The benefits of art therapy for children

“Art is a place for children to learn to trust their ideas, themselves, and to learn what is possible.”– MaryAnn F. Kohl

Art has been a source of communication and recreation for centuries. Art therapy, which emerged as a distinct health discipline in the 1940s, is a form of therapy where creative materials and methods are used to help children explore their thoughts and feelings. 

Performed by art therapists and related professionals, it is particularly effective in helping children suffering from anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief. It has also been shown to help children who struggle with learning disabilities, behavioural issues, or developmental delays. 

Also read: ADHD: Setting the record straight

The benefits of art therapy include:

  • Helping children express their thoughts and feelings.
  • Enhancing executive functions such as attention, memory, and spatial orientation.
  • Improving language and communication.
  • Encouraging exploration.
  • Enhancing creativity.
  • Promoting self-awareness and boosting self-esteem.
  • Improving motor skills.
  • Encouraging creative and constructive problem-solving.

Art therapy encompasses visual arts, such as painting, drawing, sculpting, and music and movement, with each component offering specific benefits.

Music, for example, can connect us to our deepest emotions, making it a wonderful therapy tool. Not only does it enhance attention and memory, but it also strengthens creativity, encourages socialisation, and helps children structure language. 

Through movement, which includes theatre and dancing, children can integrate the emotional, cognitive, and physical, which helps with spatial orientation and strengthens creativity. Being physically active also does wonders for their mood! 

Also read: Why exercise is important for good academic results

Ten things to try at home

Although art therapy is only considered actual therapy when directed by an art therapist, doing art projects at home can still be beneficial. Here are a few guidelines for practising ‘art therapy’ at home:

  1. Clay: Make or buy clay and let your children make a ‘monster’ to express their feelings or simply let them pound and mould the clay.
  2. Collage: The physical sensation of handling different materials and textures is very comforting. In addition, the creative process of putting things together in a new and different way helps organise and calm the brain. 
  3. Dancing: Dancing has incredible therapeutic powers because it helps children channel their emotions. Through dance, body awareness is created, which allows children to connect to themselves.
  4. Drawing: Allow your children to draw what they are feeling, even if those feelings are negative. This allows free expression, especially for children who cannot verbalise their feelings.

Also read: Can homeschoolers take part in extracurricular activities?

  1. Mandalas: Drawing figures with repeated patterns, such as mandalas, is good for regulating emotions and the nervous system. It can also help children focus their attention and calm down.
  2. Masks: Creating or decorating a mask can lead to discovering different aspects of our personality. Give children preformed masks or make some out of paper and let them decorate it however they like. When they are finished, let them tell you the story of the mask. 
  3. Nature: Working with natural materials is soothing, and there are myriad items you can make. An added bonus is that children have to walk around outside to find useful materials, which is a natural mood booster.
  4. Painting: Children’s paintings offer a window into their world without them realising it. Finger painting, especially, is a great way to stimulate different parts of the brain at the same time.
  5. Puppets: Make puppets from old socks or paper bags, and let children use the puppets to tell you about their feelings and fears.
  6. Singing: Through song, children can express what they are feeling in a fun and creative way. 

Keep in mind that the goal is not necessarily to make something that is pretty because our feelings and emotions aren’t always pretty. Instead, try to focus on the benefits of being creative.

*Please contact a professional art or related therapist if your child is unable to share his or her feelings or becomes behaviourally out of control.

by Danielle Barfoot

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Bullying: What parents and schools can do

ARTICLE BY PROF RITA NIEMANN, NALIZE MARAIS, ZENDRÉ SWANEPOEL AND MONIERA MOOSA

Bullying is a great concern for both parents and schools. Here we outline a number of measures that can help them both parties deal with bullying.

Parents

When parents notice that their child is behaving differently – not wanting to go to school, using illness as an excuse, suddenly performing poorly at school or enuresis – and suspect bullying, they need to act immediately.

Firstly, they must determine where this is happing (at school, at a sports club, on social media, etc.) and who the perpetrator(s) are.

Secondly, if the bullying is taking place in an organised environment such as at school or sports club, the authorities need to be informed and requested to step in. They are legally bound to protect the rights of the child.

Thirdly, parents have the responsibility to equip their children to cope by:

  • Instilling the knowledge that children must take a stand and that they have a choice in allowing someone else to victimise them.
  • Assisting children to terminate relationships that are potentially harmful, such as blocking a person on social media.
  • Helping them to identify bullies and the different forms of bullying.
  • Creating a safe space for children to speak about what is happening to them.
  • Emphasising assertive verbal communication if threatened.
  • Building children’s self-concept.
  • Getting the help of a psychologist, if necessary, to counsel the victim.
  • Emphasising that respectful behaviour is always the best option and thus preventing retaliation.
  • Fostering problem-solving and conflict resolution skills with the focus on restoring damaged relationships.
  • Working collaboratively to solve the problem with their children so that they can feel reassured.

Schools

As bullying is a deliberate act to hurt someone, there must be consequences for the bully. Once teachers are aware that a bullying incident has taken place at school, the matter must be dealt with by:

  • Asking the victim to provide the names of the perpetrator(s), as well as the names of friends of the victim, as soon as he/she has calmed down.
  • Counselling the victim and finding out whether he/she has been injured and what effect the bullying or harassment has had on him or her.
  • Cultivating a “no blame” approach towards bullying or harassment.
  • Establishing punitive sanctions for both the bully and for any bystanders.
  • Developing a bullying code of conduct/bullying policy and informing learners of this.
  • Having designated teachers to deal with incidents of bullying.
  • Facilitating mediation and discussions with the victim and the bully, depending on the severity of the bullying.
  • Passing the responsibility to the bully or group of bullies to make sure that the problem is solved.
  • Ensuring that potential bystanders understand that they have a vital role to play during bullying incidents.
  • Letting the victims feel protected after they have reported the incident.
  • Encouraging learners to make suggestions on how they can contribute to alleviating the negative experiences of the victim.
  • Scheduling follow-up meetings to monitor the situation where each party has to share how things are going.
  • Informing the parents of both the bully and the victim about the incident/s.

The principal and teachers have a crucial role to play in directing learners towards becoming responsible citizens. They should create a safe and secure environment, establish a non-violent culture, and be good role models for all learners.

Reference

Niemann, R., Marais, N., Swanepoel, Z. & Moosa, M. 2016. Problem areas in schools In: Jacobs, M. Teaching-learning Dynamics, Johannesburg: Pearsons

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Take time to reflect

While most parents spend considerable time preparing for the beginning of the school year, not much thought is given to the end of the year. For the most part, both parents and children are simply thankful to have survived another school year!

However, helping children wrap up the year on a positive note, and encouraging them to reflect on what they have gained – knowledge, friends, skills – will leave them with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

For example, if your child struggled in a particular area at the start of the year, the last school term offers a good opportunity to celebrate how far he has come. You can also talk about what was easy and what was hard, what was enjoyable and what wasn’t, and which part of learning was fun and exciting!

Here are a few suggestions for ending the year on a high note:

  • Celebrate: Help your child create a list of things that he is proud of. Consider what it took to achieve these successes, and encourage him to keep working hard to achieve his goals.
  • Say thanks: Let your child write a note to his teacher/s. While they may have had some ups and downs during the year, writing a sincere note of gratitude to a teacher is a meaningful way to end the school year.
  • Stay in touch: Encourage your child to make plans during the final term to stay in touch with his friends over the holidays. This will help maintain the strength of the relationships he worked so hard to build during the year.

Unfortunately, the end of the school year is also accompanied by certain losses. While saying goodbye is never easy, school goodbyes provide (repeated) opportunities to help children acknowledge and express loss, which is vital for their emotional development.

The end of primary school, in particular, marks a major shift in a child’s life and can be both exciting and terrifying. Your child will have to say goodbye to teachers who made a lasting impression, but more importantly, he will have to say goodbye to friends who may be going to a different high school.

As peer relationships have become quite important by this point in a child’s life, this transition may be particularly difficult for children to deal with. Allow your child to reflect on what he will miss, but also talk about the benefits of moving on. Support your child by keeping conversations about his feelings – both positive and negative – open.

So, as the last day of school approaches, try not to get too caught up the end of the year rush! Make time for your child to reflect on the year’s achievements, experiences and feelings.

Impak is a curriculum provider for home, tutor and school education. Visit www.impak.co.za for more information.

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Get a second chance at success

If you’ve recently completed Grade 12, you’ll know that your matric results can lead to many exciting opportunities. Your matric certificate can help you get into the university or course of your choice, it looks great on your CV and it can help you ace that job interview by showing that you have the necessary skills to do the job.

But, what if your results were not what you hoped they would be and all these opportunities seem out of reach? You don’t have to be stuck with your less-than-great grades for the rest of your life. You can get a second chance at success.

Impaq, an innovative education solution provider, can help. You can register to redo some of your Grade 12 subjects in order to improve your results. Plus, you don’t have to be an Impaq learner to qualify. If you went to a public or private high school or received your matric certificate through a distance learning provider, you can still apply to redo your matric subjects with Impaq. The only requirement is that you must have had a sitting for the final examination in order to qualify.

Once you’ve applied and been accepted, Impaq will register you with the South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI) to ensure that you receive your new (and improved) National Senior Certificate after passing the NSC Examination for the rewritten subjects.

To see if you qualify, send an email to [email protected]. The final cut-off date for registrations is 15 February 2018.

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