Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Frustrated 3-year-old

We do have some neat coloring books. I will try those, but I predict he'll get upset about not staying in the lines.

I like the collage idea. Where did you get all the shapes, aculady?

I can't really put away the materials because his older sister constantly draws and writes--it's a big part of our life and art stuff is always accessible here. I know part of his frustration is that he can't produce like DD does. They do amazingly well playing together--he really stretches himself--but of course, this is one area where the age difference (DD is 7) is very stark. She is really sweet and supportive to him about his writing and drawing, but it doesn't help.

He just gets so incredibly agitated, and I feel really helpless. He isn't really one for a lot of drama, so it just kind of gets me in the gut. We are also having this issue with Legos, which he loves using, but which can present some of the same issues. (The Duplos are old news and he won't switch back--I don't blame him.)

Here's what I did when my oldest DS (now 6) went through a similar phase. He would get so angry that he couldn't make good representations of real objects in his pictures. We tried switching to art projects that don't lend themselves to making realistic looking things anyway--we did some torn paper collage, some finger painting, things like that. Those might be good because they could kind of help level the playing field with his big sister--the difference in finger painting is less stark at any age.

This next idea may sound insane, but it helped my son. I introduced him to the idea of abstract art. I understand that it doesn't solve the problem with motor skills and the ability to make things look like real objects. But, with my DS, the idea that 'real' art didn't have to look like something caught his attention. He liked the idea of drawing an abstract concept like a feeling and he loved playing with filling pages with color. It wasn't a 100% solution for us, but it encouraged him to take things in a direction where he could feel successful and still work within the limits of his motor skill development.

This is actually a really great idea. Thanks!

One idea I haven't had time to try that sounds kind of fun is to take magazine pages and cut them into strips and glue them to a piece of paper with a few strips missing. You just draw in the missing parts of the picture.

I spent about an hour or two a week (mostly in five and ten minute increments) with colored construction paper and scissors. I actually learned a lot about some of the cool things you can make with scissors and folded paper in the process.

DS 3.5 was similar but improving now that things look more like what he is imagining. We do a lot of "alien" drawings (into space at present). eg alien buildings that are all shapes with wierd shaped windows and doors etc so there is no "right" way of doing it. He loves doing alien people (also wierd shapes) with all their insides - stomach, intestines etc (also strange shapes). He loves the art gallery too - good to see there is lots of types of "art". We also do half me drawing/half him as well (I draw the things that I know will cause frustration).