Art Therapy for Children

Art therapy and children – why is it effective?

Art therapy is a visual means of communication, highly suitable developmentally for children, especially when language is not yet developed enough to express the full complexity of emotions.

It is a therapy that children are naturally drawn to, allowing them to organize experiences in a non-threatening way. Through play and exploration, they can develop a unique path, independent thinking, and discover their identity.

They are able to give concrete form to their thoughts and inner feelings, recognize their abilities, receive space for experimentation and wonder to understand the world and its perception, as well as the opportunity to explore the question "who am I."

Goals of art therapy

The goal of therapy is for the child to feel good about themselves, even when there are frustrations. Art therapy allows coping with frustrations and successes.

It gives a good feeling when succeeding in creating, and the ability to bear frustration when not succeeding.

The therapy provides tools to fall and get up in a flexible way and find alternative, creative solutions to problems and conflicts. The properties of color that change, mix, and produce new colors also contribute to the experience of flexibility, movement, and embracing changes.

How does art therapy meet these goals?

The use of art materials and the therapist's guidance allow practicing flexibility of thought. All of these will enable the child in the future to cope with failure (which everyone encounters), find alternative solutions to problems, continue, persist, commit, and not avoid or get stuck in feelings of failure and the feeling that "I'm not worthy." In art therapy there is active involvement of the child, the joy of creation — drawing, cutting, gluing. The doing and action contributes to the possibility of being active (and can benefit children in a depressive state), as well as expressing anger through creation (sublimation), contributing to the ability to organize and plan, to a positive approach to learning, and to feelings of control, satisfaction, and calm. Art can also help understand body image. It is a space where one can take up space, see and be seen. Art therapy expands the ability to take risks, courage, and the ability to trust yourself. All of these help the child build high self-esteem and improve their ability for expression and interpersonal communication.