# Scribbling on big paper

With a big sheet of paper taped to the floor and some thick crayons, they find out that their arm leaves lines of color.

To do with your toddler between 18 and 24 months. It works on: cause and effect, gross motor skills and visual tracking. You'll need: thick wax crayons, paper tape and large format paper.

## What do I need?

- Thick wax crayons
- Paper tape
- Large format paper

## How do I do it?

1. **Set up the paper.** Tape a large sheet of paper to the floor or a low table, with paper tape on the corners so it stays put. A regular sheet is too small for how your little one moves at this age. Leave 2 or 3 thick crayons nearby, easy to grip in a fist.
2. **Offer a crayon.** Sit down next to them and hand them a crayon. Let them move their arm over the paper however they like: you'll see wide sweeps or quick taps.
3. **Let them explore.** Don't ask them to draw anything in particular. If they stop, draw a long line of your own next to theirs and offer the crayon again.
4. **Say what you see.** Describe what you see instead of asking “What is it?”: “Look how fast the blue is going!” or “You filled the whole sheet!” Talk about what they're doing, without judging the drawing.
5. **Finish without rushing.** Call it a day when they let go of the crayon or wander off to something else. If you like, leave the paper taped down and carry on with it another day.

## What are they learning?

They move their whole arm from the shoulder, not just the wrist, so their marks are wide and need room. On a big sheet they can move freely and see that a line of color appears when they move their hand. What interests them is their own movement, not the drawing.

- **Cause and effect**: Discovers that moving the hand with the crayon makes a line of color appear
- **Gross motor skills**: Moves the whole arm from the shoulder in wide sweeps
- **Visual tracking**: Follows the line the crayon leaves as it moves

## What the research says

- Rovee CK, Rovee DT. Conjugate reinforcement of infant exploratory behavior. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 1969;8(1):33-39. doi:10.1016/0022-0965(69)90025-3 (https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0965(69)90025-3)
- Waismeyer A, Meltzoff AN. Learning to make things happen: Infants’ observational learning of social and physical causal events. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 2017;162:58-71. doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2017.04.018 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.04.018)
- Adolph KE, Franchak JM. The development of motor behavior. Wiley interdisciplinary reviews Cognitive science. 2017;8(1-2). doi:10.1002/wcs.1430 (https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1430)
- Gerber RJ, Wilks T, Erdie-Lalena C. Developmental milestones: motor development. Pediatrics in Review. 2010;31(7):267-277. doi:10.1542/pir.31-7-267 (https://doi.org/10.1542/pir.31-7-267)
- Adolph KE, Berger SE, Leo AJ. Developmental continuity? Crawling, cruising, and walking. Developmental Science. 2011;14(2):306-318. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.00981.x (https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.00981.x)
- Rosander K, von Hofsten C. Development of gaze tracking of small and large objects. Experimental Brain Research. 2002;146(2):257-264. doi:10.1007/s00221-002-1161-2 (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-002-1161-2)
- von Hofsten C, Rosander K. Development of smooth pursuit tracking in young infants. Vision Research. 1997;37(13):1799-1810. doi:10.1016/S0042-6989(96)00332-X (https://doi.org/10.1016/S0042-6989(96)00332-X)

Reviewed by Javier Atance Ibar, PhD in Education.

https://papakoala.com/en/activities/scribbling-on-big-paper/