Happy Spring!

Play is taking time to enjoy the little things.

Chinese New Year Intervention

Here is an activity for a family or group.  The purpose is to build relationships and connections.  Each person receives a red envelope and puts their name on the back.  Everyone in the group is given a variety of slips of paper to put in the envelopes of others.  Depending on group size, you may choose to have them put in two slips of paper instead of one.  If doing this with a couple, they should do all four for each other.  The four slips of paper say:

• I think you're beautiful because ...
• You make me happy when ...
• My hope for you is ...
• I love you because ...

Envelopes are passed around and slips of paper added.  You can choose to have them read them in session, however, I usually ask them to read them in a quiet place alone after session.

Four Types of Anger Matching Activity

This activity is an adjustment to one from "How to Be Angry" pgs. 45-46.

I laminated each behavior for Assertive, Aggressive, Passive, and Passive-Aggressive.  I then took some angry bird graphics to represent each style.  The clients then place the appropriate behaviors under the correct bird.

There is an extra bird, different than these five for the client to place in the category they do the most.  Then you can talk about how to change columns.

Test Yourself: Can you tell which bird is which in the picture below?

Sandtray alternatives

Here is an alternative to the usual sandtray. A small dish with a cover and dried beans makes a way for clients to do sandtray at s desk in school or at home. 

Pros: Small, portable, colorful, lightweight, easy to clean, easy to store
Cons: Could become messy with water, some sensitive children find it smelly, the colors soon mix together

Another way to fill this tray is with small rocks or beads to avoid smell.

Sandtray Stories - Otter and Wolf - Part 3

Part 3

One day a squirrel came to the water.  He asked why Otter was crying.  When Otter told him, Squirrel was sad, too. 

Then Squirrel told Otter how he was sad when his brother died.  He showed Otter a special box that he made to keep his brother's favorite acorns in, so he'd always be close.  Squirrel and Otter thought about Wolf and what might help Otter remember him. 

They made a dream catcher to keep all the positive memories from floating away and hung it in a tree.  It helped Otter feel better.  Whenever he felt sad, he would look up and see the dream catcher and remember the fun he had with Wolf.  Sometimes he talked to Squirrel, too.  They became friends and Otter began to play again. 

Although Wolf was gone and things would never be the same, Otter learned that Wolf would always be in his heart.