Making Art to Understand the Meaning of the New Year: A Volunteer Project

To bring in the New Year I volunteered at a children's clinic. The idea of a new start is very inspiring to adults, but for children it's a very difficult concept to grasp. In order to help this group of kids understand some meaning behind a new year I facilitated an art therapy project. Art therapy helps support children and adults with learning new concepts and incorporating tools into their lives. In this exercise I guided children through the process of making binoculars, using the process of making art to understand the meaning of the New Year. We then discussed how adults use the New Year to look back onto what they've done and to set goals for their future. Using the binoculars as a metaphor and play toy, kids were able to talk about what they want for the New Year, and had a chance to practice setting goals. I incorporated everyday objects, such as toilet paper rolls, into the art project so that parents could easily do it again at home. Making art accessible in the home can be a benefit to the whole family.