Art-based activities can develop resilience and self-esteem, enabling children in need to cope better with ongoing stress and loss. Arts Activities for Children and Young People in Need offers interventions and exercises drawn from practice and research, for practitioners to use as a basis for their own arts-based groups or one-to-one sessions. Holistic arts activities facilitate a spiritually sensitive approach. Mindfulness-based exercises underpin the approach, and include guided meditations in which a group imagines that they are clouds, or draw feelings and emotions while listening to music, to encourage awareness of the senses. The activities help the group to relax and become more self-aware, encourage an exploration of feelings, values and understanding and are beneficial for children not ready to embrace traditional therapies or counselling. This book is accessible and suitable for helping, health and education practitioners and students from a variety of disciplines, such as social work, psychology and counselling.

Young Children and the Arts: Nurturing Imagination and Creativity examines the place of the arts in the experiences of young and very young children at home and in out-of-home settings at school and in the community. There is great need for development of resources in the arts specifically designed to introduce babies and toddlers to participatory experiences in the visual arts, dance, music, and storytelling/theater. This book presents valuable guidelines for early childhood teachers, families, caregivers and community organizations. Young Children and the Arts presents a comprehensive approach to the arts that is aligned with early childhood developmentally appropriate practice and that combines an exploratory, materials-based approach with an aesthetic-education approach for children from birth to eight years of age. It addresses both how the arts are foundational to learning, and how teachers and parents can nurture young children’s developing imagination and creativity. The models presented emphasize a participatory approach, introducing young children to the arts through activities that call for engagement, initiative and creative activity. Additionally, Young Children and the Arts addresses the intersection of early childhood education and the arts—at points of convergence, and at moments of tension. The role of families and communities in developing and promoting arts suffused experiences for and with young children are addressed. Young Children and the Arts examines the role of innovative arts policy in supporting a broad-based early arts program across the diverse settings in which young children and their families live, work, and learn.

Bring out your child’s creativity and imagination with more than 60 artful activities in this completely revised and updated edition Art making is a wonderful way for young children to tap into their imagination, deepen their creativity, and explore new materials, all while strengthening their fine motor skills and developing self-confidence. The Artful Parent has all the tools and information you need to encourage creative activities for ages one to eight. From setting up a studio space in your home to finding the best art materials for children, this book gives you all the information you need to get started. You’ll learn how to: * Pick the best materials for your child’s age and learn to make your very own * Prepare art activities to ease children through transitions, engage the most energetic of kids, entertain small groups, and more * Encourage artful living through everyday activities * Foster a love of creativity in your family

Encourage tinkering, curiosity, and creative thinking in children of all ages with these 55 hands-on activities that explore art, science, and more The creator of the highly popular creativity site for kids, Tinkerlab.com, now delivers dozens of engaging, kid-tested, and easy-to-implement projects that will help parents and teachers bring out the natural tinkerer in every kid—even babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. The creative experiments shared in this book foster curiosity, promote creative and critical thinking, and encourage tinkering—mindsets that are important to children growing up in a world that values independent thinking. In addition to offering a host of activities that parents and teachers can put to use right away, this book also includes a buffet of recipes (magic potions, different kinds of play dough, silly putty, and homemade butter) and a detailed list of materials to include in the art pantry.

Over the past two decades, there has been a major increase in research into the effects of the arts on health and well-being, alongside developments in practice and policy activities in different countries across the WHO European Region and further afield. This report synthesizes the global evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being, with a specific focus on the WHO European Region. Results from over 3000 studies identified a major role for the arts in the prevention of ill health, promotion of health, and management and treatment of illness across the lifespan. The reviewed evidence included study designs such as uncontrolled pilot studies, case studies, small-scale cross-sectional surveys, nationally representative longitudinal cohort studies, community-wide ethnographies and randomized controlled trials from diverse disciplines. The beneficial impact of the arts could be furthered through acknowledging and acting on the growing evidence base; promoting arts engagement at the individual, local and national levels; and supporting cross-sectoral collaboration.

Game playing is a highly effective way of engaging children and has long been acknowledged as an important means of psychological therapy. This book offers an abundance of fun games that help children to confront personal problems and issues in a light-hearted yet meaningful way. These are games with a difference, as they must be constructed before they can be played. The creation aspect involves collaboration and cooperation within a team, and instils an empowering sense of ownership in the creators. By the time the game is ready to be played, children are confident, thoroughly engaged and ready to explore issues in a supportive environment. Each game has been tried and tested by the author, and is proven to really work. This book is an essential tool for therapists, counsellors, social workers, youth workers and teachers supporting children and young people.

Highly Commended in the 2005 BMA Medical Book Competition The Children's National Service Framework sets standards for children's and young people's services, outlining what support should be available to children and their parents in managing and preventing a wide range of conditions and problems. This book is a companion to the Children's (NSF), enabling those that work within the NHS, social care and education to the put the NSF into practice in primary care. Contributions throughout from key professionals who were involved in the evolution of the framework help by providing guidance and expertise from the knowledge and background material gained throughout its development. The authors expand on the vision, themes and goals published within the NSF and make recommendations for the ways that best practice can be implemented, particularly for children's healthcare throughout the UK and anywhere in the Western world. General practitioners, child health specialists, community nurses and anyone with an interest in or responsibility for the care of children in primary care and the interface with social care and education, will find this book invaluable reading.

Vashti believes that she cannot draw, but her art teacher's encouragement leads her to change her mind and she goes on to encourage another student who feels the same as she had.

A fresh new e-book edition, focusing on the importance of collaboration between healthcare professionals and the community. The second e-book edition of Child, Youth and Family Health builds its focus on the importance of a collaborative partnership between healthcare professionals and members of the community. This approach is vital in supporting, maintaining and strengthening individual and community health across a range of contexts and life stages. Child, Youth and Family Health 2e e-book begins by discussing issues and challenges in child, youth and family health, before addressing contexts for nursing and midwifery, all of which helps readers apply theory to practice. This community healthcare textbook offers additional insight into the importance of the healthcare professional's role when working with children, young people and their families, and looks at practical approaches such as program development, supporting family transitions and mental health promotion. There are three new chapters: 'Communication with children, young people and families – a family strengths-based approach', 'Acute illness: Care for the child and their family' and 'Health promotion through early childhood' along with a range of clinical scenarios, research highlights, practice highlights and critical questions and reflections. Written by authors who are nurses, midwives, early childhood educators and academics, along with a respected team of contributors and editors, Child, Youth and Family Health 2e provides an engaging perspective on the fundamental challenges and issues affecting the health and wellness of infants, children, young people and their families in Australia and New Zealand. - Clinical Scenarios integrated throughout to provide context for practice. - Research highlights provide examples of the most recent research and evidence based practice. - Practice highlights feature up-to-date examples of best practice, policies and procedures in Australia and New Zealand. - Key Points summarise the main issues in each chapter. - Critical questions and reflection feature at the end of each chapter as a tool for tutorials. - Useful Resources provide weblinks for up-to-date data, statistics, organisations and programs. - Extensive references provide for further reading and research. - Chapter 5 'Communication' completely revised with a 'family strengths' approach. - New Chapter 8 'Health promotion through early childhood'. - New Chapter 9 'Acute illness: Care for the child and their family'. - Completely revised and updated with current statistics and data. - Inclusion of contemporary public health policy. - Inclusion of contemporary legislative and regulatory frameworks for health professionals.

This guidebook has been created to be used alongside the storybook, The Girl Who Lost the Light in Her Eyes. Using a relational approach, it explores the themes of the story and offers guidance to the adult as they use expressive arts to give the child or young person a creative outlet for their emotions. The gentle guidance offered makes this an ideal tool for non-specialists working with children experiencing loss or bereavement. It guides the adult to respond appropriately and sensitively to the grief of the child, whilst helping them journey through the grieving process. This book must be used alongside the illustrated storybook, The Girl Who Lost the Light in Her Eyes. Both books are available to purchase as a set, Supporting Children and Young People Who Experience Loss. The full set includes: • The Girl Who Lost the Light in Her Eyes, a colourfully illustrated and sensitively written storybook, designed to encourage conversation and support emotional literacy. • Using the Expressive Arts with Children and Young People Who Experience Loss, a supporting guidebook that explores a relational approach and promotes creative expression as a way through loss or bereavement. Perfectly crafted to spark communication around a difficult topic, this is an invaluable tool for practitioners, educators, parents, and anybody else looking to support a child or young person through loss or bereavement.