Hand children some raw materials, and they'll find their own ways to use them. You probably have lots of these materials around the house -- maybe they're even throw-aways, like paper towel tubes, egg cartons, buttons, popsicle sticks, or shoe boxes. You might say, "Here's an empty box, what can you make from it?" Having crayons, markers, construction paper, tape, or glue accessible can turn "What can I do?" times into "Look what I made!" times.

Responding to Children's Artwork

Because children need to know they're loved by the people they care about most, our interest and approval can play a big part in encouraging their developing creativity. But sometimes in our wanting to give encouragement, our enthusiasm can be counter-productive. Suppose a sister is angry at her brother. As she's painting her feelings of anger on the easel with large messy strokes of paint, an adult comes over and says, "That's very nice." Well, she might not mean it to be nice at all. She may mean it to be messy and ugly and "mad" -- just the way she's feeling.

What's the best adult response? Quiet looking and listening -- waiting for the moment when a child might let you know what he or she wants you to know. There is so often much more than meets the eye! (And how much better that that girl could let her anger out on the easel rather than by hurting someone or ruining something.)

Process is More Important than Product

There can also be much less than meets the eye, as with young toddlers and preschoolers who are generally more fascinated by the process than by the product. When they paint, they marvel at how the paint drips down the papers. "Let me make whatever happens," they seem to be saying. It's much safer for adults to say, "Would you like to tell me about it?" than to ask, "What is it?" Children might say, "Nothing" or make up elaborate stories about their "drips." Either way, it's their "creation" to describe if they're so inspired!

We don't have to understand all of a child's creative efforts. What's important is that we communicate our respect for their attempts to express what's inside themselves. It's the creating that we need to encourage.

Helpful Hints:

• Make your own "art kit!" Fill a shoebox with crayons, markers, used greeting cards, catalog pages, "junk mail." Keep it handy for those "nothing-to-do" times.
• For waiting times in doctors' offices or restaurants, bring along a small notebook for making pictures or designs. A blank page can be intimidating, so offer a suggestion like "Can you draw our home?" or "Can you draw something to eat?"
• Just displaying your child's picture on a refrigerator or at the office can make him or her as proud as an artist at a gallery opening.

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