Talk about what they are doing and why. “I see you chose the color red. Tell me about what you are doing…”

Help them to plan and problem solve. “What do you think you’ll do next? I understand you used red but would rather it be blue. What can you do about that?”

Be encouraging! “You sure are working hard!”

Most importantly know that it is their project, not yours. A cat can be purple, green and have thirteen ears if they want it to.

So, when appropriate, give them the glue and the paint brush, let them make choices about the materials they are using and remember; the best creations often come from the biggest messes!

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Child Care Today believes in creating.

We know the power of planning, creating and completing a project and the impact it can have on a child’s self-esteem. We believe that it is the “process,” not the “product” that affects the child. In other words, your child will benefit from learning the attributes of the materials they are using, building their fine motor skills, planning and problem solving and experiencing the pride that comes from self-initiated creating much more than they will ever benefit from your evaluation of the final product they have produced. So get the most out of arts and crafts experiences.