I wanted to add that I feel too much emphasis is put on drawing in the lower grades. My DD happens to be a fantastic artist, but one of her good friends is not at all (he is probably dysgraphic, but anyway). I have seen the frustration that results when he is forced to "draw a picture" for every darn thing. I guess it's fine motor practice, but it seems excessive to me. I also note that DD sometimes slops out cruddy pictures for school assignments "because there isn't any time to do a good job," which seems counterproductive.