, intuition, emotional and intellectual immaturity (children often prefer this color);
brown – sensual support of sensations, slowness, physical discomfort, often negative emotions;
black – depression, protest, destruction, urgent need for change;
if a child prefers a simple pencil and does not color the drawing - “lack” of color, indifference, detachment, desire to leave, not to notice what is disturbing.

It’s easier to understand what’s in a child’s heart by looking at the details. For example:

Terrible animals, claws and teeth can speak of hidden aggression, fear and discomfort. But sometimes this is simply a consequence of watching a cartoon or going to the zoo.
In the center of the picture is always the most significant thing for the child: it could be someone close and acquaintances, an animal or an object. This is also worth paying attention to.
When the center of the sheet is not filled with anything, there is an empty space left there, then this is a signal of the child’s low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence.
The child placed someone he knows in the corner of the sheet - this may indicate that he has problems communicating with this person.
In the corner of the sheet the baby depicted himself - this may indicate his loneliness. Take a closer look, does he have enough attention? Does he have any fear of communicating with people?
Thin legs and arms of the people depicted may indicate that the child is afraid to take on something new and is not confident in himself and his abilities.
A large head indicates that the baby can control his emotions and does not suffer from impulsiveness.
When people in the picture are hugging or holding hands, the child experiences kindness and warmth in the relationship.
Are the characters wearing too many bright clothes? This means that it is important for the baby what others think about him. He wants to attract attention to himself.
Objects and figures seem to hover in the air and do not touch the ground - this speaks of the author’s good imagination and dreaminess.
There are no people in the pictures - this may be a signal of problems in communication.
Pay attention to the horizon: if people are located below it, then the baby has low self-esteem; if, on the contrary, it is higher than it, self-esteem is overestimated.
The characters in the drawing have ears - this indicates that the baby listens to the opinions of others.
There is no sun in the pictures or it is covered by clouds - this is a sign that the child lacks affection, care, tenderness and warmth.
Do the characters have their hands behind their backs or in their pockets? Take a closer look, this may be a sign of mistrust and lies on the part of the child.

What does it mean if a child draws:

Circles. This means that the child is exploring the world around him, but is more occupied with his own experiences. It may be difficult for him to communicate with others, he is a little withdrawn.
Crosses. Most likely, the baby is very worried about something, feels guilty, and punishes himself for something.
Locked cabinets, locks and other locked items. When there are any closed elements in the picture, they mean prohibitions and secrets that the child is not allowed to see.
A large number of small parts. Perhaps the baby does not give vent to his emotions and hides his own feelings from others. Rules and order are also important to him.
Sun, flowers, birds. Such positive and bright elements of children's creativity speak of his positive outlook on the world, emotional stability and peace of mind.

There are the following points that may indicate possible problems:

Well-drawn large eyes - perhaps the baby has hidden anxieties and fears.
People or animals do not have a mouth and eyes - it is difficult for a child to communicate, he experiences difficulties with this.
Unearthly creatures, fantasy worlds - the baby may feel uncomfortable and uncomfortable in the real world, he wants to take refuge in a fictional one.

Each stage of the baby’s development and his age correspond to certain characteristic features that can be observed in the drawing. The most common guidelines are:

Less than 3 years. Mostly the drawings consist of fuzzy images, lines and spots. But closer to 3 years, contours and more detailed images of figures begin to be visible.
From 4 to 5 years. The plot begins to emerge. The kid can independently explain what he depicted and what exactly inspired him to do it. There are more details in the drawing (clothes, figures, etc.), faces are drawn more clearly.
From 6 to 7 years. The drawing already reflects not only the child’s imagination, but also his skills. He is already capable of depicting characters using various drawing schemes. During this time, he is also able to copy other people's styles.
From 7 to 8 years. Objects gain proportionality, plots can be traced more clearly.

The psychology of children's drawings is very important for parents, as it allows them to find out the needs of their baby and identify problems in the early stages.

Hatching

Pay attention to its quantity on the sheet. If there is too much shading and especially if it is done with strong pressure, this may indicate increased anxiety in the child, fears or a bad mood. For example, a child shades not only the figures, but also the entire space around them; the shading goes beyond the boundaries of objects and appears where it is completely unjustified.

If you notice this, you should not immediately pester the child with questions about what scares or worries him; it is better to analyze the situation in the family yourself. Have adults created the ground for children's anxieties? If a child sees mom and dad quarreling every day, he begins to worry. Nobody explained to him: parents fight not because they don’t love each other. The reason may be the most banal (say, mom wants a red kitchen, and dad wants a white one). But adults don’t want to explain such things to a child. Often, excessive shading appears when moving and entering another school, or when a new person appears in the family. If the child is over 6 years old, he may be able to answer the question of what is bothering him. If the child is younger, watch how he plays - you can understand a lot. If you can’t cope on your own, you should consult a psychologist.

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What to read on the topic and what to keep in mind?

Everything written below is not speculation or fantasy. This is the generalized opinion of modern child psychologists, based on many years of research. If you want to delve deeper into the topic and find out details that this article did not cover, we recommend the following books:

Alla Barkan “What children’s drawings say. Guide for parents and teachers";
Joseph DiLeo "Children's drawing. Diagnostics and interpretation";
Marina Ozerova “About children's drawing.”

And one more thing - we will mention this here more than once: the interpretations of the drawing proposed in the article are not final diagnoses, but only assumptions about the emotional state of the child. Drawing tests cannot replace other forms of diagnosis, but are used only as a supplement, since the likelihood of errors is quite high. The image is still secondary, but the child’s words are primary, as he himself explains what he depicted. And there is no need to draw conclusions based on one single picture: before contacting a psychologist, neurologist, or psychiatrist, observe the child over time and collect statistics!

Stereotyping

The child draws the same thing over and over again. Parents of girls should not be immediately afraid that their daughters only draw princesses, and parents of boys that they only draw cars or fights. Children have so-called developmental epochs that correspond to age-appropriate hobbies and experiences. For example, the era of fascination with dinosaurs and the same princesses, cars - almost all children go through this. But both of them can be different - from drawing to drawing. This is fine. Stereotyping is when there is no dynamics in the drawings. If she's a princess, she's always dressed the same. Or the child always draws the same house, sun and grass. Sometimes such stereotypies may reflect a violation of perception and attention. You should not immediately be afraid that the child is mentally ill or has delayed development. Perhaps he just has certain difficulties with how to depict the world. If you notice stereotypy in your child’s drawings, you need to consult a psychologist in order to solve the problem in a timely manner.

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Subject of drawings

Most often, preschool children draw landscapes (house, grass, flowers, trees, sun, clouds), as well as pets, their family and friends. Drawings can reflect impressions of what they saw, for example, from going to the circus or zoo, or watching a cartoon. Girls love to portray princesses and fairies, and boys love to depict battles, military equipment, cars, and so on. This content of the drawings is considered normal and speaks about the emotional well-being of the baby. If a child suddenly begins to draw scary animals, monsters, or scenes with negative content, this may indicate internal experiences, fears, and hidden aggression. The predominance of images of objects and animals over images of people in drawings is most often a sign of problems in communication.

It is important to figure out what is causing the negative content of the drawings: scenes that the child saw somewhere and were impressed by them, or events in his own life.

Plot

Remember: children reflect in their drawings what we have helped or allowed them to learn about the world around them. Look at the drawings as a story about their view of the world in which they live. If you see something that shouldn’t be in a child’s picture, you shouldn’t immediately shout: “How dare you draw that?” Before you get scared, ask: “What is this you have drawn?” If the child answered that he drew a bird or fish like this, there is no need to point out his mistakes; it is more correct to respond like this: “Wow, I didn’t recognize it right away” or “Now it’s clear.” Sometimes parents may notice sexually suggestive drawings in young children. More often they are caused by curiosity and learning new skills, and also by the fact that children love to draw. And if the magazine that the child found was a glossy edition for adults that was lying in the table of his dad or older brother, he will copy from there. Often, frightened parents push their child into a psychologist’s office and demand: “Figure out how he can draw this!” And it turns out that the “dubious work” is not at all what the parents imagined. Let me emphasize once again: what a child draws does not always really exist in his life.

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How to behave while your child is drawing?

It’s better to go to another room while drawing and not influence the process itself.

You can ask questions: “Have you finished drawing yet?”, “Do you want to draw something else?” Even if you see that the child did not draw one of the family members, do not insist. Children can say that mom, for example, hid behind a tree or dad went to work. The absence of family members in the picture is one of the significant factors in the analysis.

And then, when you look at the drawing, praise and admire it! Praise him for his imagination, for his choice of color: “Wow, what a cool idea you had to paint me green! I would never have guessed that,” “Wow, what kind of hair you drew for dad! Very beautiful".

Images of people

Parents are often frightened when their child draws people without faces or without legs, even though he already knew how to depict full-fledged human figures. Such drawings can reflect the child’s real relationship with this person. For example, if an older brother has no eyes and no hands, perhaps the child does not want him to see him taking his things and punish him for it. If dad is drawn so “flawed”, maybe the child does not agree with his demands and prohibitions. Usually, in a child’s drawing of a family, the most important member of the family, in the child’s opinion, is depicted above everyone else.

What are these moments and how to prepare for drawing?

Prepare sheets of paper and colored pencils. Felt-tip pens are not suitable because they will not show us the force of pressure, and this is an important point when assessing emotional stress.

If a child draws, everything is simple. You can ask him to draw a picture of his family, himself, or come up with an animal that does not yet exist on our planet.

Let him decide what he wants to draw more. And the task of parents at this stage is to praise and sincerely admire the child’s imagination. “What a great idea you came up with - to draw a cow with elephant ears! I wouldn’t have thought of that.”

Turn off criticism! At all! The child should be relaxed and immersed in the process! Let him draw askew, disproportionate parts of the body, elaborate details or, conversely, lack of details. Let him draw. And you try your best to find something good at this moment and praise him. But it must be true. The child must believe it.

Patches and crosses

Patches on parts of a person’s body that are not typical in appearance, intertwined arms or legs. If such details are repeated regularly, the child may be worried about illness. The patches are usually located at the site of the organ that hurts.

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The one who is tall is the one in charge

Whoever is depicted as the tallest, according to the child, is the head of the family. Here is a transcript of the drawings in the psychology of a child. It is worth paying attention to the growth of all characters, including the child. If a child draws himself very small, this may mean that he feels rejected. But children who are overly pampered can portray themselves as too large.

Position of the drawing on paper

If the drawing barely fits on a piece of paper, this may indicate that the child is extremely self-centered. He wants to fill all the space with himself, to be the center of attention. Sometimes this is a sign of spoilage, say, when there is one child in a family and all relatives praise him. And sometimes, on the contrary, the child is deprived of attention. All that remains is to show your “superiority” on paper. It happens that children draw figures of the correct size, but take too large a sheet. Then the depicted object seems small, but it is really that size in life. This may indicate high self-esteem. The level of aspiration is higher than he currently has. Give your child the opportunity to express himself and reveal his potential.

Remember!

A drawing can be a signal of problems with the child’s psyche. And so that you can notice this, keep your children’s drawings for at least a year and compare them. At the very least, you will have a reason to celebrate your child's growing creativity and skill.

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The meaning of drawings in psychology

A drawing of a person will tell you a lot. In the modern world, even without the help of specialists, you can decipher a drawing, guided by the basic rules that can be found in any sources on psychology. This method helps you get to know yourself better, as well as any other person.

Drawing

The effectiveness of drawings can be proven as follows:

Through drawing we show our thoughts. When we are asked a question, before answering it is worth passing everything through certain organs, and with the help of paper and pencil we feel complete freedom of action.
We draw with the help of muscles, which are subsequently displayed in the drawings. Each line and size of the drawing is the nature of the movement of our hands. These movements are guided by our emotional state, temperament, and character. Even when we are in the company of people, and simply carefully observing the gestures and facial expressions of our interlocutor, we can tell a lot about a person. The hand reflects our mood and how we feel at the moment.

Psychologists, in order to analyze the current situation, ask to bring ready-made drawings or put out paper and pencil, and during the conversation ask the person to draw. Random drawings that are collected over a long period will tell much more and will help to assess the situation more objectively than momentary ones made under the supervision of a specialist.

Lines

The meaning of drawings created by children occupy a place of honor in psychology. Children's drawings are diverse, not only in meaning, but also in color, they are easier to decipher and analyze. The content of the image alone will not be enough to learn to understand and analyze the drawings of both an adult and a child. Even minor details, such as color scheme, location, lines will help to fully characterize a person.

Each age has its own relationship with flowers

Up to 2.5 years, when children are just learning to draw, they really love bright colors: yellow, red, light red, light blue, light green. This is due to the fact that they distinguish them better.

At 2.5-4 years, black colors appear in the drawings. This is good and means that the child learns to more clearly reflect the world he sees around him.

At 5 years old, the child again begins to draw with brighter colors. But he applies them, as a rule, in accordance with what exists in reality.

By the age of 7-8, the drawing should be painted in real colors, if he has seen these objects in life. If yours is different, there are two possible reasons: the child has a rich imagination - and we have a future writer, architect - or (less often) there are health problems.

Colors and their meanings

Color is an extremely informative characteristic of a drawing that creates its “mood.” Many experts use the interpretation of the meaning of colors, which was proposed by the famous psychologist Max Luscher. According to his theory, a particular color reflects a certain psychological state of a person. The color that predominates in children's drawings can tell a lot about the author.

Black – need for change, dissatisfaction, hostility, depression;
Gray – detachment, indifference;
Brown – isolation, physical or emotional discomfort, sensuality;
Violet – emotional immaturity, infantilism;
Blue – the desire for peace, consciousness;
Blue – friendliness, thoughtfulness;
Green – determination, independence, isolation;
Yellow – optimism, curiosity, dreaminess;
Orange – energy, sociability, temper;
Pink – defenselessness, timidity, dependence on the opinions of other people;
Red – aggressiveness, activity, selfishness.

Typically, preschoolers use 5-6 colors in one drawing. But there is no need to rush to interpret each of them. Think about the general emotional impression the drawing makes on you, what is unusual about it, what color is expressed most clearly.

It is better to ask the child himself about the features of the drawing that caught your eye; perhaps he will clarify many points. It is also best to analyze not one drawing, but a series.

Body parts - interpretation of what is drawn

Children try to draw as beautifully as possible the one they love and respect the most. If a child works on his image in the same way, this indicates narcissism and increased attention to his loved one. However, it should be borne in mind that for children under four years of age this is the norm.

Pay attention to how the mouth of each family member is drawn. The image of the character's large mouth indicates that this person often reproaches the baby and makes comments to him. A small mouth is a sign that the character is not emotional or is not used to expressing his feelings.

Large teeth indicate aggression in a family member. The image of long arms indicates a domineering character. A drawing in which hands are completely absent is interpreted in the same way. In life, a child may feel moral pressure from this family member. If a child draws short arms for someone, it means that he feels the inner weakness of this character.

Particular attention should be paid to the baby’s painted hands. Raised hands mean a lack of attention, as well as a desire to assert oneself in the family circle.