Play and Creativity
In this section you will be able to learn more about working with visual imagery, stories, creative writing and music. There will be ideas about the kinds of situation and children you might use each with. Click on each link below to explore that activity.
Play and Creativity
Visual imagery
Visual imagery and artwork can be used effectively in a number of ways with children and young people, e.g.
- Diagrams to help explain things clearly
- Assessment tools to make sense of children's experience
- Free artwork helping young people to express themselves
- As a relaxed way of engaging together
Some of these approaches use images created by the worker. But how do we make sense of the images children create themselves?
Do you think that children's images are representative, i.e. show exactly what has happened to them?
Think about how much you agree or disagree with this. Then click 'Check' to see our response.
Play and Creativity
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Children's images are usually not literal statements, evidence of what has happened to them, but are more metaphorical in nature. They tend to come from an overlapping of their inner and outer worlds, a blend of fantasy and reality. For example, children might be more likely to show their experience of abuse through making a messy, abstract image rather than drawing what has happened to them (Case & Dalley, 1990). So it's safest to avoid interpretation and instead support children's self-expression through observation, comments and open questions.
Play and Creativity
Visual imagery
The two main ways of using visual imagery when working with children are:
- Structured/focused/directive tools and exercises
- Unstructured/non-directive activities
Can you think of any particular roles and tasks when you might want to use either of these two approaches with children? Jot down your suggestions on a notepad, then click 'Check' to compare with our ideas.
Structured/focused/directive
Structured, focused or directive visual tools are those prepared or chosen by the worker to achieve a particular purpose, often within a set time scale.
Non-directive
Non-directive play or activities allow the worker to go at the child's pace and learn from them without imposing an agenda or a particular approach.
Play and Creativity
Visual imagery
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Structured visual tools can be particularly helpful:
a) When you are making an assessment in short time scales, e.g. creative ways of trying to find out about what has happened to children, or when you are seeking their views
b) Where there is something you need to convey to a child, e.g. explaining why they need to move to a different placement - a diagram or visual representation may help show this
c) When you are implementing a particular intervention (e.g. working to reduce a young person's offending behaviour using rating scales).
Non-directive approaches may be particularly helpful:
a) During a broader assessment of the child's needs, concerns and difficulties - observing how the child interacts with you and the materials or how she expresses herself and her feelings
b) To engage children who are particularly wary, distant or angry
c) To achieve broader aims in the work, e.g. allowing the child to work through some difficult feelings through free creative expression
Play and Creativity
Visual imagery
Listed below are some examples of visual tools and creative activities that you can use to aid communication in different stages. Select each one to find out more and do some exercises or you can download the easy to use 'guidance' PDF which gives you information on them all.
Play and Creativity
Visual imagery
Rating Scales
Rating scales are a concrete, visual and engaging way of helping a child or young person to establish what they think about things and to convey this to you.
- Begin by drawing a line across a large sheet of paper
- Try using numbers at either end from 0 - 10. Ask the young person to indicate on the line how much or how little they want to do something
- Or put words at either end of the line (e.g. very scared - excited and happy)
- Check out whether they would have rated themselves differently any another time
- Ask what would need to happen for them to change her position on the line
Click here to view a case example of using rating scales with a young person.
Play and Creativity
Visual imagery
Facial expressions
You might need to ask a child what she feels about having contact with her father or moving back home with her family. Try providing some images of facial expressions so that children can choose the one which represents how they feel. You don't have to be artistically talented to do this! Just do simple figure drawings, use cut-outs, computer icons, or get the child to help you with this. Remember to offer enough options of different feelings so that you don't restrict the options for the child.
Click here to download a printable chart of facial expression to get you going.
Play and Creativity
Visual imagery
Ecomaps
These are a way of helping children and young people of most ages and abilities to visually map themselves in relation to their environment, community and relationships.
- Write the child's name in the middle of a large sheet of paper and draw a circle round it.
- Get the child to identify important people or organisations and place their names in circles on the page. Those who the child feels are most important to him should be drawn the closest.
- Draw different types of lines to indicate the nature of the link or relationship
- Or get the child to indicate these by placing cut-out images from magazines or postcards, buttons or figurines to represent their perspective. Aim here to have lots of variety of images to choose from.
Click on the links below to access some useful pdfs about ecomaps:
Play and Creativity
Visual imagery
Non-directive imagery and artwork
Free expression through artwork can enable children or young people to express their inner thoughts and feelings in ways other than words. Just providing a safe space, art materials, time, and encouragement may help them to process and make sense of some of these experiences. It can also enable you to make a broader assessment of their needs, concerns and difficulties.
- Chose a safe space with uninterrupted time
- Provide a selection of materials e.g. pens, paints, paper, magazines, glue, sparkly bits, etc
- Give the child space to draw, paint, colour, stick etc
- Support them in their work rather than interpreting it
Click the links below to access useful pdfs about non-directive imagery and art work:
Play and Creativity
Creative writing
Creative writing may be a safe way for some children and young people to communicate their feelings in written form rather than talking. There are a range of ways workers can support them in this. See the individual sections for more info.
Key points
- The aim is to enable children to explore and process their experience not to produce a 'good' poem or story.
- Your role may be to help them select what is important and put things into sequence so that it becomes a poem or a story etc.
- But you may not need to do anything more than give children some help and guidance or hear a poem or story once written.
- As with all artistic and creative work by children, their writing should be treated with care and respect.
Use the toolbox below to explore some of these techniques in more detail.
Play and Creativity
Creative writing
Diaries
Diaries are an age-old way of thinking about and reflecting on personal experience which can offer young people a daily containing opportunity to make sense of their lives.
Suggest they have their own personal book (often locked with a key or kept in a private place). This can help young people feel they have a space of their own which is not intruded upon and where their most intimate of thoughts can first gain the light of day.
Some young people may prefer to create a weblog online. You may need to guide them about the risks attached to putting such personal information into the public domain.
Click here for a case example.
Play and Creativity
Creative writing
Writing their own life story
This can enable children to put events into order and encourages healing through self-reflection
- The writing acts as a 'container', giving children's thoughts and feelings a shape and structure.
- Difficult experiences can then be remembered and thought about without re-traumatising the child.
- A more positive self-identity can be constructed.
Tip
Suggest they use visual imagery to deepen expression.
Click here for guidance and a case example.
Play and Creativity
Creative writing
Poetry
This can be much simpler to create than it might seem, if the expectation that it rhymes or follows a particular pattern is removed.
Encourage a child to pick:
- Words and phrases which express what they think and feel
- Images, events, relationships or feelings which are significant
Get them to write down what they say or write it down for them
Tip
Some may want some quiet time during your meeting to write on their own. Others will prefer to write on their own between meetings, but to bring you their initial outpourings.
Click here for guidance on using poetry or free verse.
Play and Creativity
Stories
Using a story as an illustration can be a way of giving information and explanations to children who are too young or distressed to make sense of what they have been told.
Exploring characters and situations from stories can also help children work through difficult feelings and not feel so alone with their experiences.
Story lines and characters from films, soaps or computer games are a good source, as well as books.
Either choose something which you think might be helpful or draw on what the child is already reading or watching.
Use the toolbox below to explore some of these techniques in more detail.
Play and Creativity
Stories
Bibliotherapy
Using story books written about specific issues or behaviours allows children's internal worlds to do their own symbolic work.
Example: The story of Eric the sand dragon who loves the sea very much and watches it going out and coming back every day (Sunderland et al., 2003). This story is aimed at children 'who have lost someone they love'.
Such stories can also facilitate conversations as some children begin to make connections with their own experiences.
Choosing other books or novels which have themes or characters relevant to the child's feelings, experiences or behaviour can also be helpful.
Click here for guidance and resources about Bibliotherapy.
Play and Creativity
Stories
Fairy stories
Fairy stories are another good source of characters and situations which are metaphors for many universal aspects of human experience. Children find it easy to empathise or identify with, or express negative feelings towards, polarised archetypal characters (e.g. hero/villain, fairy godmother/witch).
Read the child a story or get them to read it. Start a conversation around the story:
- What did they think of the story
- How did it make them feel
- Who did they like/dislike most?
- How would they have responded to some of the situations?
The downloadable PDF gives an example of using the story of Hansel and Gretel. Think about other stories which it might be helpful to use with children.
Click here for guidance and a fairy story example
Play and Creativity
Stories
Personalised story
You might find it helpful to write a simple personalised story to help explain or explore a situation when you have not been able to find a pre-written story which matches children's experiences. It can also help children feel very special when they have a story written just for them.
Tips
- Write it in a format which can be kept safely and feels engaging and special
- You can illustrate it with drawings or photos to make it feel more special and personalised
- Read the story through with the child and explore the themes in the ways we have discussed in the other sections
Click here to view some guidance and a case example.
Play and Creativity
Music
Music is rather like a language, communicating feelings, relationships and 'internal world' experiences. This expression is rarely direct and conscious but works at the symbolic level when people listen to, sing or perform music.
There are suggestions in this section for listening to music with young people, creating music together and supporting them in writing songs.
You don't have to be a musician yourself to use most of these suggestions, just have awareness of the potential for music as a symbolic form of communication and be sensitive to its power.
Use the toolbox below to explore some of these techniques in more detail.
Play and Creativity
Music
Listening to young people's music
Listening to a young person's music with them can be a helpful way of engaging with them and building a relationship together.
Showing interest in their preferred type of music can show you are interested in what is important to them and respect their individuality.
This activity might occur spontaneously, during a car journey or when you are visiting a child at home or in placement.
Key tip
Don't try and be "cool" about music you don't know and don't like as young people will see through this. Carefully listening and showing interest is what counts.
Play and Creativity
Music
Selecting music to play
You may also decide to choose a particular song or piece of music to play to the child because you think it might have a particular effect or encourage a helpful conversation.
Try choosing a song that has words that are relevant to their situation or where the mood of the music seems to reflect what they are feeling at the time.
It's important to remember, though, that children's responses to the music you select are not always possible to predict.
Click here for advice about selecting music.
Play and Creativity
Music
Making music together
For those who feel confident, it might be possible to engage children in direct musical activity.
Sing songs you both know together.
- This can provide "a safe musical starting point".
- Pay attention to the song's symbolic meaning
Make sounds together.
- Try using percussion instruments which can express a lot even without previous training or skill.
- Make some rhythmic sounds in 'conversation', perhaps with one leading and the other responding.
- Try to mirror, imitate and respond 'in tune' with the child, so that they feel that their expression has been heard and accepted.
Click here for guidance and examples.
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