What Not to Say to Children About Their Art
If you're like most caring adults, when a child shows you their artwork, your natural response is to say something nice to them about information technology – "Adept job!" or "That'due south then beautiful!"
Too-intentioned every bit these comments are, they actually Not helpful if nosotros want to encourage artistic expression in kids, both at home and in therapy.
If you're surprised by this, here are a few things to consider…
Children should make fine art based on their own ideas, interests, and creativity. Providing praise teaches kids to seek adult approval for their artwork. And this leads them to create artwork that they think will please adults and get praised, limiting their inventiveness and accurate self-expression. Kids should experience free to create fine art for themselves, non just for the approval others.
Children should feel their ain enjoyment, pride, and sense of achievement in making art. Healthy confidence and strong cocky-esteem come from an internal sense of pride and mastery and a truthful understanding of your own abilities. Cocky-esteem that is based on the praise of others is delicate and easily damaged.
Children should be costless to accept risks and brand mistakes in art. Not every artwork has to come out perfect or exist "worthy" of praise. When kids get hooked on praise or feel that they have to run into a certain fix of expectations, they get afraid to fail. Fright of failure ends up limiting kids every bit they stop trying new things or don't want to effort something if there is a gamble of not succeeding. True creativity requires a willingness to risk mistakes.
Children should exist allowed to make art that is messy, ugly, or only for fun. Non all art has to be beautiful, especially in therapy. Sometimes there is value in creating messy fine art, either every bit a way to express something or for the sensory enjoyment of it. Sometimes art is simply about having fun and exploring the materials. And when one is using art to express inner thoughts and emotions, the consequence is not always going to be "pretty."
Children should be able to brand fine art without judgment or comparison. When adults comment on something, kids begin to call back it's important. And so the more often that you lot use words like "proficient" and "beautiful" in reference to art, the more than that a kid will think that these are important qualities of art…which then tin can lead to anxiety and fear virtually it being the opposite. Kids realize at a pretty young historic period that if some art is "good," then some art must be "bad." When I do art therapy, I often hear children annotate that they are "not a expert artist" or "not proficient at drawing." Implied judgment and comparisons that they have heard have been internalized so that they get-go judging themselves.
If you're an fine art therapist reading this, you are probably well-trained to avert praise and other comments that imply judgment in therapy. You're probably used to telling clients that the process can be as important as the product and that it'due south non the point of art therapy to only brand art that looks proficient.
Notwithstanding, non everyone who uses art in therapy or does art with kids has this grooming, so my hope is that this information will allow other counselors, play therapists, teachers, and parents to change the way they talk to children about art.
And then, what can you say to kids instead to encourage creativity and self-expression?
"I see that you…" – Make neutral, observational comments well-nigh the picture, lines, colors, etc. This lets the child know that you are paying attending, but avoids making judgments. These comments can besides encourage the child to then share with you well-nigh their reasons and process for what they did in the art.
"Tell me nigh…" – Ask the child to tell y'all about their film or about a certain part. Again, this avoids judgment but is a good way to express interest in their creation and their ideas. This is also a great trick if you lot don't know what something in the picture is. Asking "What is it?" often makes kids broken-hearted or self-conscious – implying either they didn't practice a good enough chore at drawing something that was meant to exist representational or sending the message that everything in art has to be something.
"You seemed to be working very hard…" – Admit the effort that went into creating the art. This encourages kids to piece of work hard in the time to come by placing emphasis on endeavor and focus, not on production or talent. There'southward been a lot of talk/research in the past few years about "grit" and "growth mindset." The comments that yous make about a child'southward art are some other mode to encourage these positive qualities.
"This looks very creative (expressive, colorful, sad, energetic, etc)." – Observe other qualities almost the art to notice and comment on besides whether it is "pretty" or "skilful." Like I mentioned to a higher place, encouraging creativity and self-expression in art means helping kids learn (or remember) that there are more than reasons to make art than just beauty.
"How did you…?" – Inquire questions near the process. For many kids, the procedure of creating the artwork is just every bit important as the final product. This question helps kids to exist aware of their process, including the choices that they made, the way that they solved issues or challenges in the creative process, and the way the art changed as they worked on information technology.
"Can you tell me a story most your movie?" – Encourage the kid to tell you a story to expand the creativity. For nearly kids, this question is a nifty way to encourage imagination and self-expression. If y'all are in therapy or counseling, the story that they tell can give you even more information than what is already expressed in the picture. Be aware that this is a better question for representational blazon fine art, not for fine art that was created for the process.
"How do yous feel well-nigh your art?" – Ask the kid about their own feelings or thoughts, being open to any positive or negative response that they have. This puts the focus back on them, not on adult blessing. It allows for further exploration of feelings in the therapeutic process. Sometimes they will feel proud and happy nigh their art; sometimes they volition feel frustrated and disappointed. These are all important feelings to be discussed and explored.
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Carolyn Mehlomakulu is a Licensed Union and Family unit Therapist and Registered Art Therapist in Austin, Texas who works with children, teens, and families. For more information about individual therapy, boyish and child counseling, family therapy, teen grouping therapy, and art therapy services, delight visit: www.therapywithcarolyn.com .
This blog is not intended to diagnose or treat any mental health conditions. All directives, interventions, and ideas should be used by qualified individuals inside the appropriate bounds of their education, training, and telescopic of practice. Information presented in this weblog does not supersede professional grooming in mental wellness, psychotherapy, counseling, art therapy, or play therapy. Although anyone tin have a healing experience with art, art therapy requires the direction of a trained art therapist.
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Source: http://creativityintherapy.com/2016/07/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-their-art/
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