Drawing and Connection

Today, out of many possibilities, the children focused on two simple tools, dry erase boards and expo markers, to illustrate ideas. The children also practiced drawing and transferred the images onto paper.  

Other children were using dry erase boards to practice writing and scribbling. A small group of children was challenging each other with creative math problems. Another group employed a different approach. This group of children gathered around and talked about various subjects while creating doodles on their dry erase boards.

After observing this work for a while, I realized the children were using the dry erase board as a tool to make social connections. The children were talking and drawing images related to the subject of the conversation. Drawing while talking became a method to communicate.

How many materials that children play with are props for creating social connections? 

Playing together changes through the stages of development. As young children grow, they learn to collaborate. Young children practice negotiation to secure toys and other materials for play. The children I observed used the materials as props and a social connector. The children were not trying to make friends. They were nurturing deeper connections and using illustrations on a dry erase board as a medium to touch the heart of other children. 

Thinking about my observation, I wondered where the same behavior occurred in different areas of the program? Often, groups of children gather in the block area. They talk and share ideas about their building. Then, the children stop creating and start to talk share problems, feelings, and worries instantly.

Another example is children on the playground. Regularly, I observe children in full motion, running, laughing, and sliding. Then a few minutes later, the same children sit under a tree, talking and forming a more profound social connection.

The connections the children try to establish are the same connections adults cultivate in their relationships with friends and loved ones. Relationships are deep and challenging at times. All people are searching for space to create conversations that make connections easier. Today, the children used dry erase boards to develop a relationship within the learning community.