Drawing and Executive Function: Planning on Paper

Drawing trains executive function because a finished picture needs a plan. Kids have to decide what to draw, think about where it fits, keep the steps in mind, ignore distractions and stop to check their work. Those are the same skills used to plan homework and finish projects.

Executive function is the set of mental skills that act like a brain's management team: planning, working memory, attention, flexible thinking and self-control. These skills develop slowly through childhood, and they get stronger with practice in activities kids actually care about.

The planning hidden in a drawing

Imagine your child wants to draw an alien cyborg with a jetpack, laser arm and robot legs. To get there, they need to:

• Picture the finished drawing before starting.
• Leave enough space on the page for everything.
• Draw the parts in an order that makes sense.
• Remember what comes next while drawing the current part.
• Notice when something has gone wrong and adjust.

That is a project plan. Kids who draw a lot are running small projects all the time.

Step-by-step lessons model good planning

A step-by-step drawing lesson shows kids how a big task breaks into smaller ones. In Kevin Coulston's How to Draw books, every step shows a light gray outline of the finished drawing, so kids can see the goal and plan the size before they make a mark. Then they add a few black lines at each step. That is a lesson in planning that children can see on the page.

How to Draw: Alien Cyborgs is a good choice for older kids ready for a bigger plan. The characters have gadgets, armor and details, so there is more to organize, but each step stays manageable.

Build planning habits through drawing

• Plan in pencil first. Encourage light sketch lines before final lines.
• Talk through the order. Ask, "What will you draw first? Then what?"
• Set a finish line. Agree on what "done" looks like before starting.
• Pause and check. Halfway through, step back and look at the whole page.
• Clean up together. Putting supplies away is part of the plan, too.

Self-control and attention

Drawing a character from start to finish asks a child to stay with a task. It also asks for self-control: stopping a line in the right place, waiting to add color until the outline is done, and not scribbling over a mistake out of frustration. Those small moments of control add up. For tips on stretching focus, see can drawing stretch a short attention span.

Keep the challenge just right

Executive function grows best when a task is challenging but possible. If a drawing is too easy, kids rush. If it is too hard, they give up. Let your child pick a lesson, and if they get stuck, break the next step into even smaller pieces. Success is the best teacher.

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