At what age do children usually start to paint and draw?

Well, most children start showing interest in painting and drawing around 3 or 4 years old, which makes sense because that's when their motor skills develop enough to hold crayons properly. I've seen this with my niece in Hangzhou - she began scribbling at 3, and by 4 she was making recognizable shapes like houses and people. Of course, some kids start earlier if they're exposed to art materials, while others might take longer if they're more into physical activities. The key thing is that early exposure matters - my niece's parents always kept paper and crayons around, so she naturally picked them up during playtime.