TIP #96: Do This When Students Say, “This is Too Hard”
When students say, “This is too hard”…
It may sound like complaining at first, but when students say, “This is too hard”, they’re actually giving you helpful information. They’re letting you know they feel frustrated and ill-equipped for what you’re asking them to do. If left unresolved, they might stop trying, cause distractions, and lead others off-task.
Clinical psychologist Becky Kennedy said, “If something feels too hard to do, it just means the first step isn’t small enough.” This is a concept we can apply in many areas of our lives. It’s especially relevant in the Art room, and has implications for both teachers and students.
In Art class, we often ask our students to use unfamiliar tools, materials, and ways of thinking. While this can be fun (and we hope it is!), it can also feel overwhelming at times.
When something feels hard, students tense up. They might say, “I can’t do this,” “This is too hard”, or even “I’m bad at art.” But what they usually mean is, “This starting point feels too big.”
As teachers, we can help reduce students’ feelings of overwhelm by shrinking those first steps. Smaller steps build confidence and momentum, and create a foundation for new skills to grow on.
Here are some for small steps you can try when your students say, “This is too hard.”
Small steps for when drawing is too hard
Sometimes the hardest step is just getting started. Blank paper can feel intimidating. Try beginning with a quick drawing warm-up, a “circle challenge“, or one of these other fun “drawing exercises”.
An assignment to draw a still life might feel impossible at first. But kids can begin with small steps, like shading basic shapes of circles and cubes, before they tackle a larger composition. Simple worksheets can be great practice for this, too.
Before drawing a portrait of a specific person, students can start small by drawing a variety of individual facial features for practice. Exercises with contour drawing can help develop the important skill of learning to see like an artist.
When first laying out the composition for a drawing or painting, try “eraser sketching“. This will help ease the frustration of having to draw, erase, and redraw something with pencil multiple times.
Small steps for when painting is too hard
Imagine introducing watercolor painting to five year-olds who’ve only painted with liquid tempera. Instead of having them paint a picture, start with the water only.
Let students paint clear water on a sheet of watercolor paper. Have them watch how the brush moves and spreads the water. Notice how the paper is shiny where it’s wet.
Next, show them how you spritz your paint set with water and load up your brush with just a single color. Use this one color to paint a playful design with lines and shapes.
No landscape, no sky, no masterpiece expected. The goal is simply noticing what happens when the color touches the wet paper. Allow them to experiment and play with these limited materials. This is also known as “process art”.
Small steps for when handbuilding with clay is too hard
Students love working with clay, but some basic skills are needed before kids can successfully let their imaginations soar.
Clay projects can be more difficult than they first appear. Frustration can follow when a student’s idea “doesn’t work” or their imagination is ahead of their ability to create it.
So instead of starting with anything too complicated, start small with some basic skill practice like making coils, slabs, and pinch pots. Have everyone roll five coils the width of their finger and then choose their best one. Then move on to making some small pinch pots and adding a coil foot on the bottom. Keep adding small skills and combining them together… it’s the skill practice that really counts.
Small steps for when printmaking is too hard
When you’re just beginning with printmaking, carving a full design can feel intimidating. Instead, the first step could be drawing a simple abstract design with a dull pencil on a thin sheet of printmaking foam. No fancy cutting tools to master and really no wrong way to do it.
Then students can practice applying paint and pulling simple prints before investing time in learning how to carve a block. Any perceived “mistakes” can stay small and manageable, and serve as opportunities for learning.
Small steps for when classroom routines are too hard
Even classroom routines can benefit from smaller steps. Instructions for routines should be simple and clear, and as consistent as possible from one day to the next.
For example, you might tell your students, “When you enter the classroom, find your seat. Take out your sketchbook and a pencil. Then follow the prompt on the board while I pass out supplies”. Starting your class with a predictable routine like this gives students a strong start.
When kids know what to expect, they can begin with a small win. This gives them confidence that carries over into what they do next. You can apply the small steps concept to everything you do in your classroom. Small steps repeated build strong routines.
When students succeed at small steps, they relax and gain confidence. Every small “win” encourages them to keep going.
Small steps keep creativity moving forward, turning “too hard” into “I’ll try”. And that’s where the real learning begins.
an inspiring quote
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.” ~ Pablo Picasso
If you want to learn something new, don’t let not knowing how to do it stop you!
Trying what feels impossible now is just you at your starting point. And Picasso reminds us that with practice we will learn and grow. If there’s something you want to learn, small steps can help you accomplish it.
Struggling through the awkward phase of being a beginner can be frustrating at times. But when you learn to push through that phase, the rewards are worth it.