Talking and Joining In: Tips for Infant Parents

How should I act when I join my infant in the Studio? 

How can I be a part of their exploration without disrupting their investigation? 

Here is our Center’s culture around

talking about children’s work and taking part in the activity

in a child-centered way.

Talking about children’s work

Each and every material offers an infant so many new sensations to explore! Sometimes this can feel overwhelming – perhaps the newness is unsettling or maybe the material’s texture is unexpected and startling. Our best tool for understanding what they think about the medium in front of them is observation. Take a moment to watch the way your child is using the material. Is he interested in the feeling of it? The sound it makes? The different ways he can manipulate it? After your child has had time to work on their own, offer some observations about what you notice, and suggest some possibilities for furthering their interest.

“You really like to shake these materials with big movements!”

“I notice you really like to bring the paper to your mouth. Would you like to try this thick, heavy paper so you can mouth it longer?”

“That was so surprising to me when that happened! What do you think about that?”

Joining in the activity

Art materials can be so enticing, you just want to play  with them, too! The trick is, how can you join in alongside your child without the focus shifting to what you are doing rather than what they are doing? Babies need time and space to test out these materials for themselves, so sit back and allow them to get comfortable before offering anything new.

Take a moment to look at the children’s work. How is your child using the material? Is he feeling it with his hands? With his feet? Try interacting with it in the same way that he is.

After your child has had time to interact with the materials as they are, enact some simple changes on one of the things at hand. Crumple a piece of paper up, or twist it like a rope. What will your child make of this transformation?

If you notice some other materials that you think your child might enjoy, move them closer. Does your child reach for them? Do they hold his interest? Is he more interested in what he already has?


Similar posts are available for parents of toddlers and preschoolers. 

Talking and Joining In: Tips for Toddler Parents

How should I act when I join my toddler in the Studio? 

How can I be a part of their exploration without disrupting their investigation? 

Here is our Center’s culture around

talking about children’s work and taking part in the activity

in a child-centered way.

Talking about children’s work

For many toddlers, the material is an experience – an opportunity to feel and move and try new things. While older toddlers with more words might begin to describe what they are doing or even what they are drawing, wait for them to identify their work rather than assuming it might be representational. Questions like “What is that?” sometimes make children feel as though their artwork has to be something.  Take a moment to watch the way your child is using the material. Is she interested in the feeling of it? The movement of it? The tools she has? Ask some questions or offer some observations about what you notice.

“How do you use this tool? What is this for?”

“What does it feel like on your fingers?”

“I’m so curious about that! Can you tell/show me more?”

Joining in the activity

Art materials can be so enticing, you just want to play  with them, too! The trick is, how can you join in alongside your child without the focus shifting to what you are doing rather than what they are doing?  So much of a toddler’s work is about their ever increasing independence, so give them room to test and try with minimal direction.

Take a moment to look at the children’s work. How is your child using the material? Is she feeling it with her hands or using a tool? Try interacting with it in the same way that she is.

If a child asks you to paint something for them, encourage them to try, or, if they aren’t yet doing representational work, talk with them about the lines, shapes, or textures of what they are thinking of.

If they hand you a brush or tool, make sure they have one, too. Try painting together on the same surface using the same strokes.

Similar posts are available for parents of infants and preschoolers.

Talking and Joining In: Tips for Preschool Parents

How should I act when I join my preschooler in the Studio? 

How can I be a part of their exploration without disrupting their investigation? 

Here is our Center’s culture around

talking about children’s work and taking part in the activity

in a child-centered way.

Talking about children’s work

It can be tempting to ask, “What is it?” However, the “what” is often less important than the “how.” Chances are, if a child is working on something representational, she will tell you about it even if you use open-ended questions. A great way to understand a bit more about what the child is thinking is to spend some time watching them work, identifying aspects of their process or painting that you find particularly interesting, and following with observations and questions like:

“How did you make so many different marks with the same paint?”

“You added a new color! What happens when it touches the others on your paper?”

“I’m so curious about that! Can you tell me more?”

Joining in the activity

Art materials can be so enticing, you just want to play  with them, too! The trick is, how can you join in alongside your child without the focus shifting to what you are doing rather than what they are doing? By turning the attention of the child to what we as adults are capable of, we intrude on their experience of the material. This can feel disempowering when their young hands can't make the perfect shape the way an adult's hand can, or when their idea becomes secondary to yours. So, instead…

Take a moment to look at the children’s work. What do you find most interesting? Ask the child whose artwork you examine, “How did you make this shape? Can you teach me?”

Notice the way the child is moving the brush, and use that as a guide for how to move yours. “I want to try swirling my brush around and around, just like you.”

If a child asks you to paint or make something for them, say, “I want to see how you would paint one. What shape do you think we need first?” 

How do you think these ideas compare to the ways in which you talk and interact with your child around art activities at home? Are there any pieces of this you might try to use? 

Similar posts are available for parents of infants and toddlers.