Getting your child to open up dialogue about their problems.

Having a teenager is like living in a haunted house: every now and then you'll see a figure in the corner of your eye, hear moaning, and then a door slams. The thing is, we can all put down their strange alien like behaviour to just going through puberty, having relationship troubles; But what IF something more is actually going on with our kids? How can we open up the dialogue with out being... what's the latest word again???? <<<Literal mental blank>>> Cringe?

If your kid is a little bit arty, try this out because maybe they just need a little bit of help "Scratching the surface" of their problems.

Sometimes we need a non-confrontational way for our kids to open up to us

MATERIALS: ACRYLIC PAINT, WATER, PAPER TOWELS, PAINT CUPS, PAPER,

Get your child to cover a piece of paper with a thin coating of paint (any colour). Make sure it is thick enough so that the paper does not show through.

Then, using the tip of the paint brush, get your child to scratch the paint off in zig-zag, waves, patterns, hatching etc), along with any other shapes they feel like.

Ask your child how it feels to scratch into the paint, and then loop back the conversation around the phrase "Scratching the Surface". Using this concept (conversation started) Encourage them to explore their feelings. Listen on as they may reveal what is the root of the problem.

This activity works because sometimes we need a non-confrontational way to open up a conversation that allows your child to navigate the conversation. When we keep our hands busy with the creative process, we enter a state of mindfulness, easing the communication barriers.