I was thinking that last week, after I heard a four-year-old boy describe his painting as 'like a dog, but like a pattern'. After some thoughtful listening and conversation between him and a teaching assistant nearby, the painting was finally described as a 'spotty dog'. I love the way the boy was putting his painting into two distinct categories (patterns and dogs) and holding on to those categorisations - it seemed a very philosophical way of dealing with the world.
It was striking for me to see how making time to listen helped this adult to 'tune in' and understand some of the uniquely creative thinking behind the painting. Looking at it later, it could easily have been mistaken for a mere group of dots and smudges. It seems to me that it is those mistakes that lead to children's creativity being missed or neglected.
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