SummaryPerformance tests of young children in the age range 18 months to 4½ years have been studied in a sample of 425 children living in an inner city area and a rural market town. Our results show that there is a minimum number of cubes built into a tower related to age which may indicate developmental delay. There is a developmental sequence of pencil grasp, and useful development scales in copying cube models, drawing geometric shapes, and the draw‐a‐man test. Girls are significantly ahead of boys in drawing sk