What does it mean when a child draws? We determine the psychological state of a child by colors

By analyzing a child's drawing, you can easily learn about the inner world of the young artist, his psychology.

Each child will depict the same plot in a drawing in his own way. The child will choose lines, colors and shapes that are in tune with his mood, feeling, and vision of the world. Initially, any drawing originates in the head and only then reflects the feelings and thoughts of its author on paper.

This can be seen very clearly in the example of children's drawings. However, there is no need to make hasty conclusions based on just one drawing: “If you depicted everything with a black pencil, it means the child is deeply depressed.” To get an objective picture of the baby’s psychological state, you need to compare drawings that were made within one month.

We invite you to start understanding with us what children’s drawings mean. Our simple tips will help with this:

Psychology of children's drawings: what does the plot of the drawings say?

Parents should pay attention to the plot of their child's drawings. Most often, children depict trees, the sun, the sky, people, animals, houses, flowers and grass.

A huge number of angry, horned, toothy and dangerous animals may indicate strong internal tension of the little author.

The absence of people and animals in children's drawings signals problems in communication.

If a 5-10 year old girl often draws brides, princesses, flowers and bows, this is the norm and indicates that the little girl is preparing to become an attractive young lady.
If a boy aged 5-8 years old draws dinosaurs, scorpions, battles, weapons - this is also normal. Don’t worry - in this way the boy prepares himself for the role of an adult man, a defender, a warrior, so that in case of serious danger he will not get confused and react correctly.

Psychology of children's drawings: emotions convey color

When analyzing children's drawings, it is important to pay attention not only to the dominant colors, but also to colors whose presence is unjustified or exaggerated. For example, when the drawing is made only with black outlines, and the baby does not want to color it further. Or all objects are drawn in red, although in reality they are certainly not red.

Red color speaks of internal conflict, emotional stress, irritability of the child. For example, a baby can highlight in red the one who is the source of his problems.

Blue- the color of inner peace and confidence. School or kindergarten, drawn in blue, is a sign of excellent adaptation to society and to the educational process.

Yellow– good mood, activity, positive attitude.

Green– conveys a feeling of acceptance and reliability.

Pink– subtlety of perception, sensitivity, tenderness.

Grey– anticipation of danger, anxiety, depression.

Black– indicates hidden depression, difficult experiences.

In addition to color, it is worth paying attention to exactly how the child colors the drawing. Completely covering up, painting over or shading a figure signals his negative emotions. What a child has painted over causes him either fear or severe anxiety. This could be the figure of a dentist, a harmful peer, a sick relative, or an angry dog.

Psychology of children's drawings: details matter

Psychologists say that not only the size of the drawing itself is important, but also the size of individual parts. Small drawing with small figures and objects signals timidity, uncertainty, and anxiety of the young author.

The location of the picture below the midline of the sheet indicates low self-esteem; above the midline of the sheet, on the contrary, indicates overestimated self-esteem.

As a rule, he portrays everything that is significant for the baby as big. And what is not very important is small. When depicting his friends, the child will draw the tallest not the tallest, but the one who enjoys authority with him. In addition, you need to pay attention to missing details; if legs are missing, this indicates a lack of stability; arms indicate difficulties in interacting with the outside world. A greatly increased size of the ears signals that the opinion of others is extremely important to the child, and he demonstrates that he is ready to “listen” to them. If the size of the head is greatly enlarged in the picture, this means that the child’s mind prevails over his feelings.

Important!

Remember that when analyzing a drawing, the most important thing is general impression. What emotions does the young author express? Satisfaction, joy, happiness or loneliness, melancholy, fear? What's going on in your baby's mind? What is he trying to say with his drawing?

Sergey Vasilenkov for Women's magazine"Lovely"

A drawing created by a child without the help and intervention of adult family members – rare opportunity see the real state of the emerging psyche.

Deciphering children's drawings makes it possible to conduct a mini-analysis and take action by detecting alarming symptoms. The child will not even pay attention to the work being done, which means he will be spared another stress.

Picture diagnostics shows:

level compliance personal development actual age;
likes and dislikes in the family and children's group;
priorities and foundation of emerging character;
fears and hidden experiences;
secret desires.

The psychology of children's drawings is a science, having mastered which you can learn to understand your child without words.

How to determine the level of development of a child through drawing

Each age, unless we are talking about genius children, has characteristic pictorial techniques and features. Assessing the quality of the first masterpieces makes it possible to correlate the child’s level of development with his age. Drawing, as one of the favorite activities for all children, is an excellent opportunity to develop skills and lexicon child, immediately assessing the effectiveness of the classes.

A prerequisite is non-interference in the drawing process. The psychology of children's drawings is not distorted only if the young artist has a complete absence of external clues. Having received the task of drawing a tree, the child should not rely either on similar illustrations in the book, or on the advice of adults, or on diagrams and step by step instructions. Even a direct answer to the question of how to draw this or that object is better to tactfully avoid. It is enough to invite the child to “invent” this element on his own. The drawing should become a reflection of his personality, then the results of the analysis will be correct.

The drawing of a child under 3 years of age most often consists of color spots and lines. It is color that becomes the main object of decoding for the psychologist. By the age of three, the elements acquire characteristic contours, and when depicting close people, even details of the figure. The image of a family may look like a set of “cucumbers” and sticks, but the legs and arms of the characters are already clearly reflected.
The plot is typical for ages 4-5 years. The child is able to tell what exactly he depicted, as well as the background of what he drew. Difficulties in conveying the plot should lead parents to think about the need to devote more time to the development of speech skills. By the age of 5, faces appear in the drawings, family members receive character traits, their clothes and related items are overgrown with details. It is the details and their proportions that become the object of study and analysis.
The drawing of a 6-7 year old child reflects not only his imagination, but also his skills. All sorts of drawing schemes are used. It is already much more difficult to isolate one’s own “I” from the image of the family in the form of favorite cartoon ponies. Decoding children's drawing stumbles over copying the handwriting of a friend or teacher. To obtain correct results, it is necessary to evaluate the picture as a whole, take into account the arrangement of objects, their sizes, and their relationships within the illustration. The relative proportionality of objects and their elements is characteristic only of 7-8 years of age.

Decoding the hidden meaning in children's drawings

Analyzing a child's drawings is like solving a puzzle. Only a qualified psychologist can conduct it in detail, but every parent must master the basic principles of decoding.

Color

The first pictorial device and the most important. Kids rarely mix paints, so the analysis is based on primary colors. The predominance of one tone in the whole picture indicates the baby’s preoccupation with some event or phenomenon. The abundance of colors is about versatile interests and the absence of a problem that occupies all thoughts.

A dark drawing with an abundance of black, gray and burgundy, which turned out this way not due to the lack of other colors, speaks of depression and tormenting fears.
ABOUT good mood signals saturation with yellow and orange.
Red is a symbol of rapid excitability and even aggression, but one should draw a conclusion about such tendencies only after analyzing other details.
Blue and its shades reveal a self-absorbed personality, while green is a sign of boredom. A preschooler who regularly uses herbal shades is clearly worth sending to a section, even if he already attends one.
Purple is the color of dreamers.
Brown is a sign of anxiety and self-esteem issues.

At the same time, the psychology of children's drawings is not so simple. Many mothers, having read books, drag their child to a psychologist in horror, noticing the predominance of black in his work. Yes, this color is considered a sign of anxiety, but it also speaks of the desire to highlight a significant object with contrast.

Graphics are not a sign of problems, but a manifestation of a desire for discipline, especially if there are no other reasons for concern.

Composition

The relationships of objects within a child’s drawing are a mirror of his thoughts. Family members huddled tightly together symbolize mutual understanding. Parents who find themselves in the corner of a child’s drawing should think about setting aside more time for communication.

The most significant person will always be depicted in the center and largest.

An empty center speaks of low self-esteem and inner emptiness. The image of inanimate objects in this position indicates concern financial situation. The dreamer is betrayed by the habit of drawing figures that are not fixed to a hard surface. An excessively drawn line of the earth indicates a lack of confidence in one’s abilities.

Family members depicted large and in detail have a greater influence on the child. The absence of one of the relatives in the image indicates a conflict. Subconsciously, the child tries to throw this family member out of his head and life. The clasped hands of the drawn ones speak of intimacy and trust.

Often the subtext of a child's drawing is intuitive. The state of comfort is indicated by the size of the parts relative to the proposed fabric. A selfish nature will be revealed by filling the space with a self-portrait. In the drawing of an internally lonely child, his “avatar” will be lonely and small, perhaps squeezed into a corner.

Thin arms and legs demonstrate an understanding of concern about one's own physical weakness. A large head in a child’s drawing is a sign of self-absorption. Excessive elegance of one's own figure warns parents about the importance of evaluating others for a particular young artist.

Manner of depiction and characteristic features

Children are practically unfamiliar with drawing techniques, so the style of writing reflects inner world no less than color and composition. A balanced baby covers the paper with equal pressure strokes, his lines are calm. Intermittency, uneven pressure, pencil breakage and jumping from one object to another indicate anxiety and hyperactivity. A capricious child may not finish the drawing at all, ignoring all persuasion.

The image of family members reveals the child's perception of each of them. Dad's severity will be manifested in rigid parallel shading, sister's frivolity - in drawing her curls, even if in reality she has straight hair.

Alarm signals in a child's drawing

The psychology of children's drawings is a litmus test for parents, an opportunity to quickly notice a problem and respond.

Predominance brown flowers may indicate problems with the child’s health that have not yet made themselves felt; it is possible that he feels weak and is often tired.
Carefully depicted large eyes speak of hidden fears. Their absence, like the absence of a mouth, warns of communication problems.
Family members whom the child places on the opposite side of the sheet from his own figure should think about restoring trust.
Fantastic worlds with elves and extraterrestrial beings, who so touch parents, they often talk about discomfort in real world.
The appearance of animals with clearly defined fangs and claws is a sign of suppressed aggression.
The most alarming sign is the absence of the child himself in the picture depicting the family. He doesn't find a place for himself home, which is reflected subconsciously in the picture.

Finally

The correctness of the information obtained from decoding children's drawings is ensured by the fulfillment of several conditions.

The child is given a maximum of flowers and a piece of paper big size;
The drawing is done with pencils, making it possible to evaluate the pressure;
The child is not given any hints during work; he is left to his own devices.

Discussing the drawing with your child will also help family members learn more about his state of mind.

Many psychologists have already confirmed that our drawings can tell a lot about our personality, character and mood. It is no coincidence that in both psychology and psychiatry many diagnostic methods are associated precisely with drawings. Particular attention is paid to children's drawings. When analyzing the personality of an adult, you can use the drawings that he makes in between times - we all often move a pencil over paper during telephone conversations, meetings, lectures or long waits. From this article you will learn what our drawings can tell you.

Professional psychologists can tell a lot about a person from drawings. However, the basic rules for analyzing a picture are now available to everyone who is interested, so even deciphering the picture yourself will help you learn better loved one or even yourself. Why drawing analysis in psychology so effective? There are at least two explanations for this.

First of all, in drawings we express what we think. Since this way of dialogue with the outside world is indirect, unlike, for example, speech, drawings are less controlled by our consciousness. If, when answering questions, we pass our words through certain internal filters, then by expressing something through a drawing, we feel freer and demonstrate our true selves. For example, this can explain the arrangement of pictures and their content.
Our muscle movements are directly reflected in the drawings. The nature of your hand movements will be reflected in the lines and dimensions of the image. You've probably noticed that our movements depend both on momentary emotions and on temperament and character. Even in the process of ordinary communication, we receive a lot of information about a person non-verbally: by observing how he gestures and how his facial expressions change. Hand movements, which can be easily judged from a drawing, can also give us an idea of a person’s character and mood.

Sometimes in psychology, for diagnosis, a person is specifically asked to draw, and sometimes in the analysis, random drawings are used, which many of us do casually, if we have a pencil and paper in our hands. The second method is certainly more effective. Random drawings provide the most objective characterization, and in drawings made specifically for a psychologist, a person can try to meet expectations.

The analysis of children's drawings occupies a special place in psychology. Deciphering them is in many ways easier than the drawings of adults, because children’s drawings are distinguished by great variety and wide color scheme. If you want to learn how to interpret adult or children's drawings, you should pay attention not only to the content of the image. The location of the object on the sheet, its color and the nature of the lines are no less important.

What does the location of the picture say?

By the position of the picture one can judge the character and values of a person. Adults sometimes draw casually in the margins of a notebook, on empty space in old documents, or on small scraps of paper. However, even in this case, you can pay attention to how a person uses the available space for his drawing.

A drawing located closer to the top edge of the sheet indicates high self-esteem and determination. For this type of people the main life priority- self-realization and desire for success. Such people love the competitive process and strive to be the best in any business. They are often also quite passionate and have leadership qualities.
Accordingly, the drawing located at the bottom of the sheet indicates that the person has fairly low self-esteem, he does not feel in demand and is not interested in fighting for championship.
The images on the left speak of conservatism and nostalgia. This person is immersed in his memories, and the past serves as a guide for him.
If a person draws something on the right, this, on the contrary, means that he is focused on the future. This means that a person expects positive changes, but the current state of affairs does not suit him. It is worth noting that these analysis rules are specific to each culture. For example, movements from left to right are characteristic of our writing, so conclusions can be drawn from the drawings by analogy.

The location of the picture either on the left or on the right can be associated with a certain amount of dissatisfaction with life. Usually those people who are uncomfortable in the present look to the past or the future. Therefore, the most harmonious place for a drawing is the center of the sheet.

What does the size of the picture indicate?

The size of the drawing on the sheet is usually associated with a person’s self-esteem. Of course, you should consider the size in relation to the entire space of the sheet if space is limited.

Large drawings indicate high self-esteem. If the drawing is excessively large and looks unnatural, this may indicate arrogance and vanity, the underlying cause of which, on the contrary, is lack of self-confidence.
Particular uncertainty is evidenced by drawings that strive to take up all the space on the sheet. It's connected with psychological mechanism compensation: if a person cannot establish himself in his place in life, mentally he strives to take all the best, to take up as much space as possible. Usually such people are extroverts who, for one reason or another, cannot sufficiently realize themselves in society. This is reflected in the drawings.
Introverts tend to draw small images and leave a lot of empty space around them. Psychologists interpret unreasonably small drawings as constriction, stiffness, fear and anxiety. Such people are emotionally closed, feel discomfort in outside world, are ashamed of themselves or do not trust their surroundings.

Color drawings in psychology

For the most part, children's drawings are analyzed using this parameter. Adults usually make drawings casually with the pencil that is at hand. The only thing that can be interpreted in adult drawings is the presence or absence of shading. In children's drawings, color has great importance for psychologists.

Green color can indicate independence, self-sufficiency and stubbornness. This color is used by children who want to assert themselves.
Yellow patterns indicate that a person feels comfortable.
Blue signifies concern and self-absorption. Blue drawings are made in moments of thinking about the past or in attempts to solve a problem.
Purple indicates a developed imagination.
Red color indicates the need to throw out accumulated energy. This color is often used by hyperactive children. Red can also serve as a signal of hidden aggression.
Gray indicates boredom and lack of positive emotions.
The color brown denotes subconscious protest. A child who often uses brown paint is dissatisfied with any situation, feels anxious and uncomfortable.
Black is associated with depression. Such drawings indicate that the child is highly concentrated on his problem and lacks positive experiences.
In casual drawings by adults, densely shaded figures can mean closedness, a feeling of being contained. Often such drawings indicate creative crisis person.
If a person never shades his images, this indicates his willingness to perceive new things and accept change.

What do the lines in the picture say?

The lines a person makes can tell you a lot about his character. These lines can be solid or broken, rounded or with sharp corners. Using the lines in the drawing, you can easily decipher even images made by adults casually. This method is equally suitable for analyzing children's and adult drawings.

Solid lines indicate emotional stability, flexibility and confidence. Such people are usually calm and confident that they will cope with all the difficulties that arise.
Broken lines, on the contrary, indicate uncertainty and instability.
Bold lines may indicate a person’s desire to stand out and establish himself. With such lines we can try to compensate for internal uncertainty, the desire to be noticed and appreciated.
Deliberately thin lines, when a person barely presses the pencil and barely touches the paper, indicate a desire to avoid attention and communication, and a need for privacy. Similar lines can also appear if a person experiences shame and guilt.

Strictly geometric designs, where all angles are right and all lines are perpendicular or parallel to each other, can mean hidden aggression. Also, such lines speak of conservatism and difficulties in adapting to new things.
Clearly expressed aggression and hostility can be determined by the abundance of sharp corners in the picture.
Rounded lines and soft curves indicate the softness and flexibility of a person. Typically, such designs are found in women more often than in men.
Narrow and miniature figures speak of enslavement, the desire to adhere to the rules and not go beyond the limits.
Large volumetric figures indicate that a person has a broad outlook and is emotionally open.

What do the painted objects say?

Of course, special attention should be paid to what exactly is drawn. Based on what objects a person depicts, you can tell a lot about him.

Living objects, which include animals or people, indicate a lack of communication and a need for social contact. Also, such images may indicate complex problem in a person’s life, which he is afraid to solve alone.
Empty landscapes depicting nature without people indicate difficulties in communicating and understanding other people's feelings or thoughts.
Repeating standard simple patterns, such as flowers, clouds, trees or stars, speaks of emotional closeness and an attempt to hide one's true feelings.
Subject drawings depicting people or animals in motion reveal an active and active nature.

Psychology of adult drawing

Drawings by adults, made casually, can be no less diverse than children's. By what exactly is drawn, one can largely judge a person’s personality. Let's consider the most popular versions of images among adults and their significance in psychology.

Wavy lines and spirals may indicate that a person is in a difficult situation and is trying to overcome a crisis. Such drawings indicate hopelessness and appear if a person is confused about something.
The grid indicates that a person feels in an unpleasant, vulnerable position.
Often people draw the sun or flowers in between times. Unfortunately, the meaning of such drawings is not at all as obvious as it seems. Drawings of flowers in psychology, like drawings of the sun, they most often express sadness and the need for attention and communication.
Joy can be expressed in drawings with hearts.
Repeating patterns indicate boredom.
If a person draws people, it means that he wants to shift responsibility to someone else and avoid work. It may also indicate a need for help and support.
Drawing of a house in psychology means fatigue, hostility of a person towards the outside world and a desire to relax in an environment favorable for this.
Chess is usually drawn by people who find themselves in ambiguous and difficult situation when they don't know what decision to make.
A honeycomb drawn by an adult speaks of harmony and tranquility.
If a person draws geometric figures, this may indicate the firmness of his convictions and confidence in the decision made.

Psychology of children's drawings

You can interpret the most common drawings yourself - in any drawing there are always several basic criteria by which you can judge the child’s temperament and emotional state. What do children's drawings mean in psychology?

Landscapes with a forest, lawn or street without people in children can signal loneliness and communication problems. If a child draws deserted landscapes, most likely his relationships with peers are not going well.
A drawing of a house, just like in adults, speaks of fatigue and the need for comfort and relaxation surrounded by loved ones.
Drawings of monsters can indicate internal tension, fear and discomfort. Often such images reflect popular childhood fears.
Attention should be paid to the drawing of the family. Family drawing in psychology children demonstrate well how they see their family. If the family is depicted in in full force and in bright colors, it means things are going well and the child is comfortable. If the child does not portray someone, it is worth thinking about - perhaps this person is missing in the child’s life, he pays little attention to the child. Black and brown paints in the image of the family they talk about the problems and negativity that the child feels. Also, for young children, the largest figure will mean the head of the family in a child’s understanding.
Tree drawing in psychology means the desire for knowledge and development. However important It also depends on how exactly the tree is drawn. In the nursery psychology there are tests based on drawings- one of these tests is that the child is asked to draw a tree. By the presence or absence of roots, one can judge how deeply the child is accustomed to thinking. Trunk curvature or trunk unusual shape speaks of stress, dissatisfaction and discomfort. You can easily evaluate the crown of a tree by the lines of which it consists - whether the lines are rounded or with pointed corners, thin or bold, solid or broken.
Drawings of animals in psychology are considered good sign- they indicate the calmness and joy of the child.
Interpretations of a person’s drawing are given a special place in psychology - this is especially interesting when working with children. If a child draws another person, this often indicates a lack of communication. It is also worth paying attention to whether a specific person is drawn or a certain collective image. If a person is drawn in dark colors and unnaturally large, perhaps the child has a fear of people.
If a child draws himself, this indicates a need for self-knowledge and self-expression. Children's drawings are often not very proportional, small details images can also say a lot. For example, large ears indicate audacity and a desire to stand out, short legs indicate low self-esteem, and long arms indicate that the child is always ready to try new things.

In psychology based on the drawing of a person you can say a lot about his personal characteristics and his mood at a particular moment. By observing your own drawings, you can make sure that the rules for their interpretation work. Of course, when assessing a person, you should not rely entirely on the analysis of his drawings, but some images in which one or another motif can be clearly seen can help you get to know the person a little better.

Video: “What do our drawings say?”

What does the color indicate?

Red

This is a marker of childhood joy. It is difficult to determine the character traits of children under 5 years old from their drawings. This is due to the insufficient development of motor skills to create complete images. At the same time, obtain information about the emotional state of a child of a given age from the color of a masterpiece by a novice artist. Some mothers, seeing bright red lines on a piece of paper, begin to sound the alarm, as they associate the color red with aggression and anger. Child psychology experts say that this color indicates joy. There is a good chance that the future Picasso's attention was drawn to the beauty of color. If your child has chosen the color red, then most likely he is characterized by activity, good health, and vitality. As a rule, people with such character traits become leaders, successful businessmen or truly creative people.

Brown

If your baby prefers dark colors, for example, black, brown, then you should start to worry (especially if this happens regularly). If the brown color is constant, the drawings should be given to a child psychologist for analysis. If Brown color is constant and fundamental in the drawings, then this can serve as a signal of illness, insufficient development, abstract thinking, poor memory, stress. Children often use this color if there are problems in the family that their parents are unaware of.

How to read drawings by children aged 5 years and older

Color analysis is also relevant. But for reliable data it needs to be supplemented by studying the content of creations. Children often depict what they see, for example, cars, houses, trees... If the drawn objects are painted in their characteristic colors, then the child’s reality is as it is. There is no need to worry about the purple monster either. Most likely, this is the result of a very developed imagination.

Simple but effective test

It allows you to learn about hidden personality traits. To ensure the reliability of the test results, it must be carried out when young artist will be in a good mood. Ask him to draw a house, a tree and a person. Do not limit the test taker in choosing the color of the pencil. Corrections and erasures are acceptable. Your task is simple - to observe. And if you are often away from home and decide to hire a nanny in Moscow to care for your child, then it is advisable that she understands psychological aspects.

Human

If a person is drawn at the bottom of the sheet, then this can serve as a signal of low self-esteem. What to do in this case? Praise (the more often, the better) and support for the baby will help.

A person with an excessively small head is a signal of the child’s need for additional activities and educational games.

The face is covered with a hat or other headdress - it may mean that the child is in fear and needs protection.

Open mouth with teeth and raised hands. This pattern is associated with aggression. Check if someone is hurting your child?

House

If the house has small windows or no windows at all, then it is most likely difficult for the little artist to communicate with peers.

The house has no doors. It's time to worry. Your child is withdrawn.

Thick smoke from a chimney is a symbol of internal tension, lack of psychological warmth at home, the need for care and comfort.

Tree

This is a source of knowledge about the child's character.

Strokes and awkward scribbles inside the trunk or crown are characteristic of children who are insecure and subject to the influence of others. Frequent attention, care, and well-expressed tenderness will help.

Don't take the drawings too seriously. Test results are not a diagnosis. However, they should not be neglected. Anxiety arises, then contact a child psychologist.