Signed up my 8yo for a pottery class thinking it'd be this cool creative outlet thing. First class he glazed his mug purple and blue (clashing, not intentional) and then when it came back from the kiln it broke in the middle because apparently he didn't center it right. He was SO upset and now refuses to go back. I'm out $120 and he's salty. Lesson learned I guess?
The centering thing is legitimately hard even for adults. Did the teacher explain it or just let him figure it out? I'm wondering if a quick "here's why this matters" conversation would help him see it as a skill to learn vs just his work being bad.
Oof the broken pottery phase. My kid made this lopsided bowl and it shattered too—I genuinely think he was more upset about the disappointment than the actual mug. Did you ask the instructor if there's a beginner class or something less "centering-focused"? Might help him rebuild confidence without the technical pressure.
Wait so he's refusing pottery entirely now or just that one class? Because if he's totally done that's rough but also maybe there's a different creative outlet he'd prefer? My 8yo hated pottery but went nuts for woodworking camp.
This is rough man. Had similar with my 7yo and swimming lessons. One bad experience and suddenly 'I'm never doing that again.' We ended up taking like a 6 month break then trying a different instructor. Sometimes a fresh start helps more than pushing through.
Hey just replying to the centering thing - that's actually genuinely hard and takes way more than one class. If he ever wants to retry, maybe find a class that does multiple sessions so he sees progress? But also totally valid if he's burned out.
This happened with us too but with painting class instead. Kid painted a masterpiece, teacher said it was 'interesting,' and he never wanted to go back. The thing is they don't realize yet that failure is like, the entire point of trying new stuff. Might be worth revisiting in a few months when the sting wears off?
purple and blue clashing is actually peak 8yo energy tho 😂 The break is the real killer. Did the class offer a 'make another one' session or is he fully done?
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Oof the centering issue is brutal. My kid did pottery once and the teacher spent like 5 mins showing them but apparently that's not enough lol. Maybe frame it as 'clay is hard, professional potters mess up all the time' rather than focusing on the break?