Finish the Drawing

Giving a child an unfinished picture may look like a simple activity, but there is a lot happening in the

brain.

The important part is not what the picture becomes. It is that the child gets to decide.

When we leave the picture open-ended, the child has to look at the shape, think about what it could be,

make a plan and then put that idea onto paper. That helps develop imagination, visual thinking, planning

and problem-solving.

It also works on important skills like:

• visual perception

• fine-motor control

• hand-eye coordination

• attention and concentration

• motor planning

• flexible thinking

• confidence in their own ideas

Try not to say, “It looks like a rock,” or “Why don’t you make it a potato?” The moment we give the

answer, we take away some of the thinking.

One child might see a mountain. Another might see a dinosaur egg, an island or something completely

different.

There is no right or wrong answer.

Activities like this give children the chance to build and strengthen the brain pathways they use for

thinking, planning, creating and solving problems.

Sometimes the best thing we can give a child is not more instructions, but a little space to think.