Colouring by age: what to expect

A two-year-old's scribble and a six-year-old's careful shading are steps on the same path. Knowing what is usual at each age helps you pick the right page, and stops you from worrying about, or correcting, things that are perfectly normal. The ages below are rough. Children differ by a year or more in either direction, and that is fine.

About 2 years: scribbling

The whole arm moves, the crayon is held in a fist, and the marks go everywhere, often off the paper. This is not a failed picture. It is the child discovering that a movement leaves a mark. Lines on the page mean nothing yet.

Give: thick, short crayons; big paper taped to the table; any easy page, or no picture at all.
Do: name the colours as they are used. Stay close: crayons go into mouths at this age.

About 3 years: aiming

The child begins to notice the picture and to aim colour at it. A whole animal may be covered in one colour with wide strokes that cross every line. Circles and crosses start to appear in free drawing. The fist grip slowly gives way to fingers.

Give: pages marked easy, with one large shape: the apple, the fish, the balloons, the sun.
Do: offer two or three crayons to choose from, not the whole box.

About 4 years: choosing

Now there are decisions: the leaf is green, the sun is yellow, and the child tells you so. Colour stays roughly inside large spaces. Many children hold the crayon with three fingers. They may start to add things of their own, such as grass or rain.

Give: easy and medium pages. Colour pencils can join the crayons.
Do: ask about the picture instead of judging it. "Tell me about your elephant" works better than "that's nice".

About 5 years: staying inside

Most children can now keep inside the lines of medium-sized spaces when they want to, and they do want to. They colour in one direction, press evenly and finish what they start. This is the hand control that handwriting needs, arriving just in time for school.

Give: medium pages such as the owl, butterfly, house and car. Sketch pens, with the caps kept track of.
Do: show one trick: outline the space first, then fill it.

6 to 7 years: planning

Children plan a colour scheme, repeat colours on purpose, and try effects: pressing hard and soft, mixing two colours, leaving a white highlight. Patterns become interesting for their own sake.

Give: the mandala, the heart, and any picture with the invitation to add a background.
Do: colour your own page beside them. Children of this age love company more than help.

What adults should not do

Do not insist on staying inside the lines before five. Control comes with growth of the hand, not with scolding.
Do not correct the colours. A green sun is a choice. If you want to teach real colours, colour your own sun yellow and say so.
Do not finish or fix the picture. It stops being theirs.
Do not compare with a brother, sister or classmate.

Left hand or right?

Many children swap hands until about four. Offer the crayon at the middle of the body and let the child take it with whichever hand reaches. A left-handed child should stay left-handed; turn the paper a little to the right for them.

When to mention it to someone

If a child of five still cannot hold a crayon with the fingers, avoids all drawing and colouring, or tires after a minute, mention it to the class teacher or the child's doctor. Often it is nothing; sometimes a little guided practice for the hand muscles helps. This page gives general guidance and cannot assess an individual child.