Messaging from teachers, parents, and other important adults makes a huge difference! You can encourage your child to continue their artmaking efforts by: 

Praising EFFORT over PRODUCT.
"Wow, I can tell you spent a lot of time on this drawing! How many times did you have to practice to get it right?"
"What part of your performance are you proud of? What do you wish you could do better?"

Helping your child reflect on the TIME and PRACTICE that goes into being an artist.
"How much practice do you think it took that person to get that good at playing their instrument?"
"How long do you think that person spent making that artwork?"

Giving SPECIFIC feedback instead of saying "Lovely!" or "Good job!"
"You really captured the personality of that character!"
"I notice you included a lot of details in this person's clothing in your artwork."

Asking OPEN-ENDED questions about your child's work.
"Can you tell me about your artwork?"
"What is the song about?"

About the Studio Habits of Mind

Arts classes at AACA use the Studio Habits of Mind as a framework for guiding student learning. These 8 habits describe the learning and thinking processes that students engage in as they create art, music, drama, and dance with us. Look for these habits throughout the project descriptions in arts classes portfolios to better understand the learning goals we are working on with your children.