How to talk to kids about their art

Can I fill you in on a little tip? When it comes to talking to kids about their art, you don't have to swoon every time. As parents we do this. As teachers we do this. Does "that's beautiful!" sound familiar? Or "WOW!" ?

While some work definitely deserves a "wow" (and I'm not against praise in the slightest), constant praise isn't necessarily helping your budding artist*. So let me help out with a few quick tips for the next time your little one brings you their masterpiece.

A few key phrases that might come in handy:

• "Tell me about it." - perfect for when your little one comes to you with a picture of a dog... or is a house?
• "It's very name of most used color here" 
• "You worked hard on that!" 
• "You're very name of emotion  about/of that!" - this one is good when your child is beaming with excitement and wants you to love their picture as much as they do. 

What do you think? How do you talk to your child about their art?

*I say this as a teacher, parent and with a MS in Counseling