Helping to Calm Children

Sometimes both children and adults need a soothing time, a time to calm down from whatever agitates them during the day.

Drawing Time is Soothing

Research indicates drawing Zentangles and Mandalas may enhance this time. Coloring with markers, pencils, and crayons helps set the mood for talking softly, silence, crying a bit, working through problems, and hugs.
  Repetitive movement and making something creative and beautiful engages both sides of the brain.  The creativity comes from selecting colors that go together according to individual’s tastes. The tactical part of the brain plans and decides the design.  Both parts keep the mind from wandering to worries and other stressful emotions.  There are intricate Zentangle and Mandala-type designs in coloring books or you can make your own. Check out Google images and You Tube, too.
Zentangles can Calm
   Picture a piece of paper with a few lines, curves, or shapes that may be made from a thick black marker. Many thinner straight or curved lines surround, fill in, and connect the original shapes until the entire page is filled with lines and white spaces.

Drawing Zentangles and Mandalas

 With young children, start on 4-inch square thick paper that won’t tear easily. It will be easier to cover completely with designs. Show them how to use a black crayon, marker, or pen to make a design or several smaller ones, several numbers, their initials, geometric figures like circles or flower petals scattered around the paper. Then add smaller lines and curves to connect and fill. Zentangle usually stays black and white.
 Mandalas can Soothe
  Mandalas go a little further. Some people start with a circle and make a series of circles around the inside of the circumference.  Then they start another row of smaller circles around the circumference and continue making smaller and smaller circles until they reach the center. Now they fill in the shapes with thinner straight lines, curved lines, concentric circles, or patterns (repeating designs) until the entire page is filled and all of the shapes are connected in some way. The effect is like a Tiffany stained glass rose window. A large square, rectangle or triangle can be divided the same way. Artists often start with thick lines, but there are no rules. Anything can be incorporated into the larger design.
   Besides soothing people, Zentangles and Mandalas help children develop printing skills, eye-hand coordination and a sense of color.

Develop Hand-eye Skills

Most Mandalas have symmetry, balance, and color added to spaces. There are no requirements though and that’s the point.
  For more about Zentangle see information on Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. For Mandala books see Engelbreit’s “Color”, or Marotta’s “Animal Kingdom” for older children and adults.
Photos, Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest