How should parents deal with their kids’ artwork they brought home from school? The ideal thing is to turn your home into an art exhibition hall, but with a small and narrow house space, it is impossible to pin every picture on the wall, especially if you rent a place to live.
Remember in the 80s, the Vocational Training Council had an advertisement in which a man proudly explained: “I helped to build the Hung Hom Sports Center and the Eastern District Corridor, am I great or what?” Parents can take inspiration from this ad. After the children create works of art, they can appreciate their creation, basking in the beauty. They can also appreciate the efforts they and others have made.
Even with insufficient house space, you can use a large folder to collect your children’s artwork. Later, you could revisit those artworks with your kids, not just once, but multiple times. Looking at the same artwork in different contexts will give you different feelings. You can also pair the work with different music, and ask the children to think about what music best matches the artistic intent. Let the children share the emotions expressed in the picture because children’s works of art often reflect their emotions. A few paper animals are enough to tell a story. Let the children think of a story to tell, which is very helpful for the development of their expressive ability and imagination. Children’s paintings and handicrafts can be taken into photos and used as screensavers on your computer. It is smart for parents to utilize children’s creations at home.
For a child to feel that their parents truly appreciate their artwork, the parents could say “It’s so beautiful!”, but more importantly, parents have to really take time to appreciate it. There is always one principle regarding education, which is to “never forget the original intention.” Parents should ask themselves, what is the purpose of artistic creation? If it is to cultivate one’s temperament, how can it be achieved? Art creation means creating beauty and appreciating beauty. Children gain a sense of success, becoming more confident and fond of themselves. They will like the world even more because they feel that the world is beautiful. Love is needed for care. Children will cherish themselves, others and even the surrounding environment more.
(Details of the story have been modified to protect patient privacy)
Written by: Dr. William Chui
Originally posted on: HKEJ website
Translated by: Cheuk Long Chan
