some marks on the paper as it lay before him.[1] He at once made arm-movements roughly like those I had made in making the marks. But the writing or "drawing" was only a striking or punching at, or rubbing the pencil over the paper, the leaded end of the pencil not touching the paper at every stroke, and so making no marks or scratches. It was essentially an imitation of my hand movement. (See Fig. I, No. I, for copy of R.'s first penciling). On nine different days in the course of the next four weeks, the child was given pencil, paper, and a copy in the way of marks or hand-movements. The only change or advance noted in this period was that the arm-movements became freer. But they were still crude, imitative flourishes resulting in a number of disconnected, purposeless scratches. (See Fig. I, No. 2.)
Second stage.—Purposive penciling. The random striking or scratching with pencil, and the resulting disconnected lines of the first stage gradually gave way to a
- ↑ It was my purpose from the outset to keep the child's early penciling as free as possible from outside stimuli and guidance, merely supplying him with pencil and paper. But it was found that he would do very little penciling spontaneously, or without suggestion from some source. So I at first made heavily shaded circles as copies, and later made many rough sketches for him, sometimes at his request, sometimes as models which I wished him to try to copy. I have never taken hold of his hand and tried to teach him pencil movements in that way—an effective method if one is especially desirous of a precocious development of ability to use the pencil. I have, however, as just stated often encouraged the child by asking him to "make" or "write" a ball, or "choo-choo," or other of his favorite objects for drawing.
