“THEY PAINTED THEIR BOXES”

The last pottery class was painting day. The kids sat in a circle, each with their handmade clay creations in front of them — some were wobbly pencil holders, others were slightly crooked little boxes. None were perfect, but each held a story. Kai held her star-shaped box, gently brushing it with soft blue. Around the edges, she added playful yellow streaks. “It’s night stars,” she said, “but ones you can still see during the day.” Jiajia painted her pencil cup pink and carved a little heart with a wooden stick. “It’s for my mom,” she said. “She says my handwriting is messy. I want to practice more.”

Color Is How They Speak

In art therapy, choosing colors isn’t just decoration, it’s a way of constructing meaning. When a child says, “This box is blue with golden edges,” what they’re really saying is: “This is who I am. This is how I want to be seen.”

Art therapy expert Cathy Malchiodi (2012) notes that creative expression offers a safe space for non-verbal emotional release, especially for children, whose feelings often come out more clearly through colors, shapes, and movement than through words. Moon (2007) adds that when children create something functional, like a box or cup, they’re more likely to invest emotionally in the work. “This is mine. I made it.” That pride matters.

This wasn’t just a craft class. It was a quiet journey — of shaping feelings in clay, marking safe boundaries in color, and placing a little piece of self inside something small and lasting.

 A Few Gentle Tips For Teachers & Parents:

• Respect the child’s choices — even if the colors seem “strange.” It might be their way of showing how they feel.

• Don’t aim for perfection. Scratches, chips, and blank spaces often carry more meaning than polished finishes.

• Invite them to name their piece or tell its story — that’s where healing begins.

• Display and save their art — it’s a simple but powerful way of saying, “I see you. And what you created matters.”

Reference

Malchiodi, C. A. (2012). Art therapy and health care. Guilford Press.

Moon, B. L. (2007). The role of metaphor in art therapy: Theory, method, and experience. Charles C Thomas Publisher.