The end of the school year is quickly approaching. How is that possible? It really seems like it was just September the other day!
Life is moving fast, so I’m making a conscious effort to slow down and reflect a bit more. And since my kids are even busier than I am, learning new things every day and moving at light speed from one activity to another, I’m encouraging them to stop and reflect on their journeys by building a habit of daily reflection.
Usually we just talk about the day to reflect, but I’ve been reading a lot about art journaling and I think it might be the perfect way for kids (and grown-ups) to relax, review and reflect. Why?
- The process of filling up a page with pictures, words and random doodles is a little slow, so it sort of forces you to sit quietly and think about your topic of reflection.
- It works for all types of learners. Some kids will draw more, some will use more words and phrases. They key is to reflect using whatever combination of words and pictures works for your learning style.
- Representing concepts in pictures is a great way to process new learning and synthesize information.
- It’s relaxing, engaging and fun!
The end of the school year is an excellent time to try this!
The process is flexible, but here’s one way to use art journals for year-end reflection: Ask kids at home or at school to brainstorm a few end-of-the-year reflection topics on sticky notes. Draw and write ideas related to the topics around the sticky notes. Challenge kids to fill the page with ideas and color! (You could also assign topics, just focus on one topic, skip the sticky notes and just use paper…whatever works!)
Wishing everyone a wonderful end-of-the-year!
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