How to tell if your child is a Smart Alec

Our son recently got his first ever piece of homework. It was during his four year old check up with the early childhood nurse, when she was testing and measuring and poking and prodding him about all sorts of things. His height and weight are fine, eyesight and hearing all good, but unfortunately the nurse became interested in / concerned with the section called ‘motor skills’ – nothing to do with his knowledge of engines as I initially thought.

Her interest focussed on things like whether he could jump more than 20 centimetres from a standing start, or balance on one leg for more than 5 seconds. She also wanted to know more about his ‘fine motor skills’, again nothing to do with his passion for Peugeots or love of Lamborghinis, but more to do with how well he could hold a pencil and what sort of things he could draw.

As a result of this visit, we have had to secretly test our four year old on what type of shapes he can copy and what kind of pictures he can draw. We were told to collect all the shapes and pictures and bring them in next time. He has done quite well with the squares and circle, and is happy to draw them all over a page or on numerous pages, but so far we have only one picture.

What is it you ask?

Well as part of the test you have some specific words to read out to your child with a subtle suggestion to draw a face, or a person or an animal.

So in accordance with the homework sheet, I got him out a blank piece of paper, gave him his special green texta and I duly asked him:

“Eddie, can you draw me a picture of something”.

He said “I don’t know what to draw”.

So I suggested, as the sheet suggested we suggest:

“Maybe you could draw me a face, or a person or an animal”.

He then took off the texta lid and began to draw. He started out in the centre at the top of the page, and drew a line right down the middle of the page. He put the lid back on the texta and said “Finished Daddy”.

I said “What is it?”

He said “A giraffe”.

I said “What do you mean it’s a giraffe, it doesn’t look like a giraffe”.

He said “Yes it does. But it’s just the neck”.

I said “Where is the giraffe’s head? And where are the giraffe’s legs?”

He pointed above and below the page and said “Up here, and down here, but I’m not allowed to draw on the table”.

 

I tried to persuade him to draw something more, but to no avail.

So at this stage, unless we can convince him to add to his masterpiece, or to draw something else entirely, we are currently having to front up to a early childhood nurse and show her a blank piece of paper with one line down the middle and announce “Behold, our child’s artwork entitled “Giraffe’s Neck”.

Perhaps he just doesn’t like drawing, or perhaps this is how smart alecs begin.