We can either make or break our child’s creativity by the way in which we respond to his/her artistic process. It is sometimes easier to think of the artistic process as the act of discovery. Then, with our child, we are able to nurture his/her actual engagement in experimentation and discovery rather than praising the final art product.

Words that hinder the creative process and natural development of creativity:

You did a super job. Your picture is the best. You stayed in the lines. (This stresses the art product and trains your child to produce for you rather than to engage in the creative process).

Words that allow a child to be creative and develop his unique creative process:

You filled up the whole page. You used your brush like this (trace the line with your finger). It looks like you really enjoyed making this. I can see three different colors. (This stresses the process that your child went through and reminds him of the various discoveries that he made while creating).

Try to avoid:

Help your child by dipping the brush in the paint, put glue on for her, make your own marks on your child’s paper. (This tells your child that there is a right way to be creative, and your child can learn that she doesn’t know the right way. Pretty soon, she won’t want to discover on her own and will want you to do all the art for her.)

Instead, try:

Help your child in as unobtrusive way as possible. If he needs help getting started, you can model the process by doing your own art instead of telling him what to do. If he is spilling or making too much of a mess, your job is to contain the mess to the extent that you can without interrupting the process. Comment on his discoveries and enjoy the process. Be as present to this process as possible, then he will know how important it truly is. Your eyes are many times better than your words.

And finally, please don’t say:

What did you make? It looks like a ___. I can see a tree (or whatever). Again this stresses the product and tells the child that she HAS to make a product. This doesn’t allow the child to simply benefit from experimentation and discovery.

Say this instead:

What would you like to tell me about this? How did you make this? You spent a long time on this and now it is dry, hard, sparkly, etc. (For older children: What title would you give this? Can you tell me a story about this?). This dialogue allows the child to reflect back on the process and reengage with his discovery. He won’t rely on your feedback, just you encouraging more discovery and creativity.