I have two young grandsons, both four years old, and their favorite activity when I’m around is drawing. Halloween this year is all about Frankenstein’s monster, so when it is grandma time, it becomes Frankenstein’s monster time. Fortunately, I previously recorded a ‘how to draw Frankenstein’s monster video for Young Rembrandts’ YouTube channel. I pull up the video on my iPad, and we create Frankenstein’s monster together. While it’s generally an easy drawing, I have to hit the pause button a few times to accommodate their young age. Here are the drawings they created:

Their excitement and pride in their drawings were evident, and it only fueled their desire to draw more. That’s what I love the most. What impressed me the most was what they did afterward. Every time I saw them, they wanted to draw Frankenstein’s monster again, and we did. But I never had to show them the video again. They had internalized it to such an extent that I could guide them verbally. I would say, “Remember his head is a really big, long rectangle,” “Add the lines across to make his forehead,” “Now his nose,” and so on until they had beautifully drawn him.

This was a significant achievement. Drawing Frankenstein’s monster repeatedly helped them internalize the image, making it a part of their permanent visual vocabulary. They now saw themselves as quite skilled because they could draw something more intricate than what typical four-year-olds might attempt, like a sun, a simple face, or a rainbow. Now, they could confidently draw Frankenstein’s monster! They were proud of their abilities and felt more confident about drawing in general. The more they draw, the better they’ll become at handling writing letters and numbers.

As a grandma, I’m excited to explore the Young Rembrandts’ YouTube channel to discover the next exciting thing for them to draw! I would love to see what your kids can create with these videos. Please share their artwork in the comments.