Today I am excited and honored to share a guest post from fellow creative, mom and friend- Liz Lamoreux!
So I gathered some supplies and on Saturday evening told her that
Sunday morning was going to be a special surprise playdate in the studio for us
(talking about the next day is something we do each evening). Here’s a glimpse
into our adventure that I hope will give you some ideas for art journaling with
the kids in your life.
Next, I showed her everything we were going to play with:
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Photos of some of the adventures and everyday
moments we’ve had in the last few months
•
Crayons
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Glue stick
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Stickers
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Stamps
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And odds and ends like glassine bags and little
envelopes
Ellie Jane was immediately ready to dive in with the crayons and
stickers.
After a few minutes, I began to show her the photos, and this is
where the unexpected magic happened.
With each photo, she would say a few words about what she
remembered. “This was when we went out to breakfast with Daddy and I had
chocolate milk!” “This was when we went on a walk around the neighborhood and
found all the petals and flowers!”
I quickly started writing down her narration. Sometimes on a
little tag and sometimes on the actual photo (with an American Crafts Slick Writer).
We talked about five or six photos (I’d printed about 15), and
she was ready for washi tape, so we started taping them into the journal. She
LOVES putting the washi tape down, and it has been fun to watch her go from
creating a big pile of it on a piece of paper to recently realizing she can
also use it to adhere things so they don’t fall off the paper. I still rip it
for her, but she chooses the colors/patterns and where she wants to put them.
Favorite color
Favorite song
Favorite food
Favorite thing to do
Favorite stuffed animal
Favorite word
Best friend
Favorite adventure
Favorite toy
She started to focus on Mickey Mouse and the Disney Store as
answers for favorite adventure, favorite thing to do, best friend, etc, so I look
forward to asking these questions again in a few months (or even weeks) and
noting the changes. I can imagine creating an entire small journal where I ask
her these questions a few times a year while she is younger and then maybe
yearly as she gets older.
She was really interested in adding pockets and places for
“secret treasures.” So we added them with glue and washi tape on several pages.
And we put the extra photos in a pocket in the front cover so we can look at
them the next time we journal together.
We played with her journal for about 90 minutes and cycled
through these activities a few times. I was pretty surprised that it kept her
attention for that long, and I think having lots of options helped. And
sometimes I directed her with the photo descriptions saying things like, “What
do you remember about this day? What do you want to tell me about this photo?”
These questions often led to funny answers like, “I love to throw rocks and I
LOVE MAMA!”
These ideas can easily be adapted based on the age and interest
of your child. For example:
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You might tape the pictures in the journal ahead
of time and just ask for descriptions. If your child isn’t talking yet, you
could write down some descriptors or leave space to add them later.
•
Have your child draw pictures and insert
captions so you will remember what they’ve created.
•
You could turn the entire journal into a
storybook that they illustrate and narrate.
•
You could capture an entire trip or the summer
in one journal. Take it with you on planes or to the park and have your child
decorate pages and tape found items into the journal. Then you can add photos
from that day or trip later.
Most importantly have fun! Being prepared with several activities
really helped me remain patient because we could easily move onto something
else when Ellie became distracted. And letting go of the control of the
experience (aka remembering that this is her journal and not mine) helped me to
just be really present and create space for her to simply enjoy creating.
***
About Liz Lamoreux: I’m a
retreat host, jewelry artist, and the author of Inner Excavation: Explore Your Self Through Photography,
Poetry, and Mixed Media. In this moment,
you might find me dancing in my studio to Mumford and Sons, making muffins with
my almost three-year-old daughter, writing a poem, or deeply enjoying the quiet
found in a cup of tea. Connect with me at www.lizlamoreux.com.
In June, I’m teaching Water Your Toddler Mama Soul, a 10-day ecourse just for moms of toddlers that focuses on ways to tell our stories during these years where we have little time to ourselves. There will be daily photography prompts and self-care ideas that will help you reconnect with yourself in the midst of all that a day with a toddler (or two or three) brings, plus we'll be gathering in a private Facebook community that will continue after the course. Learn more and register here.
