moment, it’s a time for us to listen. The problem is, kids often don’t know what to say. Basically, they want to say whatever will get them out of the situation as quickly as possible with as little consequence as possible. When asked “What’s a solution to this problem?” your child may respond with “I don’t know” (because they don’t know) or “Sorry” (because that usually works to get things over with fast). Because words can be hard to grasp, it’s even more difficult for children to listen and then come up with a solution on the spot. Kids benefit from concrete tools to flex their problem-solving muscles. Here’s where an art approach can come in handy:
I am making school lunches when my daughter screams, “I’m never going to play with you again!” I enter the room and ask what the problem is. She explains that her brother said “never mind,” and she really wants to know what he said. I turn to my son and translate: “She’s really interested in what you have to say.” My son whines, “I just don’t know how to explain it, though, so I said never mind.” I offer two choices for assistance: “Would you like help explaining your idea, or would it be easier to draw it?” My son opts to draw it, which his sister enjoys watching. Once drawn, he finds it easier to explain. They have fun through the process, and I am able to get lunches made.
As this example shows, art making can help children develop their ideas. By literally seeing their idea on paper, they are better able to put it into words. Here are a couple of strategies for putting this principle into action when it comes time for children to identify a solution to a problem:
3.4 Create a comic strip
Another way to help children develop their ideas is through strategies from theater arts:
I’m working with a family of five. The children are in frequent conflict (at home and in the art therapy office). We use the framework of film production to help the sibling “actors” rehearse listening while the parent “directors” practice containing and redirecting their children’s energy. We’re not getting very far.
“No!” says a child. “But!” says another. Over and over, the make-believe scene gets stopped short by a sibling’s insistence that the others are doing it wrong.
Then, “director” Dad has a flash of inspiration. “Let’s play the ‘Yes, and . . .’ improv game. When actors work on their improvisation skills, they follow the rule that every sentence must begin with ‘Yes, and . . .’”
He has his children’s attention. “Roll camera and . . . action!”
A child begins: “Hey, do you want to play basketball?”
“No . . . uh, I mean . . . Yes, and . . . how about if we also play tag?”
“No, I don’t . . . oh . . . I mean . . . Yes, and then we can go get ice cream.”
Now we’re moving!
Make a plan
Making a plan for how to handle similar situations in the future is extremely useful. Not only does it engage the higher cortical functions of the brain that we want our children to exercise (such as planning, organizing, and impulse control), but also it gives you and your child concrete strategies on which you can agree next time. Whether it’s making a plan for a smoother bedtime transition or starting homework, for example, you will be able to remind your child what he chose to do: “Remember your plan for this.”
While you can simply talk about a plan, if you take the extra step of having your child draw her plan, you introduce a host of additional benefits. Drawing out a plan with your child, rather than just talking about it, helps make ideas more concrete. Your child can take more ownership of the plan when she’s the one drawing it, which aids also in developing responsibility for future planning. Having a literal image hanging on the fridge or wall for reference is a powerful reminder of intentions. Rather than you as the parent having to remind your child, the image reminds her. In a sense, she is reminding herself to get back on track. This entire process helps with the development of self-regulation: the ability to notice and control one’s own behaviors.
“Tools of the Mind” is an early education curriculum, inspired by the work of psychologist Lev Vygotsky and informed by neuroscience, that incorporates pre-play image making for planning, self-regulation, and problem solving with striking results. Considered an “exemplary educational intervention” by UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education (2001), one hallmark of the curriculum is the drawing and writing of “play plans,” which are then enacted by the children (Bodrova and Leong 2006). Regardless of their age or drawing ability, each day children draw out plans for their day’s activities. Along with visual and auditory cues for daily school expectations, the children are supported in following through on their own plans. For children participating in “Tools of the Mind,” the most recent outcome studies have shown measurable improvements in memory, reasoning, attention, and behavior control (the ability to refrain from a habitual behavior in favor of a more appropriate or goal-oriented
