Psychology of a child's drawing: how a baby speaks to you through doodles

In this article:

• Assessing a child's condition using drawing psychology
• Drawing color in child psychology
• Important points in analyzing a child’s drawing
• Decoding the drawing “My Family” in child psychology

The psychology of a child’s drawing allows us to better understand his inner world. In these scribbles, as if in a mirror, the baby reflects everything that is going on in his soul: his personality, his dreams and aspirations, his desires and even fears. By studying the drawing, a child psychologist can also give an assessment of the child’s level of development, since his insufficient speech apparatus does not always allow him to express himself and his thoughts.

Typically, the most informative in psychology are the drawings of children aged 4.5-5 years. At this time, the scribbles become complete and already carry a semantic load. At the same time, color is not a means of representation, but a way to describe a mood. But how to correctly interpret a baby’s drawing? And is it worth worrying if alarming red and black colors predominate in children's creativity? Let's figure it out.

Assessing a child's condition using drawing psychology

Children do not know how, and sometimes do not want to talk about their personal experiences. They transfer their entire inner world onto paper, where, with the help of pencils, felt-tip pens or paints, they express their emotions, show their attitude towards some event, and determine their place in the world around them. Therefore, attentive and caring parents, understanding the psychology of the child’s drawing, discussing with him the details of the plot and the characters depicted, will be able to better understand his inner world. And at this moment the baby will try to convey his thoughts and feelings to adults, thereby developing speech, logic, and replenishing his vocabulary. Secret dreams and secrets, relationships with peers, worldview - parents will learn all this if they listen to the little artist’s story about what he depicted on paper.

• Analysis of the plot of the drawing and its completeness

This point is extremely important for studying the inner “I” of children of any age. Children under 5 years old draw schematically, without thinking about the details. This is due to age-related mental characteristics. Older children draw schematically if at the moment they have no interest in this activity. But they can portray invented characters that reflect the state of their inner world. Unusual stories speak of children's good imagination and creativity. If a son or daughter produces only abstract pictures that are in no way connected with the surrounding reality, then parents should be concerned about the psychological state of their child. Such images indicate that the little person has problems communicating with peers, has no true friends, and is not satisfied with his own situation.

Everything that a child considers important and most significant for himself, he draws large, sometimes violating all proportions. And he portrays small things that don’t mean much to him.

The plot of a child’s drawing and the characters depicted on paper must be interpreted extremely carefully so as not to be mistaken about the child’s emotional state. The kid can draw a smiling monster, which only speaks of his playful, humorous mood.

The theme of the picture also depends on the gender of the child.

The theme of the picture also depends on the gender of the child. Boys are cars, planes, ships, and also war and soldiers. Girls often draw princesses in luxurious dresses, butterflies, and flowers. When the drawing is finished, talk to the young artist - who is depicted on it, what his character is thinking about, whether he is happy or sad. The author's positive mood and peace of mind are reflected in the sketches of nature - the sun, forest, river, grass.

• Analysis of the location of a drawing on a sheet of paper

A sheet of paper is a whole world for a child, so it is very important what part of it the child’s drawing occupies. Children who are comfortable and comfortable in this life will place their plot in the very center of the sheet. A timid, shy kid will make the details of the drawing small. And in general, a small picture is a child’s low self-esteem. But children with high self-esteem will draw in the center of the sheet, but in such a way as to fill all the free space.

It is also worth paying attention to how the children's drawing is located vertically from the center.

If it is shifted to the upper plane, then this speaks of leadership qualities, the desire to dominate others, to keep the situation under control. Accordingly, the picture at the bottom of the sheet speaks of passive behavior, uncertainty, and dependence on the environment.

The plot shifted to the right indicates a desire for the future. This is typical for active and determined extroverts who place mind and intellect above emotions. Introverts often draw on the left half; they are attracted to the past. These are very emotional children, dreamers, they don’t want to grow up for a long time.

• Line analysis

The lines that a little artist draws with a pencil can tell a lot about his nervous system. An active, dynamic child in a cheerful state draws with strong pressure, confidently marking the contours. Uncertain, trembling lines, weak pressure are characteristic of a constrained, insecure baby. Either he is tired, not only physically, but also emotionally. In children with an impulsive character, pressure changes depending on their mood, becoming either strong or weak.

If you notice that some detail on the paper is highlighted brighter, the lines are drawn with stronger pressure, then keep in mind that the child associates an emotional uplift with this detail. For example, he can densely shade and paint over the mouth of a drawn mother or grandmother, because he often hears shouts and comments from them.

Why do you need to analyze children's drawings?

What does the analysis of children's drawings tell us? Psychologists quite often use drawing in psychological work with young children. Through drawing you will learn about things that you will never hear from the child himself.

Due to his age, he may not make contact, cannot correctly formulate his thoughts and give a correct assessment of both the situation as a whole and explain what worries him and what his fears, hopes, dreams and desires are connected with.

The subconscious of a little person stores all the answers to the questions posed and it is the drawing that will help us get these answers. Children most often rarely think about the meaning of what they draw.

They draw intuitively, emotionally, they are all in the drawing, in the life they create on paper. This is their fantasy, their world, their magic. Here lies the key to the child's subconscious, to the child's soul.

Of course, only an experienced psychologist will give you a complete analysis of a child’s drawing, its interpretation of both individual details and the picture as a whole, and recommendations for parents. But knowing the basics of encoding children's creativity will not hurt anyone, especially a mother who wants only the best for her baby.

For a small child, from 3 years old, you can already draw small conclusions. At this age, children are already beginning to be more conscious of fine art, they can draw something specific, there is a plot and certain characters.

But serious analysis of children's creations is possible only after 4 years. Thanks to everything that can be learned from the drawing, it is possible to correct the child’s behavior and academic performance, which will allow the situation to be improved in a positive direction.

Drawing color in child psychology

Studying the connection between colors and human behavior, the famous psychologist Max Luscher proved that certain color preferences can tell a lot about the physical and mental state of people. Based on a person’s choice of one color or another, one can determine his character, emotional state, and other behavioral characteristics.

In psychology, each color has a clear characteristic, but there are always exceptions to the rules. After all, people perceive certain shades differently. Before drawing conclusions, try to clarify with your child how he sees this color - cheerful or sad, what thoughts it evokes.

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Children use at least 5-6 colors in the drawing process, this is the norm.

Children use at least 5-6 colors in the drawing process, this is the norm. The more confident children feel, the brighter the colors they choose. But kids are spontaneous, so you shouldn’t draw clear conclusions. The baby painted his dad with black strokes because he often sees him in his favorite black sweater. But he can also highlight dad as black if he left the family. When 1-2 colors clearly predominate in the drawings, then it is worth paying attention to this.

Many specialists in their work are guided by the interpretation of color developed by Max Luscher, a famous psychologist and researcher in this field. His findings suggest that unconscious color preference speaks not only about a person’s psychological state, but also about his physical health.

Having studied the psychology of drawing by a 5-year-old child, you can use Max Luscher’s technique to analyze the presence of a particular color in the children’s works.

• dark blue – withdrawal, focus on internal problems, need for peace;
• green – balance in feelings, poise, independence, perseverance, desire for security;
• red – desire for aggression, strong willpower, increased activity, excitability;
• yellow – optimistic attitude towards life, positive emotions, spontaneity, curiosity;
• purple – a creative person with developed imagination and intuition, but at the same time emotional and intellectual immaturity (children often prefer this color);
• brown – often embodies negative emotions, determines the sensory support of sensations, slowness, physical discomfort;
• black is the color of protest, depression, destruction, an urgent need for change;
• if a child uses only a simple pencil, without trying to color the drawing, this indicates indifference, detachment, and a desire to close himself off.

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.

Important points in analyzing a child’s drawing

1. You can analyze the color scheme of a drawing only if the child had the entire palette of pencils at his disposal. A picture in dark colors can also be obtained because next to the young artist there were only these colors. If the child only has a simple pencil in his hands, then you don’t have to worry about the plot being a little gloomy.
2. Do not try to analyze work done in kindergarten. Most often, children are given a specific topic to draw on, which deprives them of freedom of expression.
3. We should not forget that the content of the drawing directly depends on the mood of the children, their state of mind at the time of drawing. If the child had a conflict literally before the start of the lesson, or he simply did not get enough sleep, then all the grievances, emotions, and fatigue will definitely “spill out” on paper, which will help him relieve nervous tension. This is why art therapists use drawing as the most effective way to release negative emotions.
4. The content of children's artistic creativity is not always obvious to an adult. Therefore, it is necessary to correctly discuss his work, clarify with the child what is happening with the drawn characters, how it will all end. And only then will you be able to correctly interpret what he depicted.
5. A simple question: “What did you draw here?” can cause a wave of indignation and even offend the young artist. After all, it is obvious to him. Don’t try to guess, it’s unlikely to work, because everyone perceives the picture in their own way. It’s better to let him tell you what he depicted, and you just carefully ask clarifying questions.
6. Refrain from jumping to conclusions (How similar to a cat!), this is unlikely to be a correct assumption. Do not criticize, but also do not praise in general, without specific facts (What a beauty, you are a wonderful artist!).
7. The child is interested in the process of drawing, what and how he does, so pay attention to how he draws (What an unusual background you have! What do you want to draw on it?)

Family drawing

A drawing of your own family made by a child can tell you about the relationships within the family (in the child’s opinion), how the child perceives his loved ones and himself, and whether the child feels comfortable and safe while at home. Here's what you should pay attention to:

1. Drawing order. First of all, children usually draw those family members who are most significant to them. If the child forgot to portray someone, perhaps some conflicts and experiences are associated with this family member, or perhaps emotional contact with him has not been established at all.
2. The location of the characters in the picture. Children draw the closest person next to them. Those family members with whom the relationship is not so close are depicted at a distance from the child (“brother is playing in the next room,” “dad is working”). Too “dense” arrangement of people in the picture is a sign of an indulgent style of family education (overprotection).
3. Image of the child himself. As a rule, children depict themselves in the center of the sheet or next to the family member with the greatest authority. An alarming symptom is the absence of the child himself in the picture (or his image away from the rest of the family). Most likely, the baby feels lonely, “superfluous” and does not receive proper care and attention.

If there is something alarming in a child’s drawing, a child psychologist can help find out the cause of possible problems.

1. Details of the drawing. Statistics, which are obtained from the results of numerous psychological studies, allow us to interpret some features of the details of the drawing:

• Large hands, drawing of teeth - aggressiveness;
• No hands - inaction;
• Hands in pockets or behind back - secrecy, mistrust;
• Thin legs and arms – lack of self-confidence;
• Bright and catchy appearance, drawn eyelashes, unusual hairstyle, big ears - the desire to please others;
• Big head – dominance of the mind over the feelings, self-control;
• Large eyes with drawn bright pupils, strong pressure on the pencil indicate the presence of fears;
• The characters do not touch the ground with their feet - dreaminess.