No, that’s a horrid drawing. I can’t tell at all what it is. I could do better in 5 seconds. I will probably throw it away as soon as you forget about it.
Man, except for the ‘I could do better’ part (I can’t), I tell my kid this all the time.
Exactly. “What is it? I think I see it! I bet you can do even better next time!” is far less discouraging than “that’s horrible, I can’t even tell what it is!”
Assuming that your goal is to construct a well-functioning mind, that is. (Which I hope is the goal of everyone who decides to make a child)
Man, except for the ‘I could do better’ part (I can’t), I tell my kid this all the time.
That’s harsh! Do you have a particular reason to do that?
(I’m genuinely curious; my personal inclination wouldn’t be to do that, though of course it is true of my kid’s current drawings, he’s two years old)
Praise means more when it has to be earned.
Especially for little kids, you don’t want to make praise too hard to get.
Exactly. “What is it? I think I see it! I bet you can do even better next time!” is far less discouraging than “that’s horrible, I can’t even tell what it is!”
Assuming that your goal is to construct a well-functioning mind, that is. (Which I hope is the goal of everyone who decides to make a child)
It’s a tricky balance. I don’t agree with Esar’s strategy, but I can see the logic behind it and was trying to share that understanding with Emile.
Well, the kid I’m talking about is 8, so he can handle criticism better than a preschooler. To my credit, he is an awesome artist.