When DD7 was about 2 1/2 she came home from her toddler program with really cool swirls of paint in an obvious pattern. When asked what they were she said that they were us (mom and dad) - the colors are the colors that she said made her think of us and they were pictures of us dancing with her! She was in the "abstract" phase for a couple of years, but then suddenly, and purposefully changed into the realism phase she is currently in.
She draws on everything she can get her hands on! My mother got a large bag full of little pads of paper about 1.5 inches wide and 4 inches long and she takes one with her everywhere - she has come up with some pretty amazing things on the way to school, or to the store, or even just sitting there on the stairs before coming inside.
I agree with Raddy - if your child is an artist, there is no way anyone can change that. We are getting photo albums with the little pockets to start preserving all of her miniatures because DH thinks they are just scraps and throws them away without looking at them
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We are in the process of changing a quarter of her room into an art space - complete with a plastic covering over the floor. Because we can no longer give the space up in the living room to all of her and her sister's project.
