How to Praise Your Child's Drawings (and What to Skip)

The most helpful praise for a child's drawing is specific and about effort or choices: "You worked hard on those spikes" or "I love how you made the eyes so big." Specific praise shows you really looked, encourages more effort and builds real confidence.

Most of us say "That's beautiful!" or "Great job!" on autopilot. Those words are kind, but kids quickly learn they are said about everything. Specific praise means more and teaches more.

Praise effort and choices

• "You kept going even when the tail was tricky."
• "I love the colors you chose for the dinosaur."
• "You made his face look so surprised!"
• "You added so many details on the scales."

These comments tell kids what they did well, so they can do it again.

Ask instead of judging

Sometimes the best praise is a question:

• "Tell me about your drawing."
• "How did you make that part?"
• "What's your favorite part?"

Questions show interest and let kids talk about their own work, which builds pride and language.

What to avoid

• "You're so talented." Talent praise can make kids afraid to take risks.
• "It's perfect." It sets up an impossible standard.
• Guessing wrong. "Is that a horse?" "It's a dragon!" Ask instead.
• Fixing their drawing. Unless they ask for help.

A dinosaur example

Imagine your child finishes a drawing from How to Draw: Cartoon Dinosaurs. Instead of "Nice!", try: "You drew all six steps! Look how you made the T. rex's arms tiny and his head huge. Which dinosaur will you draw next?" That response notices effort, names a specific skill and invites more drawing.

Show you value it

Actions speak too. Hang the drawing up, take a photo, send it to grandma, or ask if you can keep it. Kids notice when their work is treated as important. For display ideas, see displaying kids' art at home.

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