Encouraging Words

For young children, art is a very sensory, kinesthetic activity.  Such movement-based exploration allows a child to use art as an expressive outlet, which can then provide many opportunities for learning and language development.  The artist here is experiencing cause and effect, engaging in problem solving, honing his fine-motor skills, and learning the names for various colors, shapes and textures.  As a result, he becomes more motivated to tell others about the process or content of his work.

That which is produced in the art studio is of great importance, but the actual process of just exploring and doing is what allows children to experience pleasure in its purest form.  When a young artist is hard at work, it is sometimes difficult for an adult to know what to do or say to be supportive, without interrupting the child's focus.  Following the child's lead is the best way to give him enough space to work freely, and then to respond appropriately with either more materials or encouraging words.

Verbal praise is best given through descriptive comments.  Pointing out what the child has created ("Look, you made a circle!"), stating a positive aspect of what is observed (You are working very carefully to fill that page with paint."), or inquiring about a discovery that has been made ("How did you get that deep purple color?" or "You seem to like how that soft clay feels in your hands.") are all great ways to encourage further exploration, while focusing on both the process and the product.

In this way, the child artist and the adult artist can both work separately on their personal creations.  Providing a safe, non-judgmental environment allows children to create more comfortably and comment more freely on the artistic process that they are experiencing themselves.  The artist here explores and imagines independently, while his emotional and social growth is supported by his mother, and other peer artists, as needed.

Taking advantage of opportunities to connect with a child through art can lead to witnessing many special moments of discovery and accomplishment.  Sharing in the simple joys of color, texture and sensation, which grown-ups often take for granted, often results in a mutually rewarding experience for both the child within the adult artist, and the child artist himself.