Drawing Children Into Reading

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Drawing Children Into Reading Grab a pencil and some crayons and LET'S CREATE. The project has grown from 44 students to over 75,000 in the past 14 years.

Wendy Anderson Halperin has created over 1000 step by step, online drawing videos to build fine motor, drawing abilities, attention span, and communication skills. Drawing Children Into Reading is an award winning fine motor skill building program effecting 4 - 10 year old students in their reading, writing, drawing and expressive efforts. When a student is taught to draw using this step by step method, their pencil grip, hand-eye coordination, attention span and visualization skills are enhanced. We have seen these skills transfer into strong, legible handwriting. "Project 64" is the nickname of our kindergarten Foundation course and it’s name originated from the number of crayons Kindergardeners are exposed to; 64. (A traditional box) When you squeeze the crayon, pushing down hard, you get a dark color. When you gently hold the crayon you get a soft, light color. This process teaches young children how to mix colors into new colors, and make a variety of patterns. With these discoveries, children begin to love changing the pressure. We believe that changing the pressure is key to enjoying the pencil and having less hand fatigue. Children's Book Illustrator/Author Wendy Anderson Halperin began this project because one day on the radio she heard that researchers were giving alzheimer patients knitting needles because there is a strong connection between fine motor skills and the brain. This inspired her to produce Drawing Children Into Reading. Her company continues to grow and impact the lives of children today.

09/18/2026

It’s in the details.

A mother holding her child. A gesture so simple, tender, and familiar.

As I created each of my Subway People, I wanted the smallest details, a hand, an embrace, the way one body leans into another, to tell a story.

Look closely at this tiny moment between a mother and child.

You may not know their story, but perhaps you feel something you recognize.

That’s where connection begins. ❤️

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09/17/2026

Look at them for a moment.

My Subway People began as strangers who caught my eye.

But look a little longer and you may begin to wonder…

Where are they going?
Who do they love?
What makes them laugh?
What is their story?

Curiosity can turn a stranger into someone we recognize as being a little like ourselves.

Perhaps that’s where connection begins, when we stop seeing strangers and start seeing people.

Their story. Our story. The story of WE. ❤️

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For many years, I’ve carried my drawing practice with me wherever I go. ✏️My iPad and pencil have become a way to captur...
09/17/2026

For many years, I’ve carried my drawing practice with me wherever I go. ✏️

My iPad and pencil have become a way to capture the world while moving through it, people, gestures, moments, and stories that catch my eye.

I stop. I look closely. I draw.

It’s how I experience the world, by noticing it.

And after all these years, there is still so much more to see.

The world keeps moving. So I keep drawing. ❤️

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09/16/2026

Sometimes a book changes the person illustrating it. 🌱✏️

While illustrating Planting the Wild Garden, I found myself looking more closely at seeds, leaves, flowers, grasses, and all the beautiful ways plants travel, grow, and connect with the world around them.

That book planted a seed in me, too.

What began as illustrating a story became a love affair with plants that continues to grow.

Look closely. There is wonder everywhere. 🌿❤️

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09/16/2026

We are all different.
We are all beautiful.
We are all connected.

Every one of us carries a different story, a different way of seeing, a different way of moving through this world.

And within each of us, there is goodness.

Sometimes it’s right there for us to see.
Sometimes we have to look a little closer to find it.

Maybe that’s what appreciation is really about, taking the time to look for the good in one another. ❤️

The Appreciation Project
Wendy Anderson Halperin | ArtPrize 2026-94965

09/15/2026

Just a little glimpse of what’s coming… 👀✏️❤️

Drawings. People. Plants. Clay. Connection. Appreciation.

All the things I’ve been looking at, thinking about, drawing, creating, and loving are coming together for The Appreciation Project at ArtPrize 2026.

Here’s a peek - but you’ll have to come see the rest for yourself!

Look closely. Notice more. Appreciate the world around you.

Wendy Anderson Halperin
The Appreciation Project | ArtPrize 2026-94965

09/15/2026

Oh, where drawing has taken me…

Drawing has taught me to slow down, look closely, wonder, imagine, and appreciate the extraordinary world around me.

It has been a lifelong adventure, and one I feel deeply compelled to share with children.

I want them to discover the joy of putting pencil to paper. To really look. To notice. To wonder. To make their own marks and tell their own stories.

Because drawing isn’t just about making pictures. It’s a way of falling in love with the world.

And every child should be invited to join the party of drawing it. ❤️✏️🌎

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09/14/2026

Slowly, a personality begins to emerge.

A little water, a little clay, and lots of looking closely as I smooth and shape the features of the head.

Meanwhile, the body waits patiently for its finishing touch!

Piece by piece, another Subway Person comes to life. ❤️

The Appreciation Project
Wendy Anderson Halperin | ArtPrize 2026 | 94965

09/14/2026

250 Subway People. 250 glimpses of humanity.

Different faces. Different ages. Different bodies, styles, expressions, and stories.

I created each clay figure as an individual, but together they become something much bigger, a celebration of the beautiful diversity of US.

Look closely at one, then step back and see them together.

Many individuals. One humanity.
This is the WE in all of us. ❤️

The Appreciation Project
Wendy Anderson Halperin | ArtPrize 2026-94965

Address

76990 14th Avenue
South Haven, MI
49090

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 3pm
Tuesday 8am - 3pm
Wednesday 8am - 3pm
Thursday 8am - 3pm
Friday 8am - 3pm

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