paper. The objective here is to see what they can do through practice and repetition. When children gain greater control of their pens you are likely to see circular patterns and the work taking less of the page.  As children are able to consistently create circles and lines, you may see circles with lines radiating from them. The next stage is where these circles and lines start to become objects like people, as children are able to represent what they are thinking about. With continued practice finer details start to appear such as people having fingers and eyebrows. Colouring Books Some research has indicated that colouring books may restrict some children's creativeness and their independence of expression.  Some children may use the drawings in these books as a model of what an object should look like. If a horse looks a certain way in the colouring book, children may believe that their horse should look the same. They may also feel a sense of not being able to achieve what is expected as they cannot colour within the lines provided.  This could restrict their ability to draw with feeling and emotion and to represent objects as they see them rather than how the lines portray them. Art is about discovery, using imagination, experimenting and trying out new methods and expressions.  You know your child best, their temperament and capability, so you will know if colouring books are a useful tool or not. Avoid drawing for your children My Nana was