You are on page 1of 3

476299

me Health Care Management & PracticeThobaben


2013
HHCXXX10.1177/1084822313476299Ho

Psychosocial
Home Health Care Management & Practice

The Role of Art and Literacy


25(3) 123125
2013 SAGE Publications
Reprints and permissions:

Activities in Childrens sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav


DOI: 10.1177/1084822313476299
hhc.sagepub.com
Healing Process

Arianna Maya Thobaben, MA(Ed), MS1

Abstract
Home health nurses/staff can inform parents of the healing qualities of inexpensive and simple therapeutic art and literacy
activities. They can instruct them of the variety of art, literature, storytelling, and writing activities that can be used and
encourage parents to provide such opportunities for their children during their healing processes. These activities can give
children some of the emotional support they need to help them heal and provide an opportunity for children to maintain
healthy cognitive and emotional developmental growth even while they are homebound.

Keywords
homebound children, therapeutic use of art, therapeutic use of literacy, healing arts, children activities, parental guidance

Arts, literature, storytelling and writing can help children and literacy activities integrated into the healing process can
maintain healthy developmental growth during an acute play a substantial role in providing a means for children to
illness or injuries. Being homebound is a stressful and often express themselves while also maintaining the psychological
traumatic event for anyone but is particularly distressing for support they require. These activities offer an opportunity for
children. They often experience a wide range of powerful children to communicate their feelings and safely let go of
emotions that can impede their physical and/or emotional negative feelings. In addition, when children are sick or
healing. Their usual routineseating, sleeping, playing, and injured, they have little control over what is happening to
attending schoolare often disrupted. Instead, they are them. They are not usually involved in the decision-making
examined and treated by strangers (home health nurses/staff) process and they may fear the unknown. Art and literacy
who perform scary medical/nursing procedures and treat- activities can empower children when parents allow them to
ments on them. In addition, younger children who are sick or make the decisions regarding what activities they want to do
injured may not understand what is wrong with them or why and what books they want to read. These activities also help
they are not able to do what they are wantwhy am I on a children have fun by providing intellectually and creatively
special diet, bed rest, separated from friends, having strangers stimulating activities to help fill the lonely hours.
(home health nurses/staff) take care of me? They may wonder
why their loved ones are letting terrible things happen to them
or think they are being punished for bad thoughts or deeds. Arts
They may have misconceptions about their illness because Children can be creative regardless of any physical limita-
they do not understand what is wrong or they misunderstand tions or artistic talent. Art allows them the opportunity to
what they overhear others saying about their condition. interact with mediums familiar to them and express their
Home health nurses/staff can help children cope with their emotions nonverbally. Most children have inexpensive art
emotions and aid in their understanding of their illnesses/ supplies such as crayons and colored markers at home.
injuries or procedures by teaching parents how to therapeuti- These familiar art tools can help them feel secure. The sim-
cally use basic and inexpensive art and literacy activities with ple act of touching and manipulating their artistic materials
their children. These activities allow children to process what
is happening to them and reclaim their emotions. 1
Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA, USA

Corresponding Author:
Therapeutic Use of the Arts and Arianna Maya Thobaben, MA(Ed), Reading and Language Arts Specialist,
Literacy MS (Teaching Credential), Lecturer, School of Education, Learning Skills
Specialist, Learning Center, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA 95521,
Children are more likely to come to terms with their illnesses USA.
or injuries through self-understanding and acceptance. Art Email: arianna.thobaben@humboldt.edu

Downloaded from hhc.sagepub.com by mohd zafaren zakaria on April 26, 2016


124 Home Health Care Management & Practice 25(3)

may help to reduce a childs anxiety about a medical proce- (without judgment or even recommendations). Reading sto-
dure. Art activities can stimulate childrens imagination. ries together is an effective means to help children process
Particular colors and textures may help them express their and understand their circumstances. Childrens teachers or
feelings; for example, they may draw in red or black if they librarians can recommend age appropriate and relevant
are angry or scared. In addition, these creative activities can books that target a specific topic.
support childrens emotional and cognitive development by Books are also a great platform from which to embark on
using their problem-solving skills. difficult conversations. They present a character or a plot
Children can also vent their fears, frustrations, anger, and that touches the individual. When my child was four and a
anxiety through art activities. Self-portraits drawn by chil- relative had passed away, he began to wonder about death.
dren in distress can illustrate how they feel about their situa- He was deeply worried that many other close family mem-
tions. Their pictures may contain symbols and colors that bers would soon die. His preschool teacher recommended
represent fear, pain, or anger. This form of communication is several childrens books that addressed the subject of death
particularly effective when parents engage their children and that we read and discussed. Afterwards, he felt less alone in
ask them to explain what they have created while gently urg- his fears and the books and discussions helped him to form
ing them to talk about some of the notable symbols in it. his ideas about what really happens at death and how he feels
Parents should encourage children to draw what they about it. The books gave him the context he needed to talk
understand about their illness or injury. This will give par- and cry and be held as he tried to understand something that
ents and home health nurses/staff a better understanding of was foreign and scary to him.
what children are thinking and feeling through the art they Pictures and books can also be used to familiarize chil-
create. dren with medical procedures they undergo. There are
Art projects can also provide a sharing opportunity for numerous books available for children and parents that pro-
families dealing with these difficult times. Children enjoy vide information about specific diseases and present useful
making others feel good, and art can be a tool to this end. ideas of how to cope with the illness.
They can show their parents what they made, or give art as In addition, it is important for children to read to maintain
gifts to others. Once when my son was seriously ill, he made fundamental literacy skills of reading, listening, recalling,
a card for a woman next door who was in a great deal of pain. and discussion; these are skills that children need to develop
Not only did she truly value the thought and beauty of his regardless of the illnesses or injuries confronting them.
card, but he was given the opportunity to get outside of his
own experience and help someone else.
Storytelling
Storytelling is an effective way to share fictional events and
Reading communicate feelings in a creative and indirect manner.
Home health nurses/staff should encourage families to read Stories involve a plot, characters, and narrative points of
together whenever possible. Cuddling up together with a view. Made-up stories can allow for anything to happen. The
good book is one way parents/guardians can help ill children characters can be heroes, the problem can be big or small,
to feel secure; they feel close and safe. The modulation of a and the resolutions can be realistic or fantastical.
familiar voice is comforting and relaxing. Bedtime stories Storytelling can reduce childrens distress about treat-
are an important routine that can and should be continued ments and decrease their anxiety. It can convey events, that
during childrens illnesses or injuries. A familiar book can is, dreaded medical treatment, in words, images, and sounds.
feel like a good friend, and everyday routines can alleviate It is a means of sharing and interpreting experiences. Through
anxiety when all else feels uninteresting. storytelling, children can reveal their understanding of their
When I asked children how they felt when their parents illness/injuries or medical procedures and express their feel-
read to them when they were ill or injured they responded ings. This allows the home health nurses/staff/parents to
clear up any misconception, answer any question and assess
Made me feel better. Made me feel safer. It took my childrens feelings. When children tell stories about what
mind off of being sick and hurting inside. It is fun to they are experiencing, they are better able to gain control of
have your parents read to you when you are sick. Mom their situations by sharing their experiences and creating
read aloud to me at night from the book we had been their own endings. Such positive imagining can help to pro-
reading before I got hurt. It made me feel much better to mote healing.
hear her voice and listen to the story. For a few minutes I Storytelling can also create an opportunity for family
wasnt thinking about my pain and I felt better. members to share their personal histories and bond with their
children. It is also a fun and imaginative way for children
When feeling hopeless and helpless because of an illness and parents to spend time together. Sharing stories about
or injury, all children need the opportunity to talk about what similar experiences enforces the idea in children that they are
they are thinking and feeling or be allowed to cry freely not alone in their experiences.

Downloaded from hhc.sagepub.com by mohd zafaren zakaria on April 26, 2016


Thobaben 125

In addition, literacy skills (reading, writing, listening, and be derived from such experiences. It is positive for children to
speaking) as well as processing and creating skills can be hear what their parents are thinking or feeling. Writing a fam-
strengthened through storytelling, especially when stories ily story is a gift they can create together.
are written down and illustrated.
Conclusion
Writing Stories Home health nurses/staff can inform parents of the healing
Children enjoy the opportunity to be published (have their qualities of inexpensive and simple therapeutic art and lit-
story down on paper to share with others). By writing ones eracy activities. They can instruct them of the variety of art,
own story, children can be freed from the guilt and anger literature, storytelling, and writing activities that can be used
they feel about their situation. It empowers them and gives and encourage parents to provide such opportunities for their
them the strength to overcome the illness or injury. Writing children during their healing processes. These activities can
a positive ending provides a visual and verbal reference for give children some of the emotional support they need to
healing and enables them to have some control over their help them heal and provide an opportunity for children to
own destiny. maintain healthy cognitive and emotional developmental
An additional benefit is that writing can reinforce reading growth even while they are homebound.
skills because children are more motivated to read what they
have written; it is a positive literacy cycle. It is also a way to Acknowledgements
promote effective communication skills. Homebound chil- The author would like to thank Aidan Kai Thobaben for his
dren need opportunities to reinforce these developmental lit- contributions to the article
erary skills because their usual social outlets are limited.
Like other favorite go to books, children often like their Declaration of Conflicting Interests
stories read again and again. Reading their stories may give The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with
them the pride and self-esteem needed to keep them in a respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this
positive emotional state. article.
Children and their parents can write their stories together
by alternating who writes/draws a page. This is an honest and Funding
meaningful way to enable family members to talk about their The author(s) received no financial support for the research,
childrens illnesses or injuries. Much joy and satisfaction can authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Downloaded from hhc.sagepub.com by mohd zafaren zakaria on April 26, 2016

You might also like