Kittie Butcher, an early intervention specialist from Michigan State University Extension, and Janet Pletcher, an early childhood education instructor at Lansing Community College, offer three strategies to help parents and educators start conversations about children’s art.
Children can communicate rich information about their own lives through their artwork and drawings. To facilitate this exploration and learn more about how children see the world, experts recommend these key strategies:
Strategy 1: Describe what you see without judgement.
Comment on specific details that you see on the child's paper. By making judgement-neutral remarks like “You are putting red spots on your paper.” or “You made wavy lines here!” adults can show that we value children’s work.
Strategy 2: Ask open-ended questions.
Questions such as “How did you do that (e.g., make a certain effect, shape or colour)?” have no one right-or-wrong answer. By asking these questions, adults allow children to elaborate on their thought processes without imposing our opinions on children’s work.
Strategy 3: Pose “challenge” questions.
By asking challenge questions—including “Is there anything else you could do?” and “What are some different things you could try?”—adults can support children’s creativity and inspire them to try new artistic techniques.
Read more about discussing art with young children here.
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