Art Therapy Techniques

 Art Therapy Techniques

Art can be a great way of helping young children and teens to communicate. With young kids, they often have a limited language, which stops them from being able to articulate their more complex thoughts and emotions. Similarly, teens can feel pressured to think a certain way or like their more difficult thoughts may have consequences. Allowing them to express themselves through guided art therapy techniques will help kids communicate.

Post Card Art – Have the child print out a blank post card. On the blank side, they can express their feelings through art, while on the message side, they can try and write a message to someone to express what they need to say.

Paint Your Emotions – Talk about the correlation between art and emotion, including colors and shapes to articulate feelings.

Emotion Wheels – The child will create a pie chart to share their current state of mind with different emotions in each section.

Outside/Inside Masks – Draw a basic face on a large sheet of paper and let the child create two separate “masks” – on they show the world, and one they keep to themselves.

Art Journaling – Make or buy an art journal and let the child write/draw their emotions, thoughts and feelings into it. Then review periodically with them.

Make Sock Puppets – Puppets are a great way to communicate with kids, as it allows them to act out their vulnerabilities in a safe way, using imaginary characters.

Inside/Outside Boxes – Give the child a shoe box or other small box with a lid, and allow them to decorate it. Have them place negative or upsetting images inside the box, while decorating the outside with more positive and uplifting images.

Create a Vision Board – Allow the child to create a visual reference that they can see every day to help them stay positive and focused. You can buy a kit or have them make one from scratch.