Final answer:
Children generally begin to draw basic shapes by the age of five, when they have developed the necessary fine motor skills and cognitive abilities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Children begin to draw basic shapes by the age of five. At this developmental stage, children have gained fine motor skills that allow them to demonstrate good control with a pencil or marker. Alongside drawing, five-year-old children can also color within the lines and can reproduce many shapes and letters, which are important cognitive milestones in their development. These drawing abilities coincide with their capacity to build three-dimensional structures with blocks, cut on a line with scissors, and participate activly in various physical activities such as catching a ball and balancing on one foot.
The progression in drawing skills is part of broader cognitive and psychosocial development, as preschoolers (ages 3-5) are also able to engage in pretend play, recognize letters, count, name colors, and show understanding of time concepts. Furthermore, by age five, children's vocabulary and sentence structure improve significantly, allowing for better communication of their ideas and thoughts.