This week’s therapeutic activity will be short, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not very important! In child life we use many different items to help redirect the patient’s attention during uncomfortable situations. One of the more commonly used items is an “I Spy” book or card. You can easily make one yourself by laying out an assortment of things and taking a picture, but you can also do it in a more artsy way. By using just paper and some markers, you can create your own I Spy poster and hang it on the wall!
What you’ll need is a piece of paper as well as markers, colored pencils, paints, or crayons. You can decide if you want to have a theme to your picture or if you want to just draw random things. In my example I just drew different objects, with suggestions from others (I personally liked the suggestion to draw Mufasa, from the Lion King! Can you find him?) Then you can create a key for people to use to find things. You can either make it on a separate piece of paper, or write it on the I Spy paper. I decided to write my key along the edges.
And there you have it, your very own I Spy poster that you can hang up and use to help redirect your attention during stressful events! What do you think?
I Spy… Activity Notes
Ages: 6 and up
Materials: Paper and markers (or crayons or colored pencils)
Therapeutic Value:
Creativity
Coping
Empowerment
Control
Legacy Building
A Little Playfullness 