Parent child group having fun together Spending time doing art together helps build strong bonds between parents and their child, and when there is a strong parent-child bond, children feel safer to go out and explore the world more. This makes children better prepared to learn, get along with others, and increases their self-esteem. The time they spent in the group is important to parent-child bonding in that it increases the number of positive interactions in the relationship as often this is hard with todays stress and very busy parents. . Establishing a strong bond early in life strengthens the relationship between parent and child, and the benefits carry over into adult childrens relationships with their own children (Hembree-Kigin, Bodiford McNeil, and Eyberg 1995) Talent is not a requirement for art therapy group . parents and children may scribble, poke at and cut clay, use gimp, or wind tape to relieve anxiety and allow them to stay in the group and focus on the conversation and relationship. When 1500 school children in a national study were asked what they thought made a happy family, they didn’t list things like money or cars-their number-one answer was doing things together. Children want parents to show interest in their activities, do things with them, and talk with them. (Duncan, 2008) This is what the group is about! having fun whist being together. Benefits of the group When 1500 school children in a national study were asked what they thought made a …

Technorati Tags: art therapy, bonding, children confidence, communication, counselling, parent child relationship, self esteem, Therapy