Art Therapy During COVID: A Creative Way Parents Can Help Their Children

COVID-19 has taken its toll on pretty much everything, and youngsters were certainly not spared, having to completely change everything that was normal to them overnight.

Treating anxiety in children is no easy task at any time, but the “new normal” may be one of the most difficult. Not only is the stress itself more than normal due to so many changes like online school, but the negativity barrage from the media certainly isn’t calming in nature, in regard to the coronavirus.

One industry that may actually benefit in the long run from COVID, however, is art, as so much emotion also breeds a lot of creativity. Art is also great as a means to quell things like the aforementioned anxiety, and from hip hop music to metallic sculptures, there are ways art therapy can be beneficial to both your children, and you, and here are some examples.

What Is Art Therapy?

Just like other therapies, art therapy exists as a means to enrich the lives of human beings by bettering their mentalities through healing methods. With other mental therapies, those methods generally involve conversations or reading-based exercises, but with art therapy, as the name would suggest, the curative measures come through visual and audial art and the messages behind them.

It primarily focuses on improving cognitive and sensory functions, including increasing self-esteem and emotional resilience, and also focusing on fixing stress, anxiety, and a lack of social interest. Therapists are master-level professionals with sectionalized training revolving around art and its effects on the masses, but their methods can be used at home, too, and when relating to children it can really help bolster their abilities to express themselves while their language skills continue to grow.

Art Therapy for Kids

Something that is important to know about art therapy is neither you nor your children have to be artists, you just have to be willing to try, learn, and have fun doing so.

Ultimately, if your child ends up being better at something than you, it can be great for their confidence! Here are some great ideas that act as forms as art therapy for your youngsters:

• Collages – Depending on the ages of your kids, the final products for this activity will vary, but regardless, getting a collection of old magazines and newspapers and some scissors and glue, and you’ll be all set. Younger kids will probably benefit the most from colorful “fun” collages, but teens can find more interest in adding a bit of a “vision board” touch, and find things that are representative of their values and things they want to achieve as they inch closer to adulthood.

• Heart Representations – To help children realize that what is important to other people doesn’t have to be important to them, “heart representations” can help parents and kids alike vocalize things that are important to them. It’s a simple drawing/coloring exercise that just has your kids draw and discuss things they love inside of the outline of the heart.

• Nature Art – Creating art out of things found in nature is as old a practice as time itself, and for good reason. It help people feel closer to the planet, and also helps kids understand more about the world around us, while building something they can enjoy and be proud of. Bracelets, sun catchers, and even collages are great ideas for some nature art.

Testing

No matter if you choose these methods, or other means of art therapy like music creation, making sure it is working is obviously important! Having an open dialogue with your children about what they are and are not enjoying is very important to make sure none of these practices are having negative effects. So long as your youngsters are enjoying their activities, art therapy can follow them well into adulthood and its positive effects can spread to everyone they come in contact with!

Sources:

https://counseling.online.wfu.edu/blog/treating-anxiety-children/

https://online.rider.edu/blog/hip-hop-positive-influence-on-society/