Came across this article from Baby Center on how scribbling builds important skills in toddler. Excerpts from the article:
Sometime between the ages of 12 and 18 months, your toddler will probably attempt to "write" by making marks on paper, and sometime between 18 and 24 months she may surprise you by drawing vertical and horizontal lines and perhaps a circle. Applaud these early doodles, which encourage a whole raft of new abilities: Drawing with a crayon involves fine motor skills such as grasping and holding, for instance, as well as boosting your child's visual acumen and tapping her imagination.
Hmmm... I think a few weeks before Ben turns 18 months old, hubby and I have started buying coloring pens & pencils for Ben. And then we bought oil pastels as well after seeing that Ben doesn't eat/chew/stuff the oil pastels into his mouth is OK with using crayons during one of the Sunday schools he attended.
I actually reserved a book (which people used for accounting ledger) for Ben's drawing. Everytime we're off to a drawing and painting activity, I'll bring Ben to the balcony (fresh air and different scenery) and took along the drawing book and the coloring utensils for the day. Sometimes Ben will tell me (after scribbling/drawing) that it's a 'shhhss' (fish) or 'neow neow' (cat) or ball.
This is some of the pages Ben drew and scribbled on. I made it a point to scribble down the date when he did that, just for memories... Enjoy!
Magic color
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Highlighter
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Magic color + Highlighter + Pencil
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Oil Pastels
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Oil Pastels
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Oil Pastels
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Magic color + Highlighter + Pencil
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Magic color + Highlighter
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Oil Pastels
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Btw, I tried this yesterday during drawing activities with Ben, I drew 3 lines straight (look out for those at the bottom which I circled at the end) and Ben followed suit.
Noticed his scribbles look more straight than previous? Hmmm...
Someday when Ben is rich and famous in the future, all these scribblings and drawings might be worth a fortune!
After all, I need to recoup my losses for the 'damages' incurred during his drawing and scribbling activities like below...