When was the last time you picked up a paintbrush or a coloring pencil?

Maybe it’s been a while, but what about the last time you doodled on your notebook during a meeting?

For many of us, when we think of art, we tend to think it’s not for us. Perhaps you think you aren’t very creative, but there’s more to it than merely being ‘good at drawing.’

Allowing our brains the freedom for some free expression, even by doodling, can have a wonderful impact on how we process, retain, and share information.

It’s no surprise that the therapy community has taken note of this, and in more recent years, there’s been a rise in the number of practitioners offering a very distinct form of therapy: Art Therapy.

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a blended field of therapeutic practice that combines art and psychology, by utilizing the creative process, artistic techniques and external artwork to support individuals to develop self-awareness, explore emotions and address unresolved conflict or trauma.

Art therapy has also been used to help individuals, particularly young children, develop social skills and raise self-confidence. It’s a fantastic addition within positive psychology as, at its core, it seeks to help individuals overcome emotional or psychological challenges to achieve a greater sense of personal well being.

A broader definition of art therapy has been established by the American Art Therapy Association as follows:

Art Therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.

(American Art Therapy Association, 2013)

To participate in art therapy, you do not need any prior experience with art or a ‘natural’ artistic ability. The process itself is one of exploration with no ‘wrongs’ and no ‘rights.’ The practice allows each individual to use creative activities in ways that support them best without judgment.

What Art Therapy is Not

Most recently, there has been a rise in what is often referred to as Mindfulness Coloring. Some people see this as a part of art therapy, but it is very distinct from accredited art therapy practice.

There are many do-it-yourself coloring apps and coloring books for adults or children, promoting coloring as a form of self-care or mindfulness. While these activities can certainly be helpful for many, unless a licensed art therapist has designed them, they can not be considered as art therapy.

One of the core foundations of art therapy is how it aligns individual creative process or activity with other forms of treatment (usually talking therapy) to help people better understand their emotional and cognitive thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

A Brief History of Art Therapy

For centuries, all over the world, art and drawing have been used as tools for communication, story-telling, self-expression, and social interaction.

As far back as there have been humans, there has been art – just think of the original cave drawings.

Art as a therapy practice was only accepted more recently, with the term ‘Art Therapy’ being coined in 1942 by Adrian Hill, a British artist, attributed painting and drawing to his recovery from tuberculosis. However, the benefits of the practice of art for emotional health go back further than this.

In 1915, Margaret Naumburg often referred to as the ‘Mother of Art Therapy,’ established the Walden School in New York. Naumburg believed children should be allowed creative freedom and that allowing them to pursue subjects that interested them would enable healthy development.

Naumburg wrote several influential books on the topic of art therapy, believing that when creative pursuits were seen as another form of expression, they could be used in conjunction with traditional communication means to unearth repressed and unconscious memories and emotions.

Her work led others to begin exploring the field, building its reputation within the psychological community, including:

• Florence Cane, an art educator who began to use teaching methods that encouraged artistic expression and emotional creativity.
   
• Edith Kramer, who developed a more process-oriented art therapy approach based on psychotherapy ideas of the ego and that promoted the development of identity.
   
• Elnor Ulman established the first journal in the United States dedicated to art therapy, alongside one of the first training programs for psychologists wishing to train in art therapy.

5 Fun Art Therapy Ideas and Activities for Children and Teens 

Art as a means for healing and communication is highly relevant for children and teens.

Young children often rely on their limited language skills to express complex thoughts and emotions. That barrier can be breached with methods of expression they understand a little better, like drawing and coloring.

Teens can also benefit from a pressure-free, consequence-free medium for their thoughts and feelings.

Below are five possible art therapy activities and exercises for children of all ages.

1. Art Therapy Postcard Activity

Most people would probably agree that it’s easier to express or recognize hurts and regrets when there’s the distance between yourself and the problem. This is why the postcard activity can be a good self-discovery exercise that helps answer the question, “What would I say to someone if I didn’t have to do it face-to-face?”

This activity can be used in one-to-one or group therapy sessions. Here’s how to conduct the activity:

1. Print out the postcard in the link or simply create a postcard style template to use. One side can be completely blank for drawing on, and one side can be laid out with some lines for writing on.
    
2. Ask participants to reflect on a situation or person they feel or felt frustrated, angry, upset, or sad about. Spend a moment simply thinking about and reflecting on what happened, how it felt, and what they would like to let the person know about how the experience made them feel.
    
3. On the blank side of the postcard, ask participants to draw or create a visual representation of how they felt or still feel about the experience. Explain there is total freedom with this, and they can create anything they like with any materials.
    
4. On the lined side of the postcard, participants can write what they would like to say if they could.
    
5. Use what they draw and write to explore their emotions further and discuss how they might begin to work towards a healing resolution.

2. Words to Live By Collage

Teens can be vulnerable to harsh, judgmental environments where they don’t feel they can be themselves.

They may suppress their real character to avoid censure from their peers, and it’s for this reason that it’s essential for teens to identify their core values and identify who they think they are.

It’s crucial when working with teens to create coping strategies that they can come back over to time and let them know that their ideas, feelings, and values will change with experience.

The ‘Words to Live By’ activity helps teens to visualize their core values through creative collage. Here’s how to teach this activity:

You will need:

• Old magazines, newspapers, picture books, and scrap paper
• Colored pens and pencils
• Scissors and glue
• Cardboard or thick paper for the base of the collage
• This activity can be carried out with a group or one-to-one

Begin by:

1. Asking participants to take a moment to reflect on their core values. For younger teens, you may want to discuss what we mean by values by asking them what some of the things they feel strongly about are. Or what they feel good about when they see how other people behave and how they behave.
    
2. Once participants have a good idea of their values, invite them to take a mindful minute. Start by asking them to close their eyes and turn their focus to their breath. Now ask them to let the words associated with their values freely flow into their thoughts. What are these words? What are the related images or colors and shapes they feel connected to these words?
    
3. Once participants feel ready, invite them to begin selecting images, words, phrases, or colors from the magazines and newspapers. They will use these to compile a collage that they feel reflects their words to live by. This can be image-based, or entirely abstract; it’s all about how their words make them feel.
    
4. If they feel comfortable, save some time at the end of the session for them to present their collages and share with the group what they have created and what it means to them.

3. The Softness Project

Humans are all tactile creatures, but children especially are touchers, explorers, and curious feelers. Utilizing touch is a way for them to learn about the world and to find comfort.

The below activity is a form of art therapy that focuses on using comforting textures and allowing for a manageable exploration of uncomfortable emotions. It is a particularly useful activity with younger children.

This activity can be carried out with a group or one-to-one.

Here’s how to conduct the activity:

You will need:

• Various cut-offs of different fabric, textured materials, and soft textiles
• Cardboard or thick paper for the base
• Scissors and glue

Begin by:

1. Start the session by asking participants about their sense of touch. Invite them to share their ideas around things that feel good, doesn’t feel right, and why. What are some of the things they enjoy touching? What materials do they find comforting and nurturing?
    
2. Explain that touch is an important sensory experience, and we can use it to create things that bring us comfort and a sense of calm.
    
3. Allow participants to get stuck into the box of different materials and to take their time selecting pieces they enjoy.
    
4. Next, they can create a soft collage, sticking, sewing, or tying the pieces of fabric together on the cardboard or thick paper base. Encourage them to think carefully when selecting the materials and build the collage up as much as they like, creating a pillow-like sculpture.
    
5. If using this activity with an older group, you could give more direct instructions such as using the materials to depict an event that is painful for them, describe a person with whom they have painful conflict, or depict a part of themselves they’re unhappy with.

With this project, participants are softened by the act of collage, rendering painful things into pleasant things.

In a group with young children, we recommend using materials like glue sticks as opposed to glue bottles and having pre-cut pieces of material ready.

4. Build A Safe Place Activity

‘Build a Safe Place’ is an activity that’s adaptable for all age groups, but maybe a sensitive project for kids and young adults who often have little control of their environments and who might struggle ever to feel safe.

This project may help a child or teen reflect on ways to find a safe space, or may simply help them feel like they have some control over their environment. It can be conducted one-to-one or in small groups.

Here’s how to carry out the activity.

You will need:

• Safe building materials such as cardboard boxes of different shapes and sizes, popsicle sticks, colored cardboard, pipe-cleaners, coloring pens or pencils, even glitter, and sequins.
• Scissors and glue

You can tailor the materials you use depending on the age group you are working with, the idea is to provide them with as much as possible so they can get creative.

Begin by:

1. Ask participants to think about a space that makes them feel safe. Then ask them to reflect on what it is about this particular space that makes them feel safe. Is it bright and sunny or dark and calming? How does it smell? What can they see, hear, and touch when they are in their safe space? If they don’t have one or can’t think of one, ask them similar questions but geared towards what they think would make them feel safe.
    
2. Next, ask participants to take a mindful minute. Close their eyes and focus on their breathing. Then bring to mind their safe space, real or imagined, and visualize what this looks like. How does it feel to be in their safe space? What emotions can they sense?
    
3. When participants are comfortable, ask them to get stuck in with the various materials and to re-create their safe space. This could be in any format they like, whether a flat drawing or a sculpture, give them as much creative freedom as possible.
    
4. When they have finished and if they feel comfortable, ask them to share their creations with the group, describing the different parts of their safe space. These can be used to create an ongoing dialogue about safe environments and how they might create something like this in real life.

5. What’s in Your Heart?

This set of three worksheets includes exercises for children to express their emotions or define the things they care about. It’s a very quick and easy exercise that can help participants create helpful visual representations of the things they value.

The worksheets include an empty outline of a heart.

Here’s how to use it.

You will need:

• The printed worksheets
• Coloring pens and pencils
• Glitter, sequins, and glue (if desired)

Begin by:

1. Asking participants to take a moment to reflect on the things that make their heart happy. What things make them feel good? What words would they use to describe these things? What images and colors come to mind when they think about these things?
    
2. Provide participants with the worksheets and ask them to fill the heart with what we have just been thinking and talking about. They can create these in any way they like, focusing on one thing or filling the heart with as many things as they want.
    
3. Use what they create as a discussion point to help them better understand the things that make their heart happy. How often do these things happen for them? How can they and you work together to create more of these happy moments?

Translation, professional adaptation and  re-posted from https://positivepsychology.com/