Drawing and Talking

This is an activity I often got ready for Early Morning Work or at the end of the school day when I was a Special Needs Teacher. It is a great activity for encouraging your child to share what may be going on for them. I find doodling great for my own mental health and in my experience of working with young people, they often share more when their hands are busy.

If my son is having a bit of a rough day, this is an activity I will get ready for the afternoon. As my little one and I can just be together.

Set Up

This activity was really quick to set up. I covered my son’s table with a big piece of paper and blue tacked it to the table so that it didn’t move around. I put out the dinosaur crayon from our September Worries activity box and the crayons from our Colour Monster activity box.

My little one was off ‘exploring’ initially and I just sat at his table doodling (with a cup of tea). He quickly spotted where I was and headed over and just watched me as I created different patterns.

My son and I did this activity the day after his first day at preschool and he shared with me how that first morning had been. He shared so much more during this activity than he had shared the previous day.

Your child may use this space to create their own stories using their imaginations, retell a story that has been read to them or share something that is worrying them. The key to this activity is just to see what happens.