We’d like to give a shout out to Habitot Children’s Museum, the East Bay’s award-winning hands-on discovery museum for young children.

Habitot’s Guide to Nurturing Creativity includes many of Brush Fire’s foundation ideas, which are applicable to any adult participation in art activities with children and youth of all ages. Here’s an excerpt from the Guide:

Avoid Surveillance: Being creative takes time and privacy. Don’t hover – it’s ok to walk away and come back, or do a little art on your own. Children will enjoy the “parallel play.” Try to restrain yourself in your supervision; step in only when someone might be hurt. Nothing limits creativity like an adult being overly concerned about making a mess or “not doing it right.”

Relinquish Control: Try not to be too involved in the child’s art making. You may make her feel that the art is not really hers. Accept the artwork as it is, “mistakes” and all. Appreciate that how a child draws is necessary for his development.

Limit Evaluation: When you look at the artwork, do not ask, “What is that?” This puts the child on the defensive, especially because she may not know what it is. “Tell me about it” elicits communication from the child and will build trust. You may discover your child has a detailed description of the piece. Be delighted and interested! Avoid judgments such as, “That looks like an elephant,” which will disappoint the child greatly if he was drawing a castle.

Squelch Competition: Try not to comment on artwork in a way that promotes comparison among children or against the adult standard of what something “should” look like. Treasure each work of art for its unique expression of self.

Modify Praise: Praise often backfires, particularly when it involves approval of the final product. Praise the effort instead: “You worked really hard on this!” Avoid general praise. Your child will devalue your praise over time and will certainly notice if you fail to praise on occasion.

Habitot’s mission is to nurture and enrich the lives of young children, their families, and the adults who care for them by providing an environment for early childhood learning and exploration, parenting education and community outreach. For more information, please click here.