How Scribbles Calm a Busy Brain

Have you ever glanced at your child’s school notes or revision sheets and noticed spirals, stick figures, or random shapes scattered in the margins?

It might look like they’re zoning out, but what if those little doodles are actually helping them tune in?

Doodling is often dismissed as a sign of boredom or inattention. But for tweens and teens (especially those with busy or neurodivergent brains), it’s a quiet, powerful tool for regulation, focus, and emotional processing.

In fact, many of the young people I work with instinctively doodle during our sessions. It helps them settle, find their focus, and often leads to deeper reflection and more open communication. 

What the Science Says

Doodling engages the Default Mode Network (DMN) – a key brain network active during daydreaming, rest, meditation, and even hypnosis. It’s where we process memories, reflect, and access creativity. This is the same part of the brain that supports emotional regulation, problem-solving, and long-term memory, which all essential skills for young people under pressure.

Rather than being a distraction, doodling supports:
🎯 Focus and attention
🧘 Nervous system calming
💡 Creative thinking and decision-makin
🧠 Executive function skills (like working memory and cognitive flexibility)

And the best things is that it doesn’t require special resources or artistic talent! Repetitive patterns, loops, symbols, or geometric shapes are often the most regulating.

5 Reasons Doodling Helps Young People Thrive

1. It quiets mental overwhelm.
Young brains are often juggling multiple demands – school, friendships, identity, pressure, screens… Doodling offers a non-verbal, low-pressure way to offload internal worries and process their thoughts.

2. It boosts executive function.
Doodling gently exercises the same brain systems used for focus, planning, emotional control, and task-switching. It’s especially useful before or after tricky thinking work like studying or exams.

3. It activates the brain’s reward system.
A 2017 study showed that doodling (even more than colouring or drawing) lights up the reward pathways in the brain. It helps lift mood and reduce stress, which is especially important in the emotionally intense tween and teen years.

4. It provides a sensory anchor.
The rhythmic motion of pen on paper can feel grounding in the present moment, offering relief from anxiety or sensory overload.

5. It’s pressure-free.
Unlike structured art or writing, doodling doesn’t come with expectations. This makes it particularly helpful for perfectionists or anxious kids who fear “getting it wrong.”

“But are they really listening?”

It’s natural to worry that doodling means your young person isn’t paying attention. But the opposite is often true. Studies show that people who doodle while listening retain more information and stay more engaged.

Doodling can work like a silent fidget – keeping the body lightly occupied so the brain can focus.

If your young person doodles while listening to a podcast, in class, or even during your conversations, take it as a sign they’re self-regulating, not checking out.

Try This: Create a Doodle-Friendly Environment

• Letting them doodle while listening to audiobooks or revision videos
• Keeping a sketchpad or scrap paper near their bed or study area
• Offering “doodle breaks” between homework blocks
• Reframing it as a legitimate regulation strategy (which it is!)

And you might want to try it too – many adults find doodling helps manage overwhelm, process emotions, and even enhance creativity.

Scribbles Are Self-Regulation

In a world where young people are under pressure to do more, perform better, and stay constantly “on,” doodling offers a quiet, non-verbal way to breathe, process, and regulate.

So next time you spot those margin scribbles or notebook spirals, pause before you redirect.

They’re not wasting time. They’re working with their brain.