Over the years, I have met hundreds of parents that tell me they do not feel adequate teaching their own child, especially things that they do not do well themselves. I always say, “Well it’s actually good that you are not an expert in all things, because your child would probably be too intimidated to try anything.”

The best thing we can do is to show our children that just because they don’t instantly master something, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t keep trying.  Use yourself as an example.  Just because you can’t sing, don’t deny your child the love of singing.  Preschoolers don’t care if your songs are off key, they just enjoy the experience of expressing themselves.

The complaint, I most often hear is, “I can’t draw at all, how can I teach my child?”  Well first of all, showing a preschooler how to draw is probably the worst thing you can do for them.  Preschoolers need time to experiment with drawing.  They need time to develop control of their large and small muscles. 

When working with young children who are just learning to draw, compliment them on how colorful or happy their picture is.  Don’t ever guess what the picture is, you may be wrong!  Rather ask you child to tell you about their picture.

Never fall into the trap of showing your child how to draw something.  It will backfire and your child will instantly lose confidence and always want you to do it for him.  When a child shys away from attempting to draw, you can be sure some how an adult has implied that his work is not good enough.