If your child runs to you
proudly presenting a new painting or model they’ve made, it’s any parent’s natural
instinct to offer praise. However, over-enthusiastic
praise can be unhelpful. Studies carried out by psychologist Professor
Wulf-Uwe Meyer from the University of Bielefeld, Germany, reveal that from a
very young age children are very cynical about whether praise is genuine or
not. His studies found that by the time they reach primary school, children can
become cynical to the point where they no longer really believe any praise and
therefore truly genuine appreciation begins to lose its value.
So, it is vital to focus on praising the creative process
rather than the creative product. Well respected studies by psychologist
Dr. Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: The
New Psychology of Success, suggest that we should take care to praise the effort and the process of doing the
work, rather than commenting on the results. This will help your child
understand that their creative work will become better with practise. “For example, tell them you really love the
colours they chose in this painting, or that you know how hard they worked on
their guitar practice to make that song sound so beautiful,” says Dweck.
Dweck also revealed that if you focus on praising the process in a sensitive
yet honest way, your child is far more likely to feel confident in the creative
work they do, to recover (more quickly) from setbacks and better enjoy what
they are doing. “Ultimately the way you
praise doesn’t just affect how confident your child is,” says Dweck, “but also how intelligent or skilled they
will become.”
Lord, Give Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)
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