Studies show that engaging in creative activities contributes
to positive emotions, psychological well being, and feelings of
flourishing in life. Creative activities help focus the mind, and
their calming effects are comparable to meditation. In this way,
creative endeavors are a kind of natural antidepressant.
Allowing children the freedom to express themselves
creatively without judgement nurtures their emotional health
as it allows them to explore their personal feelings and create
something from that experience. These creative experiences
help children cope with and process their feelings and can
even help children process trauma. Studies have shown that
painting and drawing help people express trauma or emotions
too difficult to put into words. Therapists have begun to take
note of this, thus the rise in recent years of the number of
practitioners offering Art Therapy.
Art therapy is often used to help young children overcome
psychological or emotional challenges. With the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic and the myriad of other crises we are
facing today, our children are undoubtedly feeling some
level of fear and/or anxiety. Krista Reinhardt-Ruprecht is a
registered psychotherapist, and she explains how art therapy
works. “When we’re stuck in feeling states, we are in the right
hemisphere, low in the brain, and it’s hard to climb out of
that. When we use our hands to make art, we trigger our left
hemisphere to come back online. Meanwhile, we are making an
internal emotion into an external piece of art, which can help
us by looking at it as separate from who we are.”
To benefit from art therapy, it is not necessary to have prior
experience. Children are encouraged to use creative activities
in whatever ways support them best. Below are three art
therapy activities to try at home.
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