What do you see when you look at your child’s artwork? This is perhaps a silly question to ask a mother. Whether it’s a bunch of scribbles or a carefully crafted picture, anything her child creates hits a soft spot. Artwork shows promise and potential, effort and growth. But have you stopped to think about what your child sees in his or her own artistry?
One of the great joys of parenting is witnessing little bursts of self-awareness. Sometimes it is easy for a child to declare a strength, (“I hit the ball!”), or a pinpoint weakness, (“I’m too small!”). Moments of self-awareness can be expressed in many ways, and artwork is one medium.
On a rainy afternoon during this past April school vacation, I decided to do some spring cleaning. My son Rohan was my enthusiastic helper, and as we went from room to room
, sifting through closets and setting aside items for charity, we inevitably stumbled across his artwork. This was when I got to hear some interesting stories:
“This is winter,” Rohan said, pointing to a swirl of purple, orange, and blue tones. “We could paint anything we wanted. So I painted when you stand outside in the snow and the sun goes away and you see all the colors. I did my best work.” That made me think: He’s aware of a sunset. And he recognizes his hard work.
Wow. He is proud of himself…
Another painting was of a rabbit. “Now it looks like a bunny,” he commented. “Last year my bunnies looked like cats.”
Amazing. He notices his own growth…
One of my favorite creations Rohan completed during preschool included this story: “We were all painting. I wanted it to be perfect. So I asked my two friends, ‘How do you make it perfect?’ And they said, ‘You just do what the teacher did.’ I did a good job painting this part,” he said pointing to the vase. “The teacher said, ‘Wow, that’s great.’ She helped me with the daisy. But I didn’t get it perfect.”
Interesting. He was concerned with perfection at age 4…
We spent an afternoon reflecting like this, and I learned a lot about how my son thinks and how he feels about his artistic abilities. It was a powerful bonding experience and a pleasant way to talk about thoughts and feelings.
The next time your child brings home his or her artwork, ask about it. Dig deep and try to find out what it is that your child sees. You will surely learn something that you have never noticed before. Let this “thought talk” become a natural and routine practice. It’s a simple way to teach your child to reflect, and self-reflection is an important skill that raises a child’s self-awareness and self-confidence.
