Let’s Talk Art "The way a child thinks about her art is more
important than the way you think about it," says Herbert. "Never
impose limitations and never say, 'I'm not good at this.' It
introduces fear. Never evaluate a preschooler's music, art, or
dance. Make observations from fact. Say, 'there is a red
circle,' or 'see these three red lines.' Evaluating may inhibit
creativity or discourage a child." The concept of children
understanding art in their own way is not new. Charlotte Mason,
a liberal-thinking educator in the late 1800s, wrote in her book
Home Education, "We cannot measure the influence that one or
another artist has upon the children's sense of beauty, upon his
power of seeing, as in a picture, the common sights of life; he
is enriched more than we know in having really looked at a
single picture." Parents cannot travel inside their child's
brain and ensure that all the educational efforts they make are
learned, stored, and applied appropriately. They can be certain,
though, that introducing ar