Suggested age: 5+
Poetry and creative writing are tools that have positive effects on emotional wellbeing, particularly for children who are living in stressful environments. They allow children to revisit their relationships with words and concepts, thus making new meanings out of the things most important to them. Using poetry and creative writing together can complement artwork such as drawing, and enrich children’s abilities to express their visions of a space.
For example, in ‘Color my home’ design workshops, Studio Chahar worked with recent migrant children to re-imagine the architecture they have lived in and left behind, and to build collages of what they recall. The participants wrote poems about their homes and transformed their memories into tangible collages. The visuals and poetry helped children share experiences that might have been difficult to express otherwise.
