Children's drawings from lockdown show the world what they miss most

Reku Matsui, 8, and Yaya Matsui, 12, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they stand on the balcony of their home in Tokyo, Japan, April 19, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Children confined to their homes under lockdown are drawing what they miss most - friends at school, grandparents, football and green open spaces.

Regardless of where they are, the themes are often the same.

From Tokyo to Buenos Aires, and New York to Kathmandu, youngsters have taken to their balconies or front lawns to display and explain the drawings they have made to Reuters photographers.

A combination picture shows Reku Matsui, 8, and Yaya Matsui, 12, posing for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they stand on the balcony of their home in Tokyo, Japan, April 19, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Eight-year-old Reku Matsui in Tokyo has drawn himself between his grandparents, all three of them smiling together.

"I miss being with my grandmother and my grandfather. Also, I want to go to my grandmother's house," he said.

His older sister Yaya, 12, has drawn a picture of herself and a friend. "What I want to do the most right now is hang out with my friends."

Noa, 7, and Tom, 6, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they stand in front of their house in Bad Honnef, Germany, April 17, 2020. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

In the German town of Bad Honnef, near Bonn, 6-year-old Tom explains: "I have painted a picture of the house of grandma and grandpa, because I miss them so much."

Besides longed-for grandparents, children are also depicting the sports they miss.

Ivan Posta, 8, and brother Vince, 11, who live in the Hungarian capital Budapest, have drawn huge soccer balls.

Noa, 7, and Tom, 6, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they sit in front of their house in Bad Honnef, Germany, April 17, 2020. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

"I drew a soccer ball, because we can't play football in the garden as there are trees and bushes everywhere," said Vince.

Thousands of miles away in the Nigerian city of Lagos, 11-year-old Olatunji Adebayo has also drawn a huge soccer ball.

"I miss playing football with my friends before the lockdown ... I feel sad about the lockdown," he said.

Ivan Posta, 8, Vince Posta, 11, and Vilma Posta, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, while standing on the balcony at their home in Budapest, Hungary, April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

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Flowers, woods and green spaces also feature prominently.

A combination picture shows Ivan Posta, 8, Vince Posta, 11, and Vilma Posta, 10, posing for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, while standing on the balcony at their home in Budapest, Hungary, April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

Jane Hassebroek, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, said: "I chose to draw my local park because it's a place me and my friends can hang out with each other away from school and home and just have fun."

"This lockdown has made me feel pretty trapped because I live in New York City so it is hard to social distance when there are so many people around," the 13-year-old added.

Sandithi Illeperuma is 14 and lives in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo.

Sofiat Kolawole, 8, Olatunji Adebayo, 11, and Amira Akanbi 11, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they stand in front of their house in Lagos, Nigeria, April 18, 2020. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja

In her picture, a girl sits alone in the bottom right corner with her knees up to her chin, wearing a face mask. At the top, a group of female figures in swirling skirts dance together, enjoying themselves.

"Before the lockdown, I used to draw fun and creative stuff. But after the lockdown ... I started to draw the things I missed the most ... I draw my emotions. It has made me feel very lonely because I'm the only child," she added.

Some youngsters have tackled the coronavirus itself.

Jane Hassebroek, 13, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that she drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, while standing outside her home in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., April 19, 2020. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

Nipoon Kitkrailard, 10, who lives in Thailand's Samut Prakan province, has drawn the virus as a monster coming to invade the world, but medical workers and items including hand gel and face masks hold it back.

In China, where the outbreak of the new coronavirus began, and where the lockdown has been lifted first, 11-year-old Li Congchen in Beijing has made an intricate series of drawings showing the virus arriving on a "bat aircraft", people willing to give their lives to stand up to it, and in the end human beings defeating it with "vaccine guns."

For a photo essay on this, click https://reut.rs/2x38YXY

Sandithi Illeperuma, 14, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that she drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as she stands in front of her home in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 17, 2020. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

(Reporting by Reuters photographers; Writing by Alexandra Hudson; Editing by Mike Collett-White)

Nipoon Kitkrailard, 10, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that he drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as he stands by a window at his home in Samut Prakan, Thailand, April 21, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

Li Congchen, 11, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that he drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as he stands by a window at his grandparent's home in Beijing, China, April 19, 2020. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Noalynne, 9, and Annelou, 10, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they stand by a window inside their home in Lent, Netherlands, April 18, 2020. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

Arthur Klein, 9, and Zoe Klein, 6, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they stand in the garden of their home in Hombourg-Haut, eastern France, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Cristofer Lucas Reyes, 7, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that he drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as he stands in front of his home in Havana, Cuba, April 20, 2020. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Half-siblings Dominik Novak, 9 and Filip Kasuba, 6, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, while standing on the balcony at their house in Nove Jirny, Czech Republic, April 15, 2020. REUTERS/David W Cerny

Arianna Sorresina, 7, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that she drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as she stands on her balcony at her home in Castiglione della Pescaia, Grosseto, Italy, April 17, 2020. REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini

Juan, 8, and Mateo, 10, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, while standing on the balcony at their home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

Come, 5, and Lilian, 9, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they stand in front of their house in Reze, France, April 15, 2020. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Bashierah Moos, 5, and Hanaa Moos, 9, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they stand by a window at their house in Cape Town, South Africa, April 19, 2020. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham

Nasya Danial Cheng, 8, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that she drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as she stands by a window at her home in Singapore, April 18, 2020. REUTERS/Dawn Chua

Pika Kranjec, 7, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that she drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as she stands on the terrace at her home in Naklo, Slovenia, April 17, 2020. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

Vasilis Bekiaris, 10, and Aggeliki Bekiaris, 7, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they stand on the balcony of their home in Thessaloniki, Greece, April 18, 2020. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Oriana Ikladious (L), 8, and Rafaela Ikladious, 8, who are twins, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they stand on the balcony at their home in Sydney, Australia, April 18, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Shaurya Pratap Singh, 10, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that he drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as he stands on the balcony at his home in New Delhi, April 18, 2020. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Willem Vorbau, 14, poses for a photograph while holding pictures that he drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, outside his home in Berlin, Germany, April 19, 2020. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

Kyra Bajracharya, 11, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that she drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, while she stands by a window at her home in Kathmandu, Nepal, April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Matthew Bekele, 13, Lidya Bekele, 10, and Eviana Bekele, 4, pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, with their mother Betty, as they stand on the balcony of their apartment in Munich, Germany, March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Andreas Gebert

Eva and Camilla Auer pose for a photograph while holding pictures that they drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, as they stand outside their home in Lausanne, Switzerland, April 17, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Hala al-Saaour, 4, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that she drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, with her aunt, on the balcony of her home in Damascus, Syria, April 19, 2020. REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar

Ilhan Ruvic, 5, poses for a photograph while holding a picture that he drew during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, by a window at his home in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, April 19, 2020. REUTERS/ Dado Ruvic