Here’s a simple craft idea that has emotional development benefits!
Bringing in seasonal activities can be fun and motivating for kids during therapy sessions—or just on a regular day at home! With February 14th approaching, I have been incorporating some Valentine’s-themed art into my therapy sessions that also provide an opportunity to work on self-expression and emotional identification.
One simple activity is “marble art”. With this activity, the child gets to pick a different paint color for each member in their family. One at a time, we dip a marble into each color, and as the marble rolls over the paper, we discuss what the child loves about the particular family member who is represented by the paint color.
I find that incorporating art allows more free flow emotional expression. After all, it’s a little easier to access the right side of the brain while we’re doing an open-ended, creative activity, and it’s the right brain that gives us a “felt sense” of our experiences, including the actual feelings of emotions. Additionally, using colors to represent feelings or thoughts can be helpful for children who don’t yet have a large emotional vocabulary and/or a child who feels shy or uncomfortable about verbally expressing their feelings. Spending time thinking about our feelings—either easy or uncomfortable ones—helps build our emotional intelligence. And increased emotional intelligence is associated with greater life satisfaction and improved physical health outcomes—seriously!
For “marble art,” you’ll need:
Plain paper (either colored or white). This can be cut into a heart or any other shape the child wants.
Washable, squeezable paints
A surface to squeeze the paints onto (e.g., paint palate, paper plate, a piece of cardboard, etc).
A marble (either glass or plastic will do; if plastic, it might become slightly discolored).
A vessel to place the paper in and roll the marble around. Examples might include a box, a lid to a box, a cooking sheet with a lip, a Rubbermaid…you get the idea. Ideally, pick a size that the child can easily hold themselves so they can do the marble rolling.
Hint: It might be helpful to use looped tape to secure the paper to the bottom of the box/pan/tray so it doesn’t roll around with the marble.
References
Schutte, N.S. Malouff, J.M., Thorsteinsson, E.B., Bhullar, N., & Rooke, S.E. (2007). A meta-analytic investigation of the relationship between emotional intelligence and health. Personality and Individual Differences, 42, 921–933
Siegel, D. J., & Bryson, T.P. (2012). The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind. New York: Bantam Books.
Waller, D. (2006). Art therapy for children: how it leads to change. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 11(2), 271-282.