“What’s In Your Heart?” Activity
A Gentle Reminder: Treat Your Own Heart Like a Child’s ❤️
If you’re reading this, take it as a sign to approach your daily mindfulness moments through the eyes of a child. ✨
At Give Kids Art, so much of what we do is about helping kids develop tools to process and express their feelings while exploring their creativity. We know that play, creativity, and self-expression aren’t just important for kids—they’re vital to the wellbeing of everyone, at every age.
But here’s a question for you: Have you been treating your own heart the way you would treat a child’s?
If your answer is “not really,” we get it. Life gets busy, emotions get pushed aside, and sometimes, we forget to check in with ourselves. That’s why we want to share one of the simplest yet most powerful tools from the Give Kids Art social-emotional learning toolbox.
Try This Mindful Art Activity: "What's in Your Heart?" 🎨🖌️
1️⃣ Pause and check in. Take a moment to notice how you're feeling.
2️⃣ Assign colors to your emotions. Choose a color for each feeling or state of mind you're experiencing.
3️⃣ Create your heart. Draw a heart and fill it in with your chosen colors, blending and layering as you go.
That’s it! No rules, no right or wrong way to create—just an opportunity to express what’s inside.
Make It a Habit! 🗓️
➡️ Try this in your journal today and see how it makes your heart and mind feel.
➡️ Challenge yourself to do it every day for a week and notice any shifts in your emotions.
➡️ If you have kids in your life, consider doing this activity together and talking about it afterward!
Mindfulness doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes, it’s as simple as asking yourself, What’s in my heart? ❤️
Let us know if you try this activity—we’d love to hear how it felt for you!
In our recent interview with Canvas Rebel, our newest team member, SJ Spreng, opens up about the journey behind Give Kids Art. From its founding to pivotal moments of adapting to meet the evolving needs of the kids we serve, this conversation sheds light on the heart and resilience of our mission. We invite you to dive into the stories that continue to inspire our work and drive our passion for empowering young artists.
“One particular student, a 10-year-old named Max, came to GKA’s program with little exposure to art, feeling unsure of himself and hesitant to participate... Throughout his time in our program, Max began to grow excited about the idea of making “mistakes” in his art, eventually telling SJ that he loves to turn something that was a mistake into something else beautiful. By the end of the 10-week program, Max developed confidence, improved his emotional expression, and built a sense of community with the other children. Not only this, but he sought out to create his own comic book featuring the character designs he started developing during his free time at school.”
In this illuminating interview with Shoutout LA, our Founder and President, Kara Anton, unveils the profound mission driving our organization, offering insights into the inspirations that fuel her dedication. Join us as we explore the heart and soul behind Give Kids Art.
“I’ve seen firsthand how art empowers children to communicate, to heal, to grow, to be bold, and to dream beyond their immediate circumstances. Art is a universal language that transcends age, background, and socio-economic status, offering a sanctuary of self-discovery and expression.”
This summer, Give Kids Art has been incredibly fortunate to continue its partnerships with two amazing organizations in Southern California. Working closely with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica and the City of Inglewood, our organization was able to bring our enriching art programming and art supplies to 160 children cumulatively who participated in their summer camp programs across multiple locations.
Give Kids Art has had the pleasure of collaborating with these two organizations before. However, this summer was particularly special as we introduced our comprehensive training program to both of their dedicated staff. These talented teams skillfully facilitated our 8-week Give Kids Art curriculum, allowing us to reach more children and spread our art activities.
At Give Kids Art, we have always prioritized fostering social-emotional development through the arts. Our process-based activities and prompts provide a platform for these young artists to express themselves and tap into their inner creativity. We are proud to see the positive impact art has on the children, as they explore their artistic abilities and develop essential life skills.
Take a look at more photos from these summer programs and learn more here and here.
To support our partners, Give Kids Art provides comprehensive support, including training for staff or volunteers, training documents, a curated curriculum tailored to different age groups, detailed instructions for each activity, and a set of slides for visual aids. Moreover, we ensure that all necessary art supplies are sourced and delivered promptly to the partner organizations, ensuring a seamless and enriching Give Kids Art experience for all participants.
“Our campers have enjoyed each moment that they were able to spend completing your planned activities as they learned new things or found a liking to something they were previously not interested in. We would not have been able to provide an amazing summer program without your continued support of our campers!”
As we reflect on this summer's partnerships, Give Kids Art is grateful for the opportunity to bring the joy of art to children in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica and the City of Inglewood. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with these incredible organizations and expanding our reach to more communities in the future.
To learn more about Give Kids Art and inquire about partnering with us for any season, please visit our partner page or contact us directly. If you’re a curious parent and want to bring Give Kids Art programming to your local community, please share our information and offerings with nonprofits in your area, such as your local Boys & Girls Club.
Together, let's inspire and empower young artists through the transformative power of art!
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
We adjusted one of our favorite springtime art activities to incorporate an easy, fun art technique for kids to explore – aluminum foil marker printmaking! This process can also be used to introduce conversations on metamorphosis, change, and what we can and cannot control. The aluminum foil marker printing technique also helps us immediately practice and embrace this process of change!
At minimum, you will need a piece of paper, pencil, permanent marker (Sharpie recommended), washable colored markers, a sheet of aluminum foil, and a spray bottle! Ideally, the spray bottle needs to be able to mist water. You can recycle old cleaning supply spray bottles that have been thoroughly cleaned and rinsed. We have also found that travel-sized spray bottles, which can be purchased at CVS or Dollar Tree, work well.
If you’re trying this with a group, allocate 10-15 minutes for the introductions, warm-up, and art activity discussion. The specific recommended warm-up activity will depend on the age of the children, their needs, etc. as well as how often you’ve engaged with them. However, if it makes sense, you can try a quick feelings check-in with your participants. Ask your artists to take a moment to check-in with themselves: “How are you feeling? If you were a butterfly right now, what colors would you be?” (Hint: they can use the color(s) later in their art!).
In-Person Option: Go around your group and ask each participant to share their butterfly color(s) for how they are feeling today. Let them know that they can always “pass” and share later. You could pass a ball, stuffed animal, talking stick, etc. or simply sit in a circle and share clockwise.
Zoom Alternative: If not everyone can share their screen or use the microphone, you could have each participant edit their Zoom name to include their first name, color(s).
Both: You can also present an image or chart of various colorful butterflies and ask the artists to pick a butterfly (or butterflies) for how they’re feeling, by sharing verbally or pointing to the images.
If you’re trying this activity for yourself, check in with yourself too!
After your initial introductions and warm-up, you can transition into a conversation about butterflies, including some fun facts. For instance, did you know that “no two of the world's more than 12,000 butterfly species look quite alike” (source)? Then, you can move onto their various symbolic meanings. If you’re working with your kids or a class, open up the group for brainstorming and discussion. Ask the participants,“Do butterflies mean or represent anything special to you?” Try writing down all the thoughts on a physical or digital board for all to see. For our group, we brainstormed and shared different meanings and then focused on the process of metamorphosis and change. We walked through the stages of metamorphosis for a butterfly: Eggs > Caterpillar > Chrysalis > Butterfly. With certain groups, after explaining the process, we collectively try a movement activity where the participants mimic the facilitator growing from an egg through the metamorphosis stages and into a big, beautiful butterfly.
We also introduced some inspiring quotes on change, including one by Maya Angelou, to emphasize that while change is constant and scary, it also can lead to unexpectedly beautiful outcomes. So we must embrace the change and the journey because we never know where it will take us. It might turn us into a beautiful butterfly!
Wrap up with the idea that we’re now going to create our own unique, beautiful butterflies and explore change through a fun print-making process using aluminum foil.
Pull out one piece of watercolor or mixed media paper (regular paper is ok too if that’s what you have!), and tell yourself or your participants that you’re going to first draw using pencil. The paper can be oriented vertically or horizontally.
Proceed to follow the initial drawing prompt and activity instructions in the slides below:
As the artists draw their unique butterflies, the facilitator can introduce the terms of symmetry and asymmetry and give the artists the option of drawing their butterfly wings the same or different on both sides.
Once the artists look like they are wrapping up their drawings, the next step is to outline their butterfly with a permanent marker or pen (Sharpie recommended). For young ones, “outlining” can be explained as tracing or drawing over the pencil with the permanent marker.
For older artists, we also give them the option of coloring inside and/or around their butterfly using crayons or oil pastels. By integrating these other drawing materials, you can combine the activity with a discussion on Crayon Resist Technique (see here for details) or Wax Resist Technique.
If artists are insistent on not wanting to draw a butterfly, see if they might be interested in drawing a “robot butterfly” or creating another type of bug.
If an artist finishes the drawing quickly or feels lost in what to do or where to start, take a look at what they’ve done so far and ask them questions! For instance, “I see that you really put thought into what your butterfly looks like, and I’m wondering if you would like to try one of the options and decorate the area around your butterfly to show where your butterfly is? Where does your butterfly want to live or like to go?”
Once the artists look like they have finished, take a moment to have all artists look up, so the foil printmaking process can be explained with image examples. It’s recommended that the facilitator demonstrate the foil marker transfer process quickly for them in person too.
For the next step, the artists must use washable markers to decorate their aluminum foil. Encourage the artists to cover an area, larger than the size of their drawing paper, with colored marker. When they are ready for the transfer printing process, the facilitator can decide if they will be the ones to mist the aluminum foil with water or if the artists are capable of trying it themselves. If you allow the artists to try it themselves, let them know first that the closer they spray, the more their colors will mix together to create a tie-dye effect.
Here is an example of one artist showing the foil marker transfer printmaking process:
As each butterfly is revealed, notice the artist’s reaction and ask them, “How do you like your butterfly? Did it turn out how you thought it might look? Would you do or try anything differently?”
For some artists, you may suggest the option of cutting out their butterfly (after the foil marker transfer), and then gluing it onto another piece of construction or printed paper.
If artists finish quickly, they can try creating another piece of art by playing with the foil transfer printmaking process. They can simply wipe their aluminum foil clean and start over!
This art activity has a lot of flexibility, so you can adjust the examples for younger or older children with different skill levels.
You can also adjust this activity to work during another time of year by switching out the subject. For instance, in the fall season, you can follow a similar prompt, substituting butterflies for fall foliage leaves.
As artists wrap up their creations, ask them to take a quiet moment, observe their artwork, and see if they notice or learned anything. You can also take time now to ask, “How do you like your unique butterfly? What did you learn during the foil printing process?”
When everyone is done with the activity, you can invite each participant to share their artwork and tell you about it and what they noticed or learned, if they would like to do so. If they don’t feel quite comfortable sharing or are shy, you can propose they share just a glimpse of their artwork visually. Or if they don’t want to share at all, you can ask them if they can simply share what colors they used to create their butterfly or if they did or did not enjoy the foil printing process, either verbally or in the chat (and you, the facilitator, can read it).
Once the artwork is dry, you can hang or frame it to remind you of the beautiful process of change! If you’re working with a group of participants, you can ask everyone to hold up their artwork, even if it’s not complete, so that you can share all of your unique butterflies. It’s fun to take a moment and observe all the different colors, shapes, and designs used too. You can also have participants send photos of their artwork or upload it externally to create a digital collaborative piece.
Try this activity for yourself, with your kids at home, or those children that you support through volunteering or your work endeavors. Comment below to let us know how it goes. You can also post and tag us in your drawings @GiveKidsArt – we love to see their creations!
We love using Color Swell art materials in our Art Kits and for our art programs, and we used their washable marker sets for this art activity! We have tried most of their art materials and love them all. They are great quality, while also being affordable and they offer bulk quantities. Plus, it’s a better deal to purchase on their website.
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
We developed a new art activity inspired by #GivingTuesday, for one of our Zoom art program sessions that we held on the same day, and we’re excited to share it with you. It’s a thoughtful, introspective activity, that works at any time of year and especially resonates during the holiday season.
You can also facilitate or try this activity using any type of art supplies – crayons, colored pencils, markers, oil pastels, watercolor paints, acrylic paints, etc. – and you can even combine it with other techniques, such as the Crayon Resist Technique (see here for details) or Wax Resist Technique. At minimum, you will need a piece of paper, pencil and/or pen (Sharpie recommended), and your preferred art medium to add color!
If you’re trying this with a group, allocate 10-15 minutes for the introductions, warm-up, and art activity discussion. The specific recommended warm-up activity will depend on the age of the children, their needs, etc. as well as how often you’ve engaged with them. However, if it makes sense, you can try a quick feelings check-in with your participants. Ask your artists to take a moment to check-in with themselves: “How are you feeling? If you could pick a color for this feeling, what would it be?” (Hint: they’ll use this color in their art!).
In-Person Option: Go around your group and ask each participant to share their color for how they are feeling today. Let them know that they can always pass and share later.
Zoom Alternative: If not everyone can share their screen or use the microphone, you could have each participant edit their Zoom name to include their first name, color.
Both: You can also ask the artists to pick up a color for how they’re feeling (i.e. color of marker) and on the count of three, you all hold them up together.
If you’re trying this activity for yourself, check in with yourself too!
After your initial introductions and warm-up, you can briefly discuss or contemplate the concept of generosity and how we can give to others. If you’re working with your kids or a class, open up the group for brainstorming and discussion. For our group, we defined generosity as “giving good things to others freely” which gives us the power to make a positive change in the lives of others. Ask participants to share different ways we can give to others, including things like our time, talents, kindness, etc. Try writing down all the thoughts on a physical or digital board for all to see. Afterwards, ask them if they can think of a time when someone showed them generosity or they showed it to someone else. This a good sharing and growth opportunity!
Wrap up with the idea that we’re now going to explore our own giving hearts.
Pull out one piece of watercolor or mixed media paper (regular paper is ok too if that’s what you have!), and tell yourself or your participants that you’re going to draw one large heart on the piece of paper, oriented vertically or horizontally. To draw this heart, we’re first going to pick a color for how we’re feeling (remember, we already did this in the warm-up!). For our activity, we chose to use oil pastels for this first part. We also used this as an opportunity to go over a couple ways to draw a heart and opened it up to the artists to share any other ways they draw hearts.
Proceed to follow the instructions in these slides:
For our group of artists, since we had been engaged together weekly for a while at this point, we chose to add to this activity by introducing the technique of Pointillism, or as we describe it, “art using lots of dots.” In general, artists can try creating with pointillism using any material, as long as they can make a dot! We chose to do the activity with watercolor paints, so the artists could use their fingertips, q-tips, the eraser on a pencil, or whatever else that creatively could form a dot on the page. Most artists chose to use their fingers and try coloring in their hearts with dots for the first part.
Participants can test their use of dots and how overlapping colors of dots can trick the mind to blend the overlapping spots into a fuller range of tones.
As shown on the slide, for the second part, the artists were encouraged to explore line, shape, and color to show how their hearts feel when giving gifts.
Here is an example of one of the drawings from our activity:
This activity has a lot of flexibility, so you can adjust the examples for younger or older children with different skill levels.
As artists wrap up their creations, ask them to take a quiet moment, observe their artwork, and see if they notice anything. Ask, “Are the colors you used on the outside of your heart similar or different than the colors you used on the inside?”
When everyone is done with the activity, you can invite each participant to share their artwork and tell you about it and what they noticed, if they would like to do so. If they don’t feel quite comfortable sharing or are shy, you can propose they share just a glimpse of their artwork visually. Or if they don’t want to share at all, you can ask them if they can simply share if they tried painting with dots and if they liked it, either verbally or in the chat (and you, the facilitator, can read it).
Once the artwork is dry, you can hang or frame it to remind you of your giving heart! If you’re working with a group of participants, you can ask everyone to hold up their artwork, even if it’s not complete, so that you can share all of your giving hearts. It’s fun to take a moment and observe all the different colors, shapes, and approaches used too. You can also have participants send photos of their artwork or upload it externally to create a digital collaborative piece.
Try this activity for yourself, with your kids at home, or those children that you support through volunteering or your work endeavors. Comment below to let us know how it goes. You can also post and tag us in your drawings @GiveKidsArt – we love to see their creations!
We love using Color Swell art materials in our Art Kits and for our art programs, especially their watercolor paint sets. We originally found them on Amazon and have ordered their crayons, markers, paints, and oil pastels. They are great quality, while also being affordable and they offer bulk quantities. Plus, it’s a better deal to purchase on their website.
