The story a child tells about their work may reveal more than the finished object.

A finished drawing is only the last inch of a long stretch of thinking. What a child says about it carries the choices, the problems, and the part they were proudest of solving. Judged by the object alone, most of that stays invisible. The telling is where you meet the maker rather than the product.

When something is handed to you this week, try asking what the hardest part was, or what they nearly did instead. Let the answer run longer than feels efficient. You will learn more about how that child thinks than praise for the object could tell you.