Preschool Scribbling Unit: A Developmentally Appropriate Path to Early Drawing Skills

Most people, or at least most parents, have been given a picture at one time or another and had absolutely no idea what the picture was of. Your very cute 3-year-old made you the most…beautiful… picture filled with lines, lots of colors, and well, scribbles. And you probably thought to yourself, “Oh man, we’ve got some work to do”. 

Well, I am here to tell you that while yes, there is much growth ahead, it is completely developmentally appropriate for your toddler to scribble. In fact, it’s great! I’ve created this one-of-a-kind, Scribbling Unit so that preschool teachers and toddler parents alike can embrace the scribble!

This 4 week unit is specifically designed to help you as a parent or teacher guide your students through early drawing and fine motor development. 

What is covered throughout the unit? 

It covers the basics of different colors, how to draw lines and learning how to purposefully scribble. Throughout the unit, you will read my text, Scribble Scrabble, and explore the creativity found in a child’s scribbles. You and your students will discover the joy of drawing, and help them see that even their simple scribbles can be beautiful art. 

Each lesson includes a brief mini-lesson followed by a short and simple activity where your students can practice their skills. The mini-lessons focus on skills such as drawing up and down or side-to-side scribbles, making circles, using colors that make sense, and drawing different types of lines. 

By the end of the unit, your students will be able to draw a picture using scribbles and lines! 

What is included in the Scribbling Unit? 

When you purchase this unit, you will gain access to over 200 pages filled with resources for you and your students! Not only will you receive 4 weeks of lesson plans with an outline of teaching points, but also digital (and printable) anchor charts modeling the learning targets. I have also added a short explanation of the stages of drawing so that as a parent or teacher you can know what kinds of drawing to look for at different milestones! 

You will find various worksheet options so that students can practice their skills in new ways (like scribbling the mane of a lion or using lines to finish building a sand castle). I’ve also included a class book so you and your students can create a fun story filled with all of their illustrations. 

You can preview the unit and see all that is included here! 

When do you recommend completing this unit? 

I created this unit with 3-5 year olds in mind! The stages of drawing chart included in the resource is an excellent way to determine where your class is at ability-wise. This unit is great if you have children who are beginning to show interest in coloring but are not drawing shapes or lines yet. If you have older students who cannot draw closed shapes such as circles and squares, I would suggest starting with this. 

If you are ready to get started with this unit you can grab it here! You can also purchase the mentor text I wrote, Scribble Scrabble here! It goes hand and hand with the unit and is an excellent way to begin engaging students in the learning.