For many children in our communities, most of their time is spent in their classrooms. The people, events, and emotions within the four walls of a school environment will greatly impact how children perceive the world around them even after school hours.

In a study called “Classroom Learning Environments and the Mental Health of First Grade Children,” researchers discovered classrooms could influence four mental health components: 

• Learning: A student’s ability to pay attention to and gain knowledge from learning materials and conversations

• Externalizing problems: A student’s external response to big, uncomfortable feelings — like starting fights or taking their frustration out physically on objects around them

• Interpersonal behavior: A student’s ability to build and nurture positive relationships with the people around them.

• Internalizing problems: A student’s ability to internally cope with difficult emotions like sadness and anxiety. 

Over a decade later, the learnings from this study continue to ring true. 

In 2022, nearly 75% of parents in the US said their child would benefit from some form of mental health counseling. There’s an even bigger need today for parents, caretakers, and educators to address these glaring concerns in the classroom.

Instead of teaching children to ignore their emotions for the sake of classroom activities, more schools are using creative interventions to help them integrate social-emotional learning (SEL) into their learning curriculums. 

At My Good Brain, we believe that art-based interventions are an effective and accessible method to teach children healthy coping mechanisms, encourage self-awareness, and build safe, collaborative, and respectful classrooms for children of all backgrounds. 

What does it mean to cultivate safe and honest spaces in education? 

A classroom is a safe and honest space for children if it promotes psychological safety — which means that children do not feel as though they will be punished, ridiculed, or hurt for speaking up and sharing their own points of view. 

One study describes a psychologically safe environment in education as one where team members are more likely to share their knowledge with each other without risks, enhancing their sense of empowerment and creativity. 

Art-based interventions can strengthen this sense of psychological safety in the classroom because of its emphasis on collaborative communication and sharing — whether that’s sharing art supplies, providing feedback on each other’s creations, or reflecting on each other’s thought processes while creating different pieces. 

The benefits of this include helping children:

• Promote self-expression and communication

• Discover their most authentic and vulnerable self

• Create a sense of belonging and community with joint projects 

• Break down language and cultural barriers with visual storytelling

Realistic ways to integrate art-based activities into your classroom

The great thing about art-based activities is that they don’t have to follow strict rules. Art can take on many definitions and forms, making it a flexible tool for educators and children to incorporate into a theme discussed in class or by using existing materials laying around the room. 

For example, reflective journaling is a form of art that requires nothing but an empty page, writing supplies, and a block of quiet time to reflect. 

Here are a few strategies teachers can use to integrate art into day-to-day lessons realistically:

• Incorporating art-making activities into regular lessons across various subjects. You can use art to visualize different concepts and involve students directly in storytelling and educating each other.

• Use art to encourage reflection and dialogue about specific topics, points of view, or emotions. This strategy can be tied into discussions around current events, historical reflections, or lessons on helping children understand and cope with different emotions or situations. 

• Implementing art projects to teach and promote understanding surrounding different cultures, perspectives, and experiences. Art is an effective tool to help classrooms celebrate differences and learn about unfamiliar topics in an engaging and relaxed way. 

Let’s get started: 5 art activities for the classroom 

Looking for some inspiration for your next art activity? Check out these step-by-step videos on My Good Brain’s YouTube channel!