Ages

15+

Art For Wellbeing

A Parent's Guide
What’s this about?
NalandaWay Foundation brings to you the ‘Art for
Wellbeing – A Parent’s Guide’. The rapid spread of the
COVID-19 pandemic has forced our everyday routines
to take a backseat. We have also witnessed an
irrational rise in public fear and anxieties. Children are
highly affected by this. The need of the hour are tools
for engagement that will help parents and children
identify and overcome their fears and stress.

NalandaWay Foundation is an award-winning NGO,

which uses visual and performing Arts to help
children from disadvantaged communities in India.
Given the need of the hour, NalandaWay steps in with
our unique initiative to help adults and children alike
cope with the stresses of their time. It is an invitation
to put away your phones and computers, take a break
from the constant buzz of media and let yourself be
absorbed by artwork that is refreshing and restorative.

“Art for Wellbeing - A Parent’s Guide” has age-

specific art activities that will help children and their
caregivers, regulate their emotions and also help
them become empathetic.
 A Identifying emotions
People begin to feel and express a variety of
emotions from the minute they are born. As
children begin to grow, their encounters with
the outside world introduce them to new
emotions that shape their personalities. Very
young children display emotions of sadness,
happiness and anger. As children near the age
of 3, they assimilate a wider range of emotions
such as excitement, fear and care. As they
grow up, they are introduced to the school
environment where their emotions evolve and
take the shape of disgust, shame, anxiety,
empathy, amusement, confusion, boredom,
relief and triumph.

Identifying emotions is an important part of building a self-image for each child.

Prompting children to talk about their emotions, helps them identify coping strategies
that are constructive and helpful in building positive images about the self and the
world.

Instructions for activities

1. Activities 1 and 2 in each activity set are built on the theme of ‘Identifying
emotions’.
2. The activities are built to ask the individual to reflect on their emotions and help
them express it through art (i.e. colours, body movements, talk and thought).
3. Every activity begins with asking the individual their current emotional state based
on a situation or the range of emotions that they have experienced..
4. If your child has difficulty in putting into words what their emotions are, give them
examples with leading words such as ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘angry’, ‘excited’ and so on.
5. Identifying emotions is the first step towards dealing with them. Ensure you
approach your child with care, caution and an open mind which allows them to
express freely both their positive and negative emotions.
6. When children express their negative emotions, talk to them about why they felt
that emotion. Treat the emotion with care, without being dismissive of the causes of
the negative emotion.
7. Help them complete the activity on the theme. Once you complete the activity, ask
your child if doing the activity made them feel good and if they were able to express
all the emotions they were feeling.

Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 1 Anger meter

Materials required
1. Pencil. Representative
2. Paint and brush.
3. A sheet of paper.
picture:

Instructions
1. Take a look at the anger-meter,
note down some situations which is
making you frustrated, angry and
furious.
2. Also list down some of the things
you do to calm yourself down.
3. Try and do a calming activity for 5
minutes.
4. Take an A4 sheet and draw a tree
trunk and its branches as shown in
the picture.
5. Now start writing positive points
about yourself and reminders of
calming activities to do regularly.
6. Stick it in a place where you
regularly see.
7. If possible, draw your anger-meter
also.

Resource link:
1. https://in.pinterest.com/
pin/71353975330853954/
2. https://in.pinterest.com/
pin/626281891919837681/

After the session: Take 2 minutes of

your time and pray for the others who
are sick.
“Dear universe, I pray for all those
who are facing sickness. I ask that you
would restore their health and soothe
their pain.”

Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 2 Paint your emotions

Materials required
1. Water colour. Representative
2. Brush.
picture:
Instructions
1. Mix the primary colours (red, blue,
yellow) and create different colours.
2. Make thumb impressions of the
different colours you have created.
3. Associate each formed colour to
emotions (happy, sad, frustrated,
angry, surprise, fear, etc.)
4. Now using those newly formed
colours draw an abstract painting.
5. Look at the painting and analyse
your dominant emotion.

Resource link:
https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1571201
After the session: Prayer for universal
peace etc. Do a silent prayer/
meditation for 2 minutes.

Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 B Coping strategies
Children at an age as young as 9-months experience
emotions of separation anxiety. Children grow up in
a world where they are confronted with a variety of
circumstances that affect their emotions and views
of the world. Learning to address their fears and
anxieties and understanding what gives them joy is
a key part of the socio-emotional development of a
child.

Coping strategies are designed to help children and

adults identify what causes them stress and what
are healthy ways of reducing their stress. The coping
strategy employed seeks to reconnect the individual
with their innermost emotions and address the root
cause of the stressors

Instructions for activities

1. Activities 3 to 18 in each activity set are built on the theme of ‘Coping strategies’.
2. The activities are built to ask the individual to engage in an activity which reflects
their emotional state and work constructively towards generating and sustaining
positivity through it.
3. The activities are scaffolded in such a way that engagement for young children
might be on concepts of family and bonding and as they age there is a staggered
rise in complexity of the activities, allowing them to express complex feelings in a
variety of ways.
4. At the beginning of the activity, ask your child about their current emotional state.
5. Help them complete the activity.
6. If your child was feeling negative emotions at the beginning of the activity, ask
them if doing the activity made them feel better or if it provided them a creative and
productive outlet to vent their feelings.
7. If you child was feeling positive emotions at the beginning of the activity, ask them if
doing the activity helped them retain those positive emotions and helped them build
on their happiness.
8. As a critical thinking exercise, at the end of the activity, you could ask your child
if the activity helped them think about their emotions and why they felt those
emotions. Ask them if they now know how to deal with emotions that cause them
pain and sadness.

Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 3 Zentangle

Materials required
1. Black sketch. Representative
2. Crayons.
3. A sheet of paper.
picture:

Instructions
1. Draw any outline of your favourite
animal.
2. Next divide your shape into several
sections. It doesn’t have be equal
sections.
3. Start drawing different patterns in
each of the section.
4. Colour the patterns.
5. You have created a Zentangle art.

Resource link:
https://www.pngkey.com/maxpic/
u2e6y3w7a9o0q8w7/

“Calm mind brings inner strength

and self-confidence, so that’s very
important for good health.”
  - Dalai Lama

Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 4 Newspaper collage

Materials required
1. Old newspapers. Representative
2. Crayons.
picture:
Instructions
1. Take a one side sheet of the old
newspaper.
2. Think about different emotional
situations and start scribbling on it.
3. Go one by one. Start with happy,
sad, fear, surprise and anger.
Associate colours to emotions.
4. Start noticing the movement of your
hand when you scribble.
5. Tear the paper into bits.
6. Draw a self-portrait outline.
7. Paste the bits inside the self-
portrait.

Resource link:
https://emilydaisypage.wordpress.
com/2012/06/03/newspaper-and-
magazine-collage/

“Nothing can bring you peace

but yourself.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 5 You’re the earth

Materials required
1. Crayons. Representative
2. A sheet of paper.
picture:
Instructions
1. Close your eyes and visualize
yourself as the Earth.
2. Make an earth drawing of yourself.
3. Will you still look like a human
being? Will you be like a sheet/
circle? What kinds of decorative
elements in your drawing can create
the feeling/ sense of being the
earth?
4. Draw things to make the Earth a
better place to live in.

After the session: Pray for 2 minutes

“Dear Earth, kindly help us restore

normalcy in our lives. I pray for the
wellbeing of everyone.”

“Choose to be optimistic. It feels

better.”

- Dalai Lama

Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 6 Thread art

Materials required
1. Thread. Representative
2. Paint.
3. Sketch.
picture:

Instructions
1. Take a thread, dip it in paint.
2. Place it the paper and fold the
paper.
3. Now pull the thread. Open the
paper to see a symmetrical thread
painting.
4. Elaborate the painting with creative
inputs.

“Everything you do can be done better

from a place of relaxation.”

- Stephen C. Paul

Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 7 Mandala sketching

Materials required
1. Pencil. Representative
2. A ruler.
3. Compass.
picture:
4. Black sketch.
5. A sheet of paper.

Instructions
1. Draw concentric circles.
2. Segment them equally using a scale
as shown in the picture.
3. Start drawing patterns using black
sketch.
4. You can also print the mandala grid
sheet given in the next page.

“Learn to calm down the winds of

your mind, and you will enjoy great
inner peace.”

- Remez Sasson

Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 8 Paint some music

Materials required
1. Music. Representative
2. Sketch pens.
3. A sheet of picture
picture:

Instructions
1. Play any instrumental music of your
choice.
2. Listen carefully to the beats and
paint what you feel or paint what
they hear and not worry about
painting anything specific like an
object or a scene.

Resource link:
https://sugarspiceandglitter.com/how-
to-paint-to-music/

“Do not learn how to react. Learn how

to respond.”

- Buddha

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 9 Let’s fork it (fork painting)

Materials required
1. Chart paper/ A4 sheet. Representative
2. Paints.
3. Plastic/metal forks.
picture:

Instructions
1. Take a sheet of paper. That may be
chart paper/ A4 sheet/ any paper of
desired size.
2. Squeeze the paints in a palette/
plate.
3. Dip the fork in the paint and
impress it on the sheet of paper.
4. You can create a beautiful scenery
containing Flowers/Trees etc.
5. Or you can create anything using
the fork painting.
6. Can mix two/more colours for the
painting.
7. Now your Fork art poster is ready
for display.

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 10 Hand print doodle

Materials required
1. Colour paper (2 colours minimum). Representative
2. Sketch pens.
3. Scissors.
picture:
4. Glue.

Instructions
1. Trace your hand in one colour
paper.
2. Cut out and take that out.
3. Stick the cutout hand onto another
colour paper.
4. Split the whole setup into sections.
5. Now doodle on each section and
complete it.
6. Finally, your hand made doodle is
ready to display.
7. You can also write some awareness
messages along with it.

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 11 A bottle vase

Materials required
1. Waste Plastic or Glass bottle. Representative
2. Paint.
3. Paint brush.
picture:
4. Masking Tape.

Instructions
1. Remove the label, wash and clean
the bottle.
2. Paint the bottle in a color of your
choice.
3. Once the paint dries, top it up with
another coat of paint so the color is
opaque enough.
4. Can also use making tape to make
patterns on the bottles.
5. Before painting, use the tape to
make the design you want.
6. Place the tape on the bottle and
spray paint it. When you remove the
tape, the transparency lends a great
design to the bottle
7. Add a flower and your bottle vase is
ready to adorn your living room.

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 12 Popsicle photo frame

Materials required
1. Popsicle sticks. Representative
2. Scissors.
3. Glue.
picture:
4. Paint.
5. Crayons.
6. Whitepaper.

Instructions
1. Paint the Popsicle sticks on both
sides.
2. Stick them in such a way that they
form a square, with the ends jutting
out on the four sides.
3. Cut a white paper a little larger
than the size of the popsicle square.
Glue the Popsicle sticks square to
the white paper.
4. Your frame is ready for a
photograph or even a handmade
drawing or painting.

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 13 String bowl

Materials required
1. Craft glue. Representative
2. Cling wrap.
3. Scissors.
picture:
4. Bowl (as mould).
5. Paintbrush.
6. String.

Instructions
1. Take a bowl and wrap it up with the
cling wrap tightly.
2. Use the paintbrush to coat the outer
layer of the cling wrap with glue.
Cover it completely with glue.
3. Take one end of the string roll and
wrap it around the open end of
the bowl. Continue wrapping the
string, creating a single layer below
another, as shown in the image.
4. Carefully wrap until the entire dish
is covered. You can paint the base in
any color you want.
5. Let it dry and remove the bowl used
as the mold.

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 14 Fingerprint greeting cards

Materials required
1. Chart paper. Representative
2. Color Paper.
3. Glue.
picture:
4. Scissors.
5. Sketch Pens.
6. Paints.

Instructions
1. Make sure you’ve washed your
hands thoroughly.
2. Have sufficient colours near the
table.
3. Place you fingers in the palette
which has paints diluted with water.
4. Place the painted finger on the chart
and continue holding your finger in
the position for a few more seconds.
5. Remove your fingers and wash
them. Finally, you can use paints
or draw along the finger prints to
decorate your card.
6. Here are some fingerprint cards with
balloons, flowers and birds and etc.
7. You can share it with your friends!

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 15 Flower mirror

Materials required
1. Color paper (yellow and blue). Representative
2. Mirror.
3. Glue-word.
picture:
4. Scissors.

Instructions
1. Use a craft paper punch to create
petals as shown in the figure. You
can also draw an outline of the
petal and cut it out. In any case, the
petals should be of the same size.
2. Fold one third of the petal from
the pointy or sharp side to give it a
slight curve. The petals should look
as shown in the image.
3. Glue five petals together, by joining
the pointy edges with glue. Make as
many such flowers as you need.
4. Stick the flowers to the sides of the
mirror, and let it dry.

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 16 Bottle art

Materials required
1. Old Bottles. Representative
2. Paints.
3. Threads.
picture:

Instructions
1. Take old/used bottles and clean the
surface.
2. Paint them with white base.
3. Design the bottle according to your
wish.
4. You can also draw your picture/
your favorite person’s face to it.
5. Can use threads also to decorate
the bottle.
6. Now your hand made bottle art is
ready for display. You can hang it
anywhere on your house or it can
be used as a flower vase.

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 17 Bud painting poster

Materials required
1. Chart paper/ A4 Sheet. Representative
2. Paint/ Water colour.
3. Cotton buds.
picture:
4. Paint brush.

Instructions
1. Take an A4 sheet or a chart paper
and think of a beautiful tree to be
drawn.
2. Tie a bunch of buds together.
3. Dip the buds in the paint and
impress it on the sheet to make the
leaves.
4. Like that we can mix colours and
do impression on the sheet to make
flowers.
5. Now draw the trunk of the tree with
the help of paint brush.
6. You can also add human characters/
animals/ birds to it.
7. Now your bud painting poster is
ready for the display.

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 18 The stone campaigner

Materials required
1. Stones/pebbles. Representative
2. Paint/ Water colour.
3. Paint brush.
picture:
4. Awareness/ Positive quotes.

Instructions
1. Take some stones/pebbles of any
size, clean it and dry it.
2. Paint the whole stone/pebble with
a base colour using acrylic/ water
colours.
3. Add some designs, using pattern
art/ any design you want.
4. Add some quotes to it using the
brush.
5. The quotes may be positive quotes/
awareness quotes.
6. Let it dry.
7. Now your stone campaigner is
ready. You can distribute to your
neighbours/ can display it on a
catchy place to make awareness.

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 C Circle of safety
Individuals do not operate in a vacuum.
As every individual is trying to cope with
their own emotions, they also encounter
several other people with varying emotional
states that affect their own and vice-versa.
It is important for us to create social spaces
where individuals feel safe enough to express
their emotions without fear of backlash,
embarrassment or rejection.

Creating a circle of safety involves creating

a situation of mutual trust for the two or more individuals, where they are allowed to
express their emotions and find acceptance and resolutions from open minds, in the
context of socially accepted practices. Additionally, the circle of safety should have
room for the questioning of the existing social practices that cause stress and other
negative emotions for individuals. They become a space where individuals learn to
express freely and learn to be reasonable and rational individuals.

Instructions for activities

1. Activities 19 and 20 in each activity set are built on the theme of ‘Circle of safety’.
2. The activities are designed to help your child think about who and what makes them
feel safe.
3. In order to prompt your child to think about circles of safety, ask them what they
are thankful for and who is their favourite person to talk to about the things they
like and don’t like.
4. Remember to treat your child’s feelings and opinions with care and to not be
dismissive about them.
5. Help them complete the activity.
6. At the end of the activity, ask your child to assess their emotions about engaging in
the activity. Ask them if it made them feel happy.
7. Discuss with your child whom and how they would approach to talk about their
emotions.
8. Ask them how they would help people who ask for their help to talk about similar
feelings and thoughts.

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 19 A portrait of my favourite people

Materials required
1. Pencil. Representative
2. Sketch pens.
3. Crayons.
picture:

Instructions
1. Draw a circle and divide it into two
halves. Complete one half with a
portrait of your friend.
2. Take a picture of it and send it your
friend.
3. Ask him or her to draw your self-
portrait and send it you.
4. Call them and have a conversation
about maintaining hygiene.
5. Talk about the best memory you
had with him/her.
6. Gift the portrait when you meet
them next time.

“To experience peace does not mean

that your life is always blissful. It
means that you are capable of tapping
into a blissful state of mind amidst the
normal chaos of a hectic life. “ 

- Jill Bolte Taylor

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

 20 Super hero!

Materials required
1. Pencil. Representative
2. Crayons.
3. Sketch pens.
picture:

Instructions
1. Draw a super hero, who ensures a
safe environment and follows social
distancing as a preventive measure.
2. Name the super hero and draw
things that are required for the
super hero to maintain safe and
secure environment.
3. Share the picture with your friends
and family.

“Raise your words, not your voice. It is

rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” 

- Rumi

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Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide © Nalandaway Foundation

Will you support NalandaWay Foundation?
NalandaWay’s award winning impactful projects reach the
most disadvantaged children in India. And it has been possible
through the support of generous individuals and corporations.
Every contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support
NalandaWay today by visiting https://www.nalandaway.org/covid

Take a photo of the completed artwork and post them on

Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Make sure you tag
@nalandawayfoundation and #artforwellbeing.

Pray with Us
NalandaWay’s efforts have been towards bringing a little more
kindness and empathy in the world. Through our initiative
‘Art for Wellbeing – A Parent’s Guide’, we hope we can achieve
these goals by seeking to remove fear and anxiety and help
everyone become more empathetic, kind, creative and expressive
individuals.

We pray that we overcome disease, poverty and discrimination

through love and solidarity.

“This is my prayer to You,

O God-strike, strike at the root of poverty in my heart.
Give me the strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows.
Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service.

Give me the strength never to disown the poor or

bend my knees before insolent might.
Give me the strength to raise my mind high above daily trifles.
And give me the strength to surrender my strength to
Your will with love.”

- Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali

'Art for Wellbeing - A Parent's Guide' is a unique initiative brought to you
by NalandaWay Foundation to help children and adults alike find creative
expression through the arts and deal with anxiety and fear, positively.
You will find there's art for everyone with activity kits grouped age-wise,
right from pre-schoolers to high-schoolers and adults.

NalandaWay Foundation is an award-winning NGO, which uses visual and

performing Arts to help children from disadvantaged communities in India.

@nalandawayfoundation | www.nalandaway.org