Wearing My Heart on My Sleeve: Healing Play

Issues: Unexpressed Feelings

Purpose: To help children identify, respect, and communicate feelings.

Materials: Variety of colored paper hearts (laminated hearts are an option) and double stick tape or regular masking tape.

Procedure: Post colored hearts on a wall along with a list of suggested meaning for colors. You may use the list here or encourage children to select their own meanings for the colors.

Blue: Sad

Blue Green: Worried

Brown: Frustrated

Dark Green: Comforted

Gold: Strong

Green: Cooperative

Navy Blue: Scared

Orange: Angry

Pink: Jolly or silly

Purple: Betrayed

Red: Happy

Silver: Lonely, brittle, cold inside

Yellow: Hopeful

Encourage the children to wear hearts, when they want, to communicate how they are feeling. You and other adults should participate. The hearts could be reusable and stored in a special place.

Source: Making it Better: Activities for Children living in a Stressful  World, Barbara Oehlberg, Redleaf Press, 1996