Helping Children Express Themselves Using Art & Music

Some children can't tell you what's wrong. They don't have the words, or saying it out loud is too much. Give them crayons and something to do with their hands, though, and a lot of it comes out anyway.

Talking is easier when your hands are busy and nobody's looking straight at you. At one primary school, a group of Year 5 children, several of them grieving, sewed a dress together and talked more openly than they ever had in class. You don't need a sewing machine to get the same effect.

You'll leave with two activities to use straight away: matching colours and marks to feelings, and drawing freely to music. You'll also know the ground rules that keep them safe. Check in first with a child who's had a loss, let anyone opt out, and never interpret a child's picture for them.