How to Talk to Children About Their Art

Given time, opportunity, and supplies, children will draw, write, paint, glue, or otherwise create art, both impressing and overwhelming parents, who then hang the works in frames on the walls, on the refrigerator, and on various other household surfaces, or send them off to the houses or offices of family and friends. While there are numerous solutions for honoring, cherishing, and storing these creative gifts, I want to talk about the moment of creation and its immediate aftermath: what do you say to a child engaged in the artistic process?

We've all done it. A child shows you a work of art and you say, "I love the dog you drew" only to find out it was a space monster or something else far removed from the canine world. Then, both you and the child are disappointed by your interaction. The biggest rule of thumb for talking about their own artwork with children is not to ask or try to guess what it is. Sometimes "it" isn't anything in particular, but an exploration of color, line, texture, composition, moods, feelings, or some other unidentifiable, unexplainable intangible. When asked, children are either hurt that you don't understand their work of art or confused that they can't quite explain it to you.

What to say, then?

• I really like the [line, color, shape] you used here.


• How did you feel when you made this?


• Would you tell me about your picture?


• How did you make this?

The point is to avoid trying to identify specific objects in the work and instead talk about the creative process.

For more ideas for discussing and encouraging a child's creative process, see Susan Striker's Young at Art, especially her great introduction.