Drawing as a Tool for Children’s Early STEM Thinking

Encouraging children to document their ideas, observations, and findings is an important stage of inquiry-based STEM learning. In fact, drawing is one of the most accessible and powerful ways for young children to make meaning, represent concepts, and communicate their STEM thinking — particularly before they can write. 

But how do drawing skills develop? Is drawing a skill that needs to be taught or will it develop naturally over time? What kinds of drawing matter in STEM contexts? And what role should educators play in supporting this process?  
 
In this captivating STEM Hour, Associate Professor Christine Preston and Dr Jennifer Way from the University of Sydney will draw on their research into children’s representational development in STEM, including insights from their Draw Like a Scientist work with children aged 4 to 8. Their research explores how drawing acts as a multimodal tool that helps children think, reason, and construct knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 

The content covered in this 60-minute online session is most applicable for educators of children 4-8 years old, however is also useful for anyone interested in children’s natural drawing development. 

 In this session you will explore: 

• The natural development of drawing from scribbling to more purposeful and structured representations in STEM. 
• The distinction between perceptual drawing (based on what children see) and conceptual drawing (based on what they understand). 
• How different types of drawing help children visualise and consolidate STEM concepts. 
• The educator’s role in nurturing children’s drawing as a thinking and learning tool in STEM investigations 

Grounded in current research, this session offers practical guidance for educators on how to recognise, interpret, and support children’s use of drawing in early STEM learning environments. 

After you purchase a recording, you can view it for 30 days before the link expires.