Activities · «Sadness and Love»
Grandma's little blanket
Little by little, stitch by stitch, life can recover its colours.
What is it for?
When we are sad, we need to feel accompanied, wrapped up and protected. Sometimes the warmth of a hug, the softness of a blanket or the affectionate touch of someone we trust helps us feel comfort and protection in our body.
This activity invites the child to recognise those bodily sensations of care and to discover, while colouring, that things can change little by little, even if at first it seems hard to imagine.
How to do it
Choose your favourite colours and colour the blanket slowly, adding one colour and then another, at your own pace.
Remember that, when you need affection or comfort, you can ask for a hug. Your family can keep you company, hug you if you want and stay with you while you feel what you need to feel. There is no need to find words or to fix anything at that moment: sometimes it is enough to be close and let the body feel the warmth and safety of the hug.
Watch how, little by little, the colours give shape to the drawing. You don't have to do it all at once.
What can the child experience or learn?
They can discover that comfort is also felt in the body, and that they can express their need for contact, ask for a hug and let people they trust take care of them.
The drawing reminds us that, just as we create a picture by adding one colour after another, we can also build, little by little, a new stage of our life in which pleasant experiences and moments of joy have room again.
At first, it may seem impossible to enjoy things again. With time, affection and company, new smiles, new experiences and lovely moments can appear. The loss does not necessarily disappear, but the way we live with it can change.
You don't have to do it all today. Sometimes it is enough to start with one small colour.
Physical contact must always be welcome to the child. They can ask for a hug, accept other forms of comfort or prefer that someone stays close without touching them. In the story, the little grandmother is a memory and an image from Nilo's imagination that comforts him: you can explain to the child that they too can call on her when they need her.
This activity keeps company, but does not replace the help of a professional when a child needs it. When to look for help.
Carry on with another activity
Free resources
The eight activities, ready to print
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