Therapeutic Art Activities

Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how you’re feeling.  And young children might not yet have the words to describe their feelings. These ‘feeling words’ are the gateway to sharing their inner world.

Making feeling stones together can be a creative and tactile way to build an emotional language so that children can start exploring feelings safely in your family (or with a trusted adult). 

When you have finished decorating your stones, put them in a bowl and you can bring them out when feelings need to be shared.  Some children might find it easier to share a feeling by quietly popping a stone into your hand.

Materials: Paper, Posca pens (or acrylic marker/paints), Smooth pebbles, Marker pen, Permanent marker.

It helps to talk about our feelings with a trusted adult.

This activity is inspired by Guatemalan traditions where children tell their concerns to Worry Dolls, placing them under their pillow when they go to bed at night.

Creating tiny and completely unique characters made from wooden pegs and found objects is creative and therapeutic.  It encourages self-expression and inspires children to share their worries time and time again, with the help of a little friend.

Put it under the pillow or in a little sock close by to take on that worry for the night.

Materials: Wooden pegs, Scraps of fabric (or coloured paper), Wool, Ribbon, Pipe cleaners, Googly eyes (or draw them on), Scissors, Glue stick, Felt pens, Scraps of coloured paper.

Tomorrow is a new day.

This relaxing activity can support emotional regulation whilst allowing space for gentle reflection and creative exploration.

Have you ever looked at a picture and thought about what could be happening beyond that contained image?  Drawing beyond is a soothing activity that can take you on a creative journey without the pressure to start from scratch. You can create alone or with family or a friend.

It can be abstract with patterns and colours or you may choose to tell a visual story.  Try creating a few drawings beyond and see how differently each one turns out. 

Materials: Large sheet of paper (A3 or A2), Postcard or magazine image, Watercolours, Paint brushes and a water pot, Pencil and Marker pen.

There are many paths you can take.

This activity builds attachment and security, creating special time for children or young people to share and reflect on what makes them feel safe and secure. 

 From your childs imagination, create a place they would feel safe to be and bring it to life in a box.  It could be a place they remember and love or an imagined place they would like to go to.  It could be a cosy room, a place under the sea or somewhere competely out of this world.  Conversations that happen during the making of the box can be treasured and once made, your child can keep it in their room to return to or just bring it to mind when they need reassurance.

Materials: Poster paints, paint brushes and water pot, Scissors and glue, Coloured card or paper, Off cuts of fabric, Found objects, A box (e.g. shoe box).

Enjoy your safe space.