Is this "average" artwork?

[WindyCityMom]

My husband has been telling me that DD is artistically advanced- she just turned 2.5 and has recently started drawing forms. Today, she drew this:
(she told me that it was a picture of baby sister and the scribbles on top are baby sister's name)

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6675511_n.jpg

I'm really not sure what I'm asking here- is it above average? Is it just "average" and my DH has his head in the clouds (reasonably so, it is his DD ).

She also draws balloons, flowers, trees, shapes, and has started drawing some letters as well.

Does anyone know of any resources that I can check out regarding toddler artwork and its stages? We're somewhat into Waldorf but what she's drawing doesn't coincide with the anthroposophic approach so I'm asking for other points of view as well.

[amberskyfire]

Sorry, I can't help with what's "normal" at all, but I can tell you what my 27 m/o daughter has been doing. She draws smiley faces (two dots for eyes, a dot for a nose, and a smiling mouth) and she can write a few letters like D, C, and L. She can make a fish and a circle and I think that's all

[physmom]

I have no clue because DD is much younger but I just wanted to say that that's really cute! I can't wait until DD gets to the drawing stage because we're a family of artists (my mom was semi-professional for awhile). She kept a book of some of my best artwork over the years and it's really fun to look through it until this day, so you might want to consider doing that!

BTW, you might want to check out this link: http://www.learningdesign.com/Portfo...iddrawing.html

[sapphire_chan]

I think including eyebrows is advanced.

[mamazee]

I think she includes details that most kids that age don't include.

[seagull]

Looks similar to faces that my son and niece drew at 2 1/2 to 3 years old. I can't remember if their faces had eyebrows though. My dd who is 33 months really has no interest in drawing, so she is still scribbling some jagged lines and telling me what shape it is.

[Auraji]

I think is above average. My DD is 14 months, so her scribbles are just chaotic, but I have a 4.5 DSS and he cannot draw anything near that. I'm very into art so I've tried teaching him shapes and simple things, but he's not into it. I honestly just think he's not artistically inclined, but still I'm impressed at your DD being able to do that.

I'd encourage it

[MadiMamacita]

here is some more info on art milestones: http://www.education.com/magazine/ar...estones_Whats/
"Notice the big things, the small things, and the things that are missing. While observing your child's art, keep in mind that the larger an object in a drawing, the more significant it is to your child."
sounds like she loves her baby sister!

[Jayray]

My first thought was, does it matter?

[Abraisme]

My son drew THIS when he was 3 without any guidance. As of now he's not that artistic, but he is detail oriented and very spacial. He could copy basic drawings, letters, etc from a pretty early age.

My mother said that I could write my own name by the time I was 2.

I used to babysit a 2.5yo and she drew cute little monster type drawings, but could not duplicate anything for the life of her.

Also, my best friend has a 2.5yo and he just scribbles in circles.

Each kid is different, but as of now I would say that picture is within a norm from what I've seen.

[donutmolly]

My older DD, 5yo, drew similar pictures at age 2.5 -- and she is definitely gifted artistically. No, it doesn't matter in terms of her being more special than any other kid, but it has helped me encourage her by providing materials, opportunities to express herself through drawing/art.

For comparison, DD2, who is 2.5yo, draws pages full of scribbles... she loves to create with her big sis, but no recognizeable shapes or forms yet.

We are enthusiastic about both of our girls' artwork!

[WindyCityMom]

Thanks for the information and the links everyone

JayRay- Obviously it matters to me if I posted about it How "advanced" she is does not matter to me- but seeing that we normally take an anthroposophical approach to things (and Rudolf Steiner generally says that stages of growth usually go together), I was curious. I asked something similar on the Waldorf board also a few days ago. Raising a child in an anthroposophical home can be challenging if some of their development is ahead of other aspects of development- kind of hard to explian.

[Auraji]

Originally Posted by donutmolly

but it has helped me encourage her by providing materials, opportunities to express herself through drawing/art.

I agree. I mean what's really important is that she enjoys it, but I think as a parent it helps the child when you can recognize your child's talents and allow them to explore it the most they can while they're still young.

I'm very artistically inclined and I wish I had received some encouragement from my parents as a kid.