This family relocated from their home due to severe domestic violence, and they were all having trouble with the transition. Mom and her three children had been pretty reserved at shelter and would keep to themselves in their room. Staff would try to interact with them and play games, but it was difficult for the children to agree on something and not argue, and we could tell they weren’t yet comfortable with staff.

We then offered them the opportunity to do an art activity. During the workshop, we were able to get the children to work together and have fun doing so! Mom also mentioned this was the first time she had ever sat down and created something without pressure of how it should look. She said “Se sintio bien poder ser creativa sin pensar que tiene que estar perfecto” meaning that it felt good to be creative without thinking it needed to be perfect. 

We also focused on some breathing exercises and ways to let out their feelings of frustration, and it really helped them communicate how they were feeling with each other. Her youngest expressed interest in sharing with her brothers and being okay sharing mom’s attention, something she had really struggled with previously with other activities at shelter. The communication between everyone seemed to improve as well. 

Overall, it was a great experience for them all and a good venue for them to connect and start to communicate better. It also strengthened their relationship with staff. After this activity, they wanted to do more art workshops with staff, resulting in them feeling comfortable out of their room, and interacting with other families in the shelter as well!