Educational Information

Expressive Art Therapies provide a wide-rang of benefits; and here's why.

Whether it's simply engaging in craft-making with your child or reading along to their favorite book, interactions such as these play a vital role in childhood development in a myriad of ways. Continue below to view the research behind our practices.

Art Therapy

• Expressive Arts in Family Therapy:including young children in the process. Stephen A. Armstrong and Chris S. Simpson (2012)
• Parents and children can express their experience of the world through art activities in family play therapy
• Art activities allow children to express positive and negative feelings without the fear of consequences
• Expressive arts activities often elicit thoughts and feelings that children may be unaware of or have difficult expressing 

"Limiting therapy to verbal expression denies children the freedom to use their preferred form of expression"

• Use Art as a Tool for Communication; It's a Therapeutic Language and a Window to our Children- Washington Post (1998)
• "Art is a window on our children. It shows us their view of self, their feelings, their view of the world"
• If your child comes home from school and doesn't want to talk, as them if they would like to draw something with you
• Dialogue following a child's artwork : instead of asking "what is that?" about a drawing, instead say "Would you like to tell me about it?"
• Artwork done individually promotes self-exploration and healing
• Imagery as a role reversal tool

http://www.educationoasis.com/resources/Articles/building_babys_brain.htm

If I had my child to raise over again 

by Diana Loomans


If I had my child to raise over again,

I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.

I'd do less correcting, and more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less, and know to care more.

I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I'd run through more fields, and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging, and less tugging.

I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.

I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.

I'd teach less about the love of power,

And more about the power of love.