Big Feelings, Little Artists
A parent-and-child creative feelings kit for children around 5 to 10, and the grown-ups beside them.
A beautiful collection of creative invitations for exploring feelings and spending time together, without needing the right words or a perfect picture.
Instant download. Printable A4 PDFs in colour and low-ink editions.
Make space for feelings, one creative moment at a time.
Some days your child has a lot going on inside and not many words for it. Some days you'd simply like twenty quiet minutes together that don't involve a screen.
This kit offers fifteen gentle ways in. Your child can take up an idea, change it, do something else entirely or stop. There's no right way to draw a feeling, and no hidden meaning to find in a picture. The point is the making, and the time spent side by side.
Developed by Hannah Nyx, Registered Art Therapist and Clinical Counsellor at Creative Minds Art Therapy.
A page for you, a page for them
Each of the fifteen activities opens across two pages. Here's the first one, Take a Line for a Walk.
Your page
What you'll make, something simple to say to begin, a few relaxed steps, and ideas for chatting if your child wants to.
Their page
A few words of invitation and a big open space to work in, taking up about two thirds of the page.
Always a way in
A simpler version using only paper and a pencil or crayon, a stretch for older children, and a way to do it without talking about feelings at all.
Start with what your child needs today
The book opens with a chooser your child can point to. Mix and match, or choose something else entirely.
I’d like to show a feeling
- Inside Weather
- My Own Colour Key
- Tangle Lines
I have more than one feeling
- The Swirl Jar
- Inside Weather
Something is worrying or bugging me
- The Worry Parcel
- Tangle Lines
I want something simple
- Take a Line for a Walk
- Pattern Pathways
- What Could This Become?
I’d like some help, or to show what I need
- Signal Signs
- My Helper Map
- My Menu
I want to make something together
- Pass the Picture
- Side by Side
I’d like to make something to keep or give
- A Message I Choose
- Little Good Things Collage
I’d rather make art without talking about feelings
- Little Good Things Collage
- Pattern Pathways
- What Could This Become?
No art right now
That’s a real choice too. Maybe a needs and choices card, a snack, a walk or just some quiet together.
Fifteen creative invitations
Everything works with paper and pencils or crayons. Magazines, felt pens, tape and glue are optional extras.
- Take a Line for a Walk5 to 15 minutes
- Pattern Pathways10 to 20 minutes
- My Own Colour Key10 to 15 minutes
- Inside Weather10 to 15 minutes
- The Swirl Jar10 to 20 minutes
- The Worry Parcel10 to 20 minutes
- Tangle Lines5 to 15 minutes
- What Could This Become?5 to 15 minutes
- Little Good Things Collage15 to 20 minutes
- Pass the Picture10 to 20 minutes
- Side by Side15 to 20 minutes
- Signal Signs15 to 20 minutes
- My Helper Map10 to 20 minutes
- A Message I Choose10 to 20 minutes
- My Menu15 to 20 minutes
What you'll receive
Five A4 PDFs, emailed to you straight after purchase. Print what you need, when you need it.
Inside the book you'll also find a two-minute Start Here page, phrases that leave room for your child's own words, help for when things don't go to plan, and clear, practical guidance if your child ever shares something worrying.
What this kit is, and what it isn't
It is
A creative wellbeing resource for everyday family life, developed by a Registered Art Therapist. A way to spend time together that doesn't depend on finding the right words, with every activity built around your child's choices.
It isn't
Art therapy, or a way to diagnose, assess or treat any condition. Your child's drawings aren't tests, and the kit never asks you to interpret them. If your child's feelings seem big, frequent or are getting in the way of daily life, please talk with your GP, your child's school or a qualified professional.
Made by Hannah Nyx
Hannah is a Registered Art Therapist and Clinical Counsellor at Creative Minds Art Therapy.
Questions
What age is it for?
The activities are designed for children around 5 to 10 and an adult to do together. Younger children often enjoy the simpler versions, and older children can take the stretch ideas included with each activity. You know your child best, so adapt freely.
Do we need special art supplies?
No. Every activity works with ordinary paper and a pencil or crayons. Magazines, felt pens, tape, glue and scissors are optional extras, and each activity has a simpler version that needs only paper and a pencil or crayon.
Is this art therapy?
No. Big Feelings, Little Artists is a creative wellbeing resource developed by a Registered Art Therapist, but using it is not the same as receiving art therapy. It isn’t designed to diagnose, assess or treat any condition, and it isn’t suitable as the only support for a child who is in crisis. If you’re concerned about your child, please talk with your GP, your child’s school or a qualified professional.
Will it tell me what my child’s drawings mean?
No, and that’s deliberate. Colours, shapes and missing details in a child’s picture don’t reveal hidden problems. The kit shows you how to be interested in your child’s art without interpreting it, and how to accept ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ as a complete answer.
What if my child doesn’t want to do it?
That’s completely fine. Every activity is an invitation, never an instruction. The kit includes a page on what to do when your child says no, gets frustrated, wants to stop or has a big reaction, and a reminder that ‘no art right now’ is a real choice too.
How do I get the files, and can I print them more than once?
After purchase you’ll receive an email with download links for all the PDF files. You can print pages for use in your own household as often as you like.
Bring out the crayons
The complete kit, ready to print at home tonight.
Questions? Email hello@creativemindsarttherapy.com.au