Self-expression can be a real struggle, for both adults and young children. As your child learns how to communicate their feelings, use art as a tool to help!

Here are a few tips to empower your child to express themselves through art:

Use supplies that are open-ended, like blank white or colored paper, rather than a coloring book with lines and shapes. The pre-determined characters and images limit capacity for self-expression.
Let your child tell you what they are drawing, rather than asking pointed questions like “Is that a dog?” Make nonjudgemental observations like “I see a lot of color” or “I see you’ve used colored pencils rather than crayons this time!”
When starting an art project, keep in mind who is leading the project. Is it adult-oriented, requiring a lot of supervision and help? Or can the child take the lead and make whatever they’d like? Both are fun projects, but very different in terms of self-expression and creativity.

During your next art project, consider giving your child materials with no purpose other than self-expression. You never know what the finished product might be!