Drawing Conversations

Stimulate the relaxation response through drawing.  This activity allows children to pull their energy into present time in order to gain a sense of focus and concentration.  In addition, it allows them to work out suppressed emotion through creative expression.  It is often possible to observe a child's body visibly relax while completing this activity.  It is useful in times of extreme unrest or unfocused behavior or when a child has difficulty putting into words what is bothering him/her. 

Tell your child that you are going to have a conversation through drawing.  Each of you select a different color drawing utensil, then you will know who is talking.  This is a conversation without words.  We will respond to each other through drawing only.  Make sure he/she knows that through expression there is no right or wrong answer.  Sometimes children will say that they can't draw well.  I then show my stick figure and say that this is not about drawing, this is about exploring what we want to say through drawing pictures.  I often will draw a stick figure and say, see it doesn't matter what it looks like, it is still telling a story. 

Materials:  Two different color drawing utensils (such as colored pencils, pens or markers), blank drawing paper

1. Take a few deep breaths to center and get ready. 

2. Begin by drawing something on the page.  Without words, signify to your child that it is his/her turn.

3. Each person gets a turn to respond.  If your child is stuck, then take another turn and draw another  response on the page. 

4. Keep drawing in silence until you sense that the drawing is complete. 

5. If your child is open to it, you may discuss with him/her what is happening in the picture.   If he or she is struggling to determine what is happening, you might stimulate the conversation by saying something like, "If this were my drawing, I might think it was a treehouse, what does it seem like to you?"  "If this were my drawing, I might think that person is sad, what does it seem to you that that person is feeling?"    You might also ask if he/she is in the picture and if so, where?" 

6. Please keep in mind that children often do not need in depth discussion since the process itself is where the relaxation and healing occur.  You might want to simply converse through pictures for a while without needing to talk about it, simply allowing the expression to be the entirety of the experience. 

Variation:  Relaxation Drawing Conversation

To increase awareness of the body's relaxation response, make it a drawing conversation about relaxation.  After you have practiced drawing conversations for a while, tell your child that you are going to have a conversation through drawing but this time it will be about how you relax or what you think about relaxation and what relaxation means to you.  Whatever comes to mind is exactly what is ready to go on the page.  There is no "right/wrong" or anything that "should or shouldn't" be a part of your drawing.  Just open your mind and allow yourself to express whatever is here in this moment. 

–©2007 Jennifer Jazwierska, All Rights Reserved.