Daddy as a gorilla, irises in the eyes: what a child’s drawing (not) tells you | Family

During holidays, Foks-Appelman noticed that children in other countries draw the same houses as Dutch children: a square with a red triangle. In literature she saw her suspicion confirmed: children all over the world do indeed draw the same houses, trees and people. How did that happen?

Foks investigated and discovered that children’s drawings reflect the development of consciousness. Drawings show how a child becomes more and more aware of himself, others and the world around him. “My niece lives in a skyscraper in an American city. But she also draws a square house with a red roof. The feeling of being at home somewhere, having your own place, that’s that square plane – it doesn’t matter where a child lives.”

In her book Children give signs Foks analyzes drawings that children make in different age phases. ,,A four-year-old child draws a complete house, a person and a tree. Later on, children also start drawing the sun, moon and stars, because they look beyond their own environment. You can see that in their drawings.”

Drawings have been researched for a long time, for example for measuring intelligence or determining social-emotional problems. But scientists do not agree on the usefulness of children’s drawings for research, notes developmental psychologist Sven Mathijssen of Radboud University. “Basically, there are two camps. One questions validity: do drawings actually measure what you would like to measure? The other camp does find children’s drawings a useful tool, if only as an icebreaker during research.”

Mathijssen is working on completing his PhD research into human drawings of gifted 4- and 5-year-olds. “The research has shown that human drawings can contain indications of giftedness. Gifted children do not draw so much ‘better’ than their peers (with tight lines or the right proportions), but they do draw special details remarkably often, such as an iris or several human figures. Abnormal shapes also stand out, such as an extremely small head or large hands, striking deformities that must have been consciously drawn.”

Still, more research is needed to be able to use children’s drawings to detect giftedness, or to explain why gifted children draw more details and abnormal shapes. “If a child draws irises in the eye, it does not immediately mean that a child is gifted. But if a child shows special features in drawings, that can be a reason to look further. Ultimately, the question is not so much: is a child gifted? But: does the regular education offer meet the needs of the child?”

Children’s drawing therapist Emmy Verkerke is also careful about giving examples of signals in children’s drawings. “All the choices a child makes show what keeps a child busy, or how a child feels. But nothing is black and white. Does a child draw a doll without a mouth? Then it may be that a child is difficult to express himself, but also that a child does not feel heard. There are always multiple sides.”

Sometimes hasty conclusions are drawn on the basis of children’s drawings, Mathijssen also notes. “Daddy is drawn as a gorilla on a family drawing, so it must be a tyrant.” It comes from somewhere, of course, but maybe a kid just happened to be at the zoo. Sometimes an interpretation says more about the person who ‘reads’ a drawing than about the maker.”

Foks also warns against the danger of ‘over-analysis’. For example, she once received a drawing from her grandchild. ,,She had drawn me, with a large dark area next to it. My first reaction was: oh my, what is this? But when I asked about it, she said: That’s your suitcase. When I visit there, I always bring a suitcase with presents. So you don’t have to look for something behind everything.”

Yet a drawing sometimes says more than a thousand words, says Verkerke. Children often cannot speak well about their feelings, the drawing therapist notices. “A drawing is a great way for a child to express themselves or process events. If you show interest in a children’s drawing and ask open questions, you can learn a lot.”

“For example, ask a child to draw a fantasy animal”, Verkerke tips. “If you ask what the animal can do or what it is afraid of, you can get very close to the child. Because everything is about the child itself. Then you are immediately where you need to be, without detours. You can go straight into the depth. That is what makes children’s drawings so fascinating: they are all pieces of a child.”