Creative Arts are great tools to allow kiddos to calm the activity in their neural pathways. Arts have been utilized for thousands of years and are a way for humans to express themselves. When kiddos communicate through art, they communicate in a way that makes sense to them that may not make sense in words. At times, words are hard to express especially for children. They may not have the cognitive abilities to explain, reason or comprehend how they feel or their needs. The use of arts have been proven to improve mental health. Similar to play therapy, using expressive and creative arts with children accesses a part of the brain that is not logical or linear. Creative arts allow children to:
- develop healthy social skills,
- raise self-confidence,
- improve emotional resilience,
- improve sensory-motor function
- promote an overall sense of well-being
In addition to promoting a healthy psychological well-being, arts can also promote healing. This healing can be tied to trauma, suppressed emotions, feelings of anxiety, or feelings of depression. In the brain, this focuses on the hypothalamus and amygdala, which stores memory and emotions. For example, writing, journaling, or coloring can allow kiddos to process their emotions without utilizing verbal processing.
Examples:
- Children can utilize visual representations of how they feel. This can include various shapes, colors, or textures. Allowing children to pick out each emotion visually and then add any additional colors, glitter, sequin, etc. can help them process what uncomfortable emotions feel like to them.
- Children can describe various situations that made them feel mad, happy, sad, angry, anxious, or fearful. They can utilize paints, color pencils, or markers to express what that memory or scenario meant to them. This is a way for kiddos to process what they cannot verbally express or are afraid to discuss. In order to make this a social activity, kiddos can discuss with group members what they created if they are comfortable.
These are very simplistic examples but in practice, are very powerful for kiddos in their development and mental well-being. If your kiddo enjoys creative arts, they may be a great fit for our creative arts group. Please click for more information.