15 Art Projects to Build Your Child’s Self-Awareness
The family togetherness that comes with the holiday season is fantastic. That is, when the kids aren’t fighting, bored, or cracked out on candy that was meant to decorate the gingerbread house.
To avoid the chaos and stress that can accompany two full weeks of unstructured, school-free play time, we offer our project ideas. We’re always looking for easy and fun activities to entertain the youngins. Here we share fifteen that not only check those boxes, but also encourage self-reflection and foster self-awareness—two things that are foundational for resilience, of course!
Why Self-Awareness Matters For Kids
Self-awareness skills can build confidence when children are aware of their strengths. And while we don’t want to talk about our challenges all the time, they shouldn’t be taboo either. As children learn more about themselves, they are better able to understand how their thoughts and feelings affect their actions. This makes them emotionally aware and can help build their empathy for others who have different backgrounds than themselves.
For more about self-awareness, read our blog: Fostering Self-Awareness in Your Child Is Not As Hard As You May Think.
And now, enough with the small talk. Let’s cut to the chase!
Fun Projects that Foster Self-Awareness in Children
- Buy a disposable camera and have your child take pictures of things they love. Print and frame the photos to give your child the constant reminders of what makes them happy.
- Make a dreamcatcher. Especially for kids that suffer from nightmares, this age-old tool for catching your dreams can be a fun and useful tool to discuss aloud what scares them.
- Collage with old photographs. What better way for a child to connect with their history! If you don’t want to use old photos, make copies!
- Wrap little trinkets in foil and then bake them in a cake! When you slice the cake, everyone will get something special. Ask everyone how their trinket reflects who they are.
- Have your child create an imaginary animal that represents themselves. Use recyclables, art supplies, or even crayons and paper.
- Make a softness project. Something your child can cuddle with that connects them to family!
- Work with your child to come up with a wild invention that makes them happier no matter what that is.
- Document an experience where your child did something they didn't think they could do or overcame a challenge. Make a book about it or have your child draw a picture that you can hang up.
- Find a quote that speaks to you and your child and turn it into something visually inspiring that you can display for your child.
- Have you child create a past, present and future self-portrait of your themselves. This drawing or painting can reflect where your child comes from, who they are today, and how they imagine themselves in the future.
- Draw a bag self-portrait. On the outside of a paper bag, have your child create a self-portrait. On the inside, fill it with things that represent who they are.
- Draw your kid as a warrior, superhero, or anything else they aspire to be. You can use an actual photo of their face.
- Take photos of your family’s faces and create bodies out of clay to be displayed.
- Draw an outline of your child’s body on butcher paper and then fill the interior of their body with words or photos from magazines that represent who they are. Create a collage!
- Create a calming collage. Choose images your child finds soothing and combine them to create a picture your child can hang up to help them relax.
Thank you for reading. We love to hear your reactions! Please email us at hello@thebiggiescards.com with your thoughts and comments!
