How Drawing Grows a Child's Imagination

Drawing grows imagination because it turns ideas into something kids can see, and seeing an idea sparks the next one. A child who draws an alien soon wonders what it eats, where it lives and who its friends are. Each answer becomes a new drawing.

Imagination is not just for daydreaming. It is the ability to picture things that do not exist yet, and it is the starting point for invention, storytelling, problem solving and empathy. Drawing gives imagination a workout every time.

From idea to image

When a child imagines something, it is fuzzy. When they draw it, they have to decide: how many eyes? What color? How big? Each decision makes the idea more detailed, and detailed ideas lead to more ideas. Drawing is imagination with a feedback loop.

Silly aliens: imagination fuel

Aliens are perfect for imagination because there are no rules. How to Draw: Silly Aliens features goofy, many-eyed space visitors that show kids just how wild a character can be. After learning a few, kids start inventing their own: aliens with noodle arms, aliens with TV heads, aliens who sneeze glitter.

Imagination-stretching prompts

• What would your shoe look like if it came alive?
• Draw a creature that lives inside a volcano.
• Draw the world's tallest house.
• What if dogs could drive?
• Design a pet for a dragon.
• Draw a city on the back of a giant turtle.

Ask questions that grow the idea

After a drawing, ask:

• "What's its name?"
• "What does it like to eat?"
• "What's its superpower?"
• "Who is its best friend?"
• "What happens next?"

Each question invites a new drawing or story.

Mix guided and free drawing

Some parents worry that step-by-step books limit imagination. In reality, learning how to draw things gives kids more tools to imagine with. A child who can draw a robot can imagine a robot dog, a robot chef or a robot dinosaur. Read more in does step-by-step drawing kill creativity?.

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