Have you noticed that your child is happiest when playing with art supplies such as crayons or paint? Do they tend to prefer communicating with you with pictures rather than words? Have you been wanting to understand your child’s feelings better?
As it turns out, your child can do exactly that at Sparkling Seeds, using art therapy! Art therapy is a valuable therapeutic service that enhances the lives of children, families, and communities through active artmaking, the creative process, and human experience. Our therapists respect and honour your child’s values and beliefs and provide support to families in a culturally sensitive and sensory-friendly environment, as well as to clients seeking emotional, creative, and spiritual growth.
What is Art Therapy?
Art therapy is a specialized form of psychotherapy that harnesses the power of creative expression to enhance mental and physical well-being while promoting personal growth. Using psychotherapeutic and visual art techniques, children and youth are guided to explore their emotions, resolve inner conflicts, develop self-awareness, regulate behaviour, ease stress, boost self-esteem, and refine social skills.
By focusing on the process of creating art rather than the outcome, participants can communicate their feelings in a secure and non-verbal manner. This approach allows for a deeper exploration of emotions and experiences, leading to profound insights and personal growth.
Why Would Children and Youth Need Art Therapy?
Art therapy provides a distinct pathway for children to engage both their mind and body, as art exceeds the limitations of language alone. Visual and symbolic expression allows children and youth to give voice to their experiences and facilitates personal, communal, and societal transformation. A young child will never walk into a therapist’s office, sit down, and say, “I’ve been struggling with depression.” Children need to be met at their level of understanding. It’s essential to begin with their comprehension and knowledge.
Young children often do not have the verbal skills necessary to effectively communicate with adults and adolescents. As a result, they express their emotions and inner thoughts through play and artistic expression. By observing and imitating others, children learn how to communicate verbally and understand which topics are suitable for discussion. This is where art therapy plays a crucial role.
What About Artistic Ability?
In the realm of art therapy, the concept of not being “good enough” simply doesn’t exist. Artistic talent is neither required nor emphasized. Through the use of diverse mediums such as painting or drawing, participants are able to engage in a meaningful creative process and develop new skills. The focus of art therapy lies in the act of creation and the personal journey, rather than the end result. It’s a therapeutic practice that is accessible to all, without any exceptions.
What Are the Benefits of Art Therapy for Children and Youth?
Some more immediate results of participating in art therapy sessions include:
Positive physical impact: Art therapy can help to enhance a child’s motor skills, improve physical movement, and promote a genuine sense of well-being.
Positive cognitive impact: Sessions can enhance memory, prioritization, planning, problem-solving, attention span, and organizational skills.
Positive psychosocial impact: Participation in art therapy means improving interpersonal skills, as it facilitates the expression of emotions, while also promoting collaboration. Art therapy encourages self-expression and communication, thus creating opportunities for positive and meaningful interactions among patients, families, friends, and caregivers.
Positive emotional impact: This includes enhancing emotional control, reducing anxiety, and alleviating depression stemming from feelings of loss, loneliness, guilt, and frustration. Sessions can encourage a feeling of comfort and familiarity, enhance self-confidence, and instill a sense of optimism.
There are a few other benefits that warrant greater detail, below:
Increase and Improve Emotional Regulation
Art therapy is fundamental in supporting children in developing emotional awareness and expression. For young children who struggle to communicate their feelings verbally, art therapy provides a safe and creative outlet to explore and identify their emotions.
In art therapy sessions, children are encouraged to utilize a variety of artistic mediums to convey their emotions through drawings, paintings, or sculptures. This process empowers children to take control of their emotions and learn to recognize and articulate their feelings effectively.
Art therapy provides children and youth with the tools to effectively manage their intense emotions in a healthy manner. By engaging in creative activities like painting and sculpting, they can express emotions such as anger, fear, or sadness without causing harm to themselves or others. This experience helps children gain a sense of mastery over their emotions and provides them with valuable skills to regulate their emotions in the future.
Develop Life Skills
Art therapy plays a crucial role in encouraging the development of life skills in children and youth, particularly by boosting their self-confidence. Many children and youth struggle with feelings of shyness or low self-esteem, but through art therapy, they are provided with a safe space to express themselves and develop trust in their own thoughts and feelings. As their confidence flourishes, children are empowered to embrace independence and tackle new challenges with a newfound sense of optimism.
Art therapy provides children and youth with the tools to build resilience and effectively navigate through challenging situations. Through the process of creating art, children acquire problem-solving skills that support them in managing life’s challenges. By encouraging creativity and innovative thinking, art therapy enables children to approach difficult situations with a fresh perspective, ultimately encouraging the development of coping mechanisms that endure long after the therapy sessions have concluded.
Develop Social Skills
The process of developing social skills through art therapy begins from the initial session. By participating in insightful discussions about their artwork, children acquire the ability to engage with their peers and adults effectively, use appropriate body language and verbal communication, and delve into complex subjects.
As the sessions progress, children enhance their social confidence as they create their artwork and acknowledge their achievements. Group art therapy sessions provide children with the opportunity to hone their conversational and interaction skills, exchange ideas, and work together on collaborative projects. Group art therapy can also help with building family relationships.
Healing through Creativity: Join Us for Art and Therapy
Art therapy is a highly effective method for assisting children and youth in learning to express themselves and regulate their emotions within a secure and non-intimidating setting. By engaging in artistic activities, children and youth can delve into their emotions, enhance their self-esteem and social skills, develop problem-solving techniques, and cultivate resilience. This form of therapy serves as a mighty instrument in supporting young individuals in attaining mental, emotional, physical, and social well-being.
If you believe that your child or family could benefit from art therapy, Sparkling Seeds is offering an enjoyable program at the end of May this year! We invite you to embark on a heartwarming journey with us, dedicated to strengthening family bonds through creativity, play, and emotional connection. We’re hosting a Six Session Art-Based Therapy Program, for parents and children 7-12, every Saturday, starting May 24th-June 28th, 2025. Our team of Psychotherapists and Art Instructors from Artnection will guide you through each 90-minute session, combining artmaking, mindfulness, and parent-child activities centered around themes such as identity, empathy, and emotional expression.
Session highlights include:
- Our Family Tree: A celebration of your roots
- Mirror Me: Connecting through playful, nonverbal art
- The Bridge Between Us: Building emotional support
- The Colours of Our Feelings: Painting your emotions
- Hand in Hand: Creating a keepsake handprint mural
Join us on this enriching journey to deepen your family connections and create lasting memories together. Register your spot today.
