Child: Daddy! Daddy! Look what I drew!
Dad: *Thinks hard what it is* That’s a nice drawing of a horse!
Child: That’s not a horse, Daddy! That’s you!

Ever been in that tough spot? Well, I just could imagine the difficulty when your child’s mood rides on how well. You just can’t blame the kid for not being an artists. Kids doodle all the time and they don’t really do it for the sake of creating the next Mona Lisa. They do it for fun. Here are some tips on how to appreciate your child’s drawings.

Screw standards

Well, even in the world of Art, there are different standards of aesthetics. And don’t ever think that aesthetics is all that matters in the child’s drawings. Not every kid’s built or gifted to be the next maestro. Realistic representations should never be the prime criterion for you to appreciate the work. But if your child appears to have an amazing hand in drawing, nurture this talent too.

Child vs. Adult POV

Remember that children have a very different intention in drawing than adults. Children love to doodle. Just think of the many walls and wallpapers with crayon smears all over the world. I bet there are miles and miles of them. Children just love to draw.

Even children have style

Children tend to veer towards a particular style once in a while. Like if one design or shape interests him, it’s more likely to find it in his drawings. It’s like a buzzword. People would use it until they get tired of it. Expect thing like those in a child’s drawing. Like plenty of circles or squares. A lot green perhaps. I remember entering a star slump when I first leaned how to draw one.

Join your child

Drawing sessions would be fun if shared with them. In the process you’ll see how your child goes about doodling. Sharing this quality time with the child would even show that you appreciate him and his work. Finger painting sessions are worthwhile family activities too.

Let the child tell you

So to avoid sticky situations like the one in my little anecdote, let the child be the one to tell you about what the child did. A safe reply would be. “What an amazing picture, tell me something about it.” This way, it gives a signal to your child that you’re interested about it. And in the process,