Noticing your worries before they become too big, sharing your worries, and realising that we all experience worries. Listening to our friends worries can help with our own worries too.
What you’ll need: Stones and/or pebbles found outside, a bag for collecting them, paint
What’s it for?
This activity is about sharing our worries and thinking about what helps us when we feel worried. The activity will culminate in painting helpful words, pictures and phrases on stones found on a nature walk and hiding them back in nature for others to find to help soothe their worries.
Check In:
Notice how you’re feeling right now. Close your eyes and notice what’s going on inside your mind and body.
How are you feeling?
What are you thinking?
How does your body feel?
Method:
Go outside and take three deep breaths of fresh air in. Notice how this fresh air makes you feel.
On your walk, keep your eyes peeled for some flat stones or pebbles. They can be all shapes and sizes. Collect about ten and take them back home with you.
Once you have collected your stones and pebbles, lay them out on the table. If they have soil on them maybe give them a wash.
On a piece of paper, write down a list of words that help soothe you when you are feeling worried. If images come to mind, draw these too. For some people, sunshine, trees, and flowers can be soothing when feeling worried. For others it might be a hug or a smile from someone familiar.
When you have written you list of ideas, choose your paint colours to paint the first layer of your stones or pebbles.
After painting the first layer, leave the paint to dry ready for the second layer.
After about thirty minutes (if using acrylic paint) feel your stones to see if the paint has dried, look back at your list of words and images and start painting them onto the stones.
Once all the stones are painted, notice how it feels to have these words and images looking back at you. Do you have a favourite stone? You might like to put it somewhere safe so you can it when you next feel worried or put one in your pocket so you can feel it.
Extra Activity: Next time you go outside or on a nature walk, take these stones, and put them in places other people might see them. These stones will become words of wisdom to whoever finds them and may help them with their worries too!
When you’ve finished, spend a moment reflecting on the activity and ask yourself the following questions:
Did you learn anything new about yourself while you did this activity?
Do you notice any worries now you have finished this activity?
Was it easy or hard to think of the helpful words and images to help when you are feeling worried?
Show your stones to someone. How did they react?
Conclusion:
This activity helps you to find words or images to turn to when you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or worried. Sometimes, when we share our worries, they feel smaller. You can think about your worry stones or even feel them in your hands if you decided to keep them when you feel worried. In hiding the stones outside in nature, you are sharing your calming words and images for others to find too.
Take a moment to notice how you are feeling at the end of this activity. Did you discover anything surprising? What can you take away to make you feel better about yourself from this activity?
If you would like to, share something about your experience with this activity with someone you live with! Ask the person who looks after you to send us an email if you have any questions or comments about the activity, or would like to send us any pictures (info@catcorner.co.uk). Don't forget to subscribe for more fun CAT activities!
Created by Millie Edwards © November 2021
Creative Arts Used: Art
Psychological Areas Explored: Emotional Wellbeing, Self-Exploration, Emotional Literacy
If you enjoyed this activity, you might also like: Painted Pocket Pebbles: Make a collection of painted pebbles! Choose one each day and put it in your pocket to remind yourself of your personal strengths and qualities!
These activities could be done by children of all ages, but some may need the support of their parent or carer to read the instructions or complete the activity safely.
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