About 2 years of age children begin to scribble. Scribbles are the first purposeful marks left by children. They are the building blocks of children s art. At first glance, scribbles may seem nothing more than tangled spaghetti. Most adults view such work as nothing special.
Few parents save their children s scribbles.
Nevertheless, this creation has great significance. The child shows increasing motor control in the use of the crayon. Although spontaneous, they reveal the child s capacity to form an intention and to follow through with action. When children scribble, they are showing an awareness of figure and ground. This means the child is aware of the surface and what is written on it.