Creative Child February 2021 | Page 40

Notice the Details

EDITOR ’ S PICK

Notice the Details

I don ’ t know how many times my kids have come up to show me a drawing , a Lego creation , or something they ’ ve made and I ’ ve looked briefly at it and said “ Wow , that ’ s awesome ” with little to no enthusiasm . You , too ? We ’ re often focused on other things - work , dinner , laundry , Facebook ! But what would it mean to our children if we ’ d pause to really pay attention to the details ? The times I have done this , they visibly lit up .
This simple but powerful tip isn ’ t just for when they want to show you a picture , but it can be used in all kinds of ways . Listen more intently to the stories they tell and repeat some of it back to them while asking questions to clarify . Pay attention to the outfit they chose or the new way they style their hair for school and make a pleasant remark . Go further than “ how was your day ” and ask detailed questions like “ tell me something interesting that happened today ” or “ how can I support you in distance learning this week ?”
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