Immy: “…three, four, five, six, seven, eight.”
Mummy: “Ooh, an octopus has eight legs?”
Immy: “It’s not an octopus, it’s an echidna. It has spikes.”
Ooops, caught up in the moment Mummy broke the golden rule of children’s art – never assume you know what the story behind the creating is!
Instead, I should have reflected on these tips for talking with children about their art making and offered;
“I see you’ve made a row of straight lines.” (making an observation) or
“You were working/concentrating really hard on making those lines.” (giving acknowledgment) or
“Tell me about your drawing.” (open ended questioning) or even
“Which part of your picture do you like the best?”(encouraging reflection)
As for this one…
Who would have guessed that this was Olivia (the pig) on stilts (right) and her mother (both featuring lovely bright pink belly buttons) with a brightly coloured juggling ball in between???
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Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.
I would have thought you were on a sure thing with the octopus 🙂 I still have to stop myself from doing this, even after 15 years as a preschool teacher. Loving the detail Immy is getting in her drawings – such an exciting time.
Hah! So funny. I once commented on a lovely drawing a boy had done of a cow and found out it was actually a dog! Never again!
Also I LOVE that your child was drawing an echidna!
I don't even know what an echidna is. Yikes! Immy is lucky to have you for a mom.
I feel awkward when Miss M asks me to guess what she's drawing. He he…
This picture my friend's child has painted cracks me up….
http://www.setgetgo.blogspot.com/
You'll have scroll down a post to see it.
Great reminders about how to talk with kid's about their art!
I can definitely see Olivia in there – especially the mouth! And those belly buttons!!!! My daughter drew eyes and a mouth on her people for the first time on Monday and this mama's heart is so happy! Happy drawing!
That is the cutest thing that she's drawing echidnas! When I was her age my Mum bought me a book called "The Hodgeheg" and so I had an obsession with hedgehogs and echidnas 😀
…but of COURSE it's an echidna! Love Immy's art work.
I try to be very PC about what my three-year-old draws, and ask her open-ended questions like this instead of asking point-blank what something is… except it seems to really annoy her when I do that. She seems to like it better when I just ask her what something is. Kids! I honestly don't think she even knows, sometimes, until I ask.
I can sorta see Olivia there.. but I'm not so sure that I'd have guessed it without being told!