Not everyone can make it to the Clubhouse for program days so we decided to share one of the activities that the kids got the chance to experience this month at Kate's Club, a center for grieving children, so that you can do it on your own. The activity is called the “Relax Jar” and it is designed to help manage emotions and define and identify difficult emotions with the free grief support Kate's Club provides. The jar allowed them to create something that they could use to help them relax and calm down when they need an outlet for their emotions. Before the activity began the kids were asked questions about times when they felt they could not calm down.
The Relax Jar
Materials needed: Mason or baby food jars (with lids), food colored rice, beads with the letters R-E-L-A-X, sequins, small colorful beads
Activity Process:
- Each child will receive a Mason jar, colored rice, bead letters, some sequins, and a variety of other small beads.
- First, the children will fill the jar about a quarter full of some of the rice they have. Then they can put in some of the small beads, sequins, and a few of the letters. Then they will continue to put more rice in followed by the rest of the ingredients until the jar is filled, but leaving a little space at the top of the jar so that everything will have space to move around when shaken.
- While the activity is going on, explain to the children why what they are making is important and why it is a good thing to use during certain times.
Post-Activity Discussion:
Once all of the children have finished filling their jars with the materials provided; have the children practice using the jar by shaking it up and trying to find the letters to spell out R-E-L-A-X. Ask them questions about when they think it would be a good time to use next and what other types of things besides the relax jar they can use to calm them down or what things they already use to calm down and relax.
This exercise was adapted from The Creative Counselor.