Open-Ended Questions to Ask your Child About Art:  

A guide to help parents with the discussion of art.

So it's the end of the semester or school year and your child brings home the art that he or she has been working on. What do you do next?  Do you pull a piece to frame? Tuck the portfolio in a closet?  Or maybe you could turn this into a learning moment. Talk to your child about what he or she learned.  You just might be surprised!

1.  Tell Me.  What can you tell me about your picture?  Can you tell me some things about the artist, book, places, or culture that inspired you?

2.   How?  What can you tell me about the process you used to make this work or art?

3.   Materials.  What kind of materials did you use?  Did you use a new skill or technique?  

4.   What if? What if you had used a different set of colors?  Would it change the mood or feeling of the painting?  What made you decide on the colors that you chose to use?

5.   Self-Critique.  What do you like best about your artwork? Is there anything you wish you had added?