Exploring the World of Children’s Drawings with Laurie Clark
Drawing is a child appropriate form of communication with a wide range of expressive possibilities. The wonder of each child’s unfolding individuality opens when we learn to ‘read’ what the child is trying to tell us through their drawings. Working with a phenomenological approach to understand the nature of children’s drawings gives a multidimensional perspective that allows for many factors to consider in interpretation.
The power of the images that children draw are unspoken parts of the self and reflect development, emotions, relationships and other aspects. Drawing provides a window for the child to express themselves and bring what is occurring from their inner life into visual images. This modality can adequately give the gift of offering a sheltering, safe place to bring what is living in the depths of the child, including trauma, crisis and emotional upheaval into an outer picture of their situation. This gives the child a way to communicate without having to use words alone, but a language that allows for symbolic expression.
Laurie Clark has had the privilege of being a Waldorf early educator since 1978. She incorporates her therapeutic training into all aspects of the classroom. The deep question of how to meet the child of today and exploring their needs in practical applications lies at the heart of her work.
Laurie has been studying and collecting the drawings of children for the last four decades and is in continual research through observation and constant engagement with the young child.
Laurie mentors teachers, is a teacher trainer and is a frequent conference presenter. She has co-authored two books with Nancy Blanning on therapeutic movement for young children.
