Expressive Arts Therapy ideas to try at home

Compiled by Theresa Adamchik, LPCC-S, LPAT

Here are just some suggestions to support you and your families during this difficult year.  You are doing a great job!      

1.      Affirmation cards: Teaches positive self talk and encouragement.  Affirmations work best if you see them every day. So put them in the car, on the mirror, under their pillow, or keep in their backpack. 
Materials Needed:  Card stock, matte board, or watercolor paper cut into uniform sizes.  I like 5x8.  Design a background first using paints, markers, collage, or crayons.  Then write an affirmation that you resonate with.  Could be “I am safe.”  “ I am strong.”  “I can do this.”  “I am healthy.”    Find a nice gift bag to keep your cards in. 

Parent processing:  work together with your kids during this project and talk about their fears and anxieties.  Help them with positive, unconditional love and support.  Even if you don’t feel good yourself, give them the light that they need to grow.  They are more resilient and made for these times.  Even if you are struggling, doesn’t mean that you will necessarily pass along to the kids.  They can form their own ways of doing things.  Give them what they need to succeed. 

2.      Meditation and Mindfulness:  If you want your kids to do this, then it would be important for the parents to also have a Mindfulness practice so they can model it for their children.  We cant expect our schools to teach this too, starts at home.  It all comes down to clearing your mind; activities that help with that are walking the dog, watercolor painting, reading, dancing, hiking, etc.  For 5-30 minutes per day, practice “just being.”  Focus on taking slower, deeper breaths.  You can use an “anchor” which is counting, a word or mantra, or grounding.  See our blog post on more mindfulness activities for kids, http://louisvilleexpressivetherapies.com/blog

3.      Protection:   Imagination is a powerful tool that we humans have available to us.  Imagine your kids, house and schools protected by guardian angels, Christ, loved ones that have left this Earth, fairies, etc.  Use your best judgment with this, do what feels good to you and your family.  Little kids love using their imagination and have an easier time with this.  See Rudolf Steiner’s work to go deeper.

4.      It takes a village:  Ask for help if you are struggling to provide the stability they need.  Ask a teacher, therapist, or family friend.  Facing the shadows of life (death, dying, sickness, etc.) is not easy, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the road.  These kids are going to be highly evolved for this world, they will be more mature at an earlier age, but they will need intelligent, mature grownups to take them there.  Listen to their fears and feelings and tell them its okay to feel that way. Encourage authentic expression of ALL the feelings. 

5.      Supervise tv, news and phones.  Monitor what they are putting into their brains.  Is it positive or negative?  Is it fear producing?  Promote talking about fears and anxieties around what they have seen.  Set aside a time during the week to discuss current events together as a family.  Set your own boundaries with this and lead by example. 

6.      Diet:  Choose immunity building foods.  Make a nutritious meal, limit fast foods.  Eat the Rainbow! Pick foods that are colorful and full of vitamins and minerals, try juices and smoothies.  Plan for dinners and budgets.  Drink clean water. 

7.      Exercise:  Get regular exercise.  Take a walk, have a dance party with lights and costumes, or do Cosmic Kids yoga on YouTube.  Making wise choices shows you care about yourself and your kids. 

8.      Masks:  Teach that self confidence and self worth comes from within and not how you look.  Stay positive going into it, its only temporary.  The universe mirrors what you are putting out there.  Have fun with it for the little kids.  Make or purchase silly masks so you keep it light and fun, kind of like a game or dress up.  The teens can even customize their masks to express their individuality.  Recognize that kids might feel safer with them on.  There are shy kids out there that are feeling more confident.  Everyone is playing the same game, we must look people in the eyes, a good reminder that we are all in this together and we are the same!

9.      Teachers:  respect our teachers, they might be parents too.  They are struggling this year more than the kids probably.  Reinforce the statement “We are all in this together.”  Help out and show your support.  Its not their fault, they were not given a lot of information and are doing the best that they can. 

Further guidance:  It wouldnt be right to not thank my own teachers for their guidance and support.  Dr. Cathy Malchiodi, Dr. Bruce Lipton, Reshma Saujani, Brene Brown, Rudolf Steiner, Deepak Chopra, Robert Ohotto, Amanda Ellis, Dr. T out at Cedar Fire Farms (Frankfort KY) just to name a few!  Check them out for further information.