What is Your Spirit Animal Today?
12-year-old Xander uses art and animals to help him process BIG emotions.
So many of our unpleasant emotions can feel confusing and complex for children. Using animals, art, and an open mind to allow whatever the child shares without correction. The video below shows how we do this mindful exercise.
Video
Watch this video and let this kid teach your kid how to manage big feelings using art, animals, and his Auntie (me). Angie Harris, a Certified Mindfulness Instructor supports healthy and safe processing of some stuff that can feel overwhelming and just plain icky.
Try this exercise to help you identify and discuss how you and your child are feeling. Your feeling will change day-to-day, and your spirit animal will change so you can do this exercise over and over. (It is a great exercise for journaling too.)
?Choose a strong unpleasant emotion.
?Choose an animal in nature that reminds you of that emotion.
?Draw it out…BE KIND to yourself, and be creative
?Write some descriptive words about the animal…strong, fierce, hot
?On the flip side of the paper, write the opposite pleasant emotion, and repeat the above directions
My Spirit Animal? A Sloth? Joyful, slow, and steady … a good thing. 🙂
