In one of the schools I worked at, the art room was the dedicated room for my day. I thought that was very interesting as it allowed me to explore my creative side as a psychologist. I like painting and drawing so it felt natural to explore this further. I started looking at ‘how to draw cartoons’ books with children and offered drawing and talking as an activity. Children really liked talking about their choice of characters. They also engaged well with talking whilst doing another activity. It helped normalise the sessions, and open emotionally charged conversations.

Drawing different characters also helps explore emotions they may have in different situations or create stories characters are faced with. Children liked having a special scrapbook they drew their characters and stories in. Opportunities are endless with this type of resource: creating stories, characters, change scenarios, etc.

Konye, P. & Ashforth, K. (2012). 501 Things for the Quick Draw Kid. Hinkler Books Pty Ltd: Heatherton.