Home Art Therapy Activities for Kids

During these scary and confusing times, parents and caregivers share one common questions, “How is all of this affecting my kids?” A couple of friends in the neighborhood participated in a few art activities where kids use art to express their feelings. 

Activity 1: The Feeling Cookie

This activity is simple; you can use any kind of cookie, icing and food coloring to allow kids to identify feelings with color in a fun edible activity.

Materials:

• 1 Round Cookie (Sugar cookies work the best).  Any type of cookie will work.  
• Frosting
• Food Coloring (EX. blue for sadness, red for anger, black for numbness, grey for grief, green for jealousy, pink for feeling ecstatic, yellow for happy, purple for embarrassed, or orange for playful.)
• Plastic Knives to mix frosting and spread frosting
• OPTIONAL: Sprinkles of the above colors or mixed sprinkles to denote “Mixed Feelings”

Directions:

1. Have your child pick at least five colors and attach a feeling word to each color. Here is a Feeling Word Chart for Kids to spark ideas.  
2. Write each color with what feeling it relates to on a separate piece of paper. Discuss the feelings identified and how your child identifies with the feelings.
3. Mix up the frosting with the feeling colors that were identified.
4. Talk about where the feelings that were identified are located in the body.
5. Have your child frost the cookie in a way that shows where each feeling color lives in the body.
6. Discuss ways to acknowledge the feelings in the body and release them when they become overwhelming such as exercise, drawing, or talking to someone about them.
7. Eat and enjoy the cookie!

Activity 2: Emotional Wave Bottle

A fun activity using an empty jar or bottle, glitter or confetti, dishwasher soap, and any small token to make what will represent different waves of emotions.

Materials:

• Empty Plastic Bottle w/lid (rinsed and clean)   
• Water    
• 2 drops of dish soap      
• Glitter:  Red (Anger), Blue (Sad), Purple (Embarrassed), Green (Envy), Yellow or Gold (Happy), Multi color (Mixed Feelings)  
• Water proof tokens of choice – this symbolizes something that reminds your child of safety or security.

Directions:

1. Start by discussing the wave of emotions being felt within the body (grief, stress, worry). Here is a Feeling Word Chart for Kids to spark ideas.
2. Identify the color felt and pick the appropriate colored glitter above to express the feelings.
3. Explain that emotional waves come and go and it is similar to the ocean. Talk about how the ocean can be stormy and have strong waves. But most of the time the ocean settles down and the waves are calm again.
4. Make a bottle to demonstrate this. Fill the bottle up half way with water.
5. Add dish soap
6. One by one, add each glitter color and talk about the emotions connected to each.
7. Now add your special waterproof token and tightly close the lid.
8. Shake the bottle up and show how the waves are turbulent. Then come back to the bottle after a few minutes and see how calm the water is.
9. The bottle serves as a reminder that emotional waves come and go similar, to the water in the bottle.      

Activity 3: Magic Box of Crayons

This is a fun family activity to create a simple picture using only crayons or markers. This activity encourages teamwork and participation within the entire family. After creating this picture, you can discuss the dynamics of the family. 

Materials:     

• 1 Large white sheet of paper
• 1 Box of crayons

Directions:

1. Use a blank sheet of white paper and a box of crayons.
2. The objective of Magic Box of Crayons is to come up with a picture with the entire family participating and agreeing on what to draw and creating it together.
3. Each family member can choose something to add to the picture.
4. The entire paper is to be colored. Try to make sure no white is to be showing.
5. Spend about fifteen minutes to complete the picture allowing each family member to talk about their contribution.
6. Give the picture a title you can all agree on.

Questions to ask:

• Who took charge of the group?
• Who contributed the most?
• Who contributed the least?
• Was everyone included?
• What were some positive things that happened while creating the picture?
• Negatives?
• What would you do differently next time?
• Did the crayons bring a certain “magic” to the group process? 

If you are feeling stuck or feel your child is struggling and needs to talk, I would love to meet you! Email or call anytime to schedule a virtual session. (817) 701-5438 | beckylennox2018@gmail.com

Speaking Truth,

Becky Lennox
CRT, CCDC, CACC | Counselor & Life Coach

Empowering individuals, families and communities to grow and heal through advanced approaches in Creative Arts Therapy, setting the standard for treatment, practice and training within the field.