Each stage may be identified by certain characterisitics which show up repeatedly in their art work. Thus, to expect that children at a certain age should be at a certain stage of development is inappropriate. A number of developmental models have been offered over the years to explain what occurs with respect to children's artistic development. Moreover, girls and boys tend to draw alike at the early ages. Children's drawings typically show greater development than paintings because crayons, markers, and pencils are easier to control than paint and a brush.
Considerable overlap exists between stages.
Two stages may be represented in one work and a child may regress before advancing to the next stage. It is unlikely that a child will reach the later stages without instruction or cultural intervention. The following account suggests that there are four stages of children's artistic development. However, this should not be taken to mean that the drawings that children typically do in earlier stages are inferior or less desirable. On the contrary, as will be shown, some of the more aesthetically pleasing works often are produced by children just beginning to discover the joys of mark-making.