Symmetry in children's spontaneous drawing and its progression over time

Abstract

This study examines the evolution of the representation of bilateral symmetries in the spontaneous drawings of children throughout the stages of early childhood education and the first years of primary education. Although previous research has demonstrated that children already draw symmetrical patterns before formal schooling, the progression of this representation over time has not yet been analysed. This research focuses on how the frequency and complexity of pictorial motifs with bilateral symmetries vary between two school years. A total of 132 drawings made by 34 boys and 32 girls are analysed in two pictorial activities separated by an interval of 24 months. Three independent variables are involved: the period of pictorial activity, gender and educational level. The results indicate that bilateral symmetry is present in a large proportion of the drawings, showing a significant increase both in the frequency of its appearance and in the complexity of the motifs between the two activities. Similarly, compared with boys, girls use symmetry in their drawings earlier, and their symmetric representations are more elaborate.