Have
you ever thought that the drawings of your children can tell you much
more than you think. It turns out that with the help of colors and
pencils the kid can “tell” everything that is hidden in his soul
from his parents. Sometimes it happens that a child cannot even
describe in words his problems, experiences, fears, but you can
understand everything if you look at his drawing attentively.
But
how can we do it? There is a special technique called "Cactus"
which is suitable for children over 3 years old. This technique will
tell you about the state of the "emotional sphere of the baby."
It will help assess aggressiveness, its direction, etc.
Give
the child a large sheet of white paper and a simple pencil and tell
the child to draw a cactus. Questions and additional explanations are
not allowed.
Take
into consideration such things as arrangement, size, the force of the
pencil's pressure, the characteristics of the needles etc
Strongly
protruding, long, closely spaced needles can evidence of the
aggressiveness of the child. Strong pressure indicates his
impulsiveness.
A
large cactus, located in the center of the sheet is an indicator of
egocentrism and the desire for leadership. On the contrary, a small
figure located at the bottom of the sheet, suggests a lack of
self-confidence and dependence.
The
use of bright colors and the image of "happy cactus"
characterises optimism, whereas anxiety is the use of dark colors, as
well as the predominance of internal shading with broken lines.
Femininity
shows the presence of jewelry, various colors, soft lines, shapes.
Estrangement
shows the presence of other cacti or flowers in the drawing and on
the contrary the picture shows only one cactus means introvert.
The
desire for home protection, the sense of family unity shows the
presence of a flower pot in the picture, the image of a houseplant.
Lack of desire for home protection, a sense of loneliness are wild,
desert cacti.
After
the work is finished, you can ask your child about the drawing:
Is
this cactus home or wild?
Is
this cactus strongly pricked? Can I touch it?
Does
your cactus like to be looked after, watered, fertilized?
Does
the cactus grow alone or with a plant in the neighborhood? If it
grows with a neighbor, then what kind of plant is it?
When
the cactus grows, how will it change (needles, size)?
Try
to do it with your child and tell us about results.
Autor: Ludmiła - Absolwentka Narodowego Uniwersytetu Pedagogicznego w Kijowie na kierunku: Anglistyka/ Lektor języka angielskiego. Od ponad 8 lat pracuje z dziećmi jako nauczyciel jęz. angielskiego.
