Scribbling on the Walls isn’t Bad News but Good!
Has your child scribbled on the walls? While this may be bad for the paint, it’s good for your child! New research is showing that there are powerful thinking and learning benefits when children print. Here are some findings reported in the New York Times Science.
Children who had not yet learned to read or print were shown a letter or shape to copy. They could type it on a keyboard, trace around the dots, or draw it themselves. The results of brain scans showed increased activity in the kids who copied by themselves. Even if it was very messy!!
This seems to be pretty obvious. Anyone who has watched a child holding a pencil, marking on paper, figuring out how to make a line so that it looks like another line, can almost see the gears turning in the brain. Matching a letter on a keyboard can be tricky but it’s not the same number of steps. Copying a shape doesn’t demand the complicated coordination of the hand and arm with the eyes and the mind. Naturally, first efforts are going to be messy.
One of the scientists explained that the messiness is a beneficial part of the challenge. Kids have to learn to see the letter or shape in countless variations, making recognition stronger, as well as memory and thinking skills.
But the really good news is there are alternatives to walls. There are small blackboard easels for drawing with chalk. Sidewalks and driveways offer much bigger spaces, but, of course, make sure there are no cars. Crayola makes erasable crayons that can be used on little white boards. You can use clothespins to hang up big pieces of newsprint, or the blank side of wrapping paper. Paints and brushes are another option. Kids can paint with plain water on the fence and draw with sticks in sand.
One of my favorite ways, is drawing in a spoonful of chocolate pudding spread on a big plastic tray. That motivates kids who are not the least interested in pencils, crayons, chalk, or brushes. What PLAY activities does your child like?