Give up Preconceptions and Discover
At first glance of their child's paintings, many parents immediately judge them to be unsatisfactory of or unacceptable by their own standards. However, it is never a good idea to express this opinion aloud, directly to their child. Regardless the manner of criticism or form of judgement, and whether or not it is as a joke, children will accept these negative words at face value and believe they painted poorly, which will destroy their confidence. When children draw or paint, they often do so of their own accord, and naturally so. But if, one day, a child expresses that they believe themselves to be a bad artist, this is a warning about the potential interference with art, with negative emotion damaging artistic endeavors.
Example of a Wu Jiaan five years old
People have visual habits; they like images that are familiar to them, but are biased against strange, foreign images. This is why the general population does not like abstract paintings and children's art. For parents and teachers to break through these habits, they don’t have to understand children's psychology. They don't need to understand artful aesthetics, but must know how to encourage and appreciate children to learn the courageous art of creation. The only tactic to do this is to concede our own opinions. By giving up our adult expectations, and maintaining a positive attitude while accepting the novelty of a child's art, we must change our mindset such that everything children present in front of us is welcome, with no rejection or criticism. So using eyes open to discovery, one can constantly be surprised by novelty, and it can be especially rewarding seeing the uniqueness of a child’s art.
Example Figure 2 Xu Peiying four years old