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Making and imaginingHand strength

Free Drawing Time

Put paper and crayons or markers in front of the child and let them draw whatever they want, no prompt needed.

Cartoon illustration of a parent and child at home doing Free Drawing Time.
  • Age18 months to 7 years
  • Time5 to 15 minutes
  • EnergyCalm
  • CostFree
  • WhereIndoors
  • PrepNone

Set out paper and drawing tools, step back, and let your child draw whatever comes to mind. No topic, no model to copy: just open time to make marks and see what appears.

How to do it

  1. Put a stack of paper on the table with crayons or markers. More paper than you think they'll need: running out breaks the flow.
  2. Sit nearby or within sight but don't hover. Resist asking "what are you drawing?" until they show you voluntarily.
  3. If your child looks uncertain, you can say "draw whatever you want" or start drawing your own thing on a separate sheet. Your drawing often prompts them without directing.
  4. Let the session end when your child decides: don't cap it unless you need to.

What you need

  • Paper
  • Crayons

Signs it is working

Your child picks up a crayon and starts making marks within a minute or two of sitting down. They work for at least 5 consecutive minutes without asking what to draw. They name or describe what they've drawn when they show you

If it is not quite clicking

Your child stares at the blank paper and freezes: Start drawing on your own sheet without comment: seeing you draw usually breaks the block. They only want to draw one thing repeatedly (the same car, the same face): That's completely normal and not something to redirect. Markers end up on the table rather than the paper: Switch to crayons or put down a placemat. They want you to draw for them: Draw alongside them on your own sheet instead of on theirs

Make it yours

Younger (18mo-2y): Thick crayons and large paper; mark-making is the whole activity: no expectation of representation. Older (5-7y): Offer a very loose prompt if they want one: "draw something that makes you happy": but keep it open-ended. No-paper variant: Use a whiteboard or chalkboard for zero-waste drawing

Try this with your child.

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