It’s that time of year again, when the air and leaves are crisp. It’s a colorful time for many and winter is fast-approaching. Halloween is almost here which means Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before you know it! This Halloween let’s try a festive art activity. But first a little refresher on the history of Halloween.
The History and Origin of Halloween
Halloween is on October 31 of every year. It was originally meant to honor the dead and was previously known as All Hallows Eve, dating back over two thousand years ago.
The most consistent origin, and probably the most well-known, refers to Halloween as a way to honor the dead. It also signifies the end of summer, the end of the Celtic year, and the beginnings of a new one.
People were very superstitious in years past and thus arose the idea that souls of the dead frolicked the streets at night. To keep the bad spirits at bay, treats were left outside to pacify the evil spirits. This led to how it works now, otherwise known as trick or treating
A Halloween Art Therapy Activity
Let’s start by thinking of all the negative energies or influences in your life.
- Think about any negative people, events (recent or otherwise), or anything else that has had a negative impact on you recently.
- Take all these negative “pieces” and imagine each of them has a spirit.
- Take a moment to forgive these negative spirits in your life, if only for a short period, and focus on what you would offer these spirits as a peace offering, or a “treat” if you will.
- Ideally you create something that you can give to each negative spirit, but if you have too many negative spirits to treat, then think of something you can give to all of them.
Alright, now feel free to be as creative as you like. I might suggest trying something different and going with a Halloween-ish theme for your creation…maybe using pumpkins, leaves, or construction paper and crafts, or even just incorporating the colors of fall. But if you’d like to draw or paint in pastels, that’s good too! Those are just a few ideas, but whatever fancies you is what you should create.
When you’re done, you can place your “treat” outside on the porch, patio, front door, etc. Or if you’re worried about anyone seeing or taking it, then leave it inside the house.
Good luck forgiving those negative spirits and Happy Halloween from Art Therapy!
Halloween art by Megan Stringfellow.
Yes! Please give us some ideas for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Soon would be good!
Thanks for all your ideas and articles!
@nocodeooo, Thanks for the comment…I’ve got a couple of big posts (an idea & activity) I’m workig on, but since you asked I’ll definitely start working towards some ideas for Thanksgiving and Christmas as well 🙂
I think this is fascinating! Your articles inspire me to become an art therapist- I am going to school in the fall to be one and I’m very excited-even more-so when I see projects like this.
Thank you so much for your great ideas! I have a 17y.o. artistic client who I see in grief counseling where we focus on art as the medium to explore her grief issues- this will be a perfect intervention and will be used today!
Thanks so much!
Thanksgiving & Christmas activities would be great!
@Candice Thanks for your kind words…I hope the activity went well! I’ll see if I can come up with something for Thanksgiving and Christmas as well…
That was awesome. Yes I’d love some more.
i m a psychologist thats y i like kto know about diffrent therapies this is wonderfull activity and i saw the movie of hallowin its really great yaar thanks for owsame activity
I love this idea. I think it’s very freeing of the mind! (:
Nobody celebrates the Halloween in Lithuania and people even think about that fiesta as the irritating one, yet after reading your post, I want to thank you the hot. The idea of creating something in order to forgive others (those who hurt us – the “negative spirits”) showcased the fiesta in the new light to me – was the perfect art therapy out of itself.
Love your blog and all your ideas. They have helped immensely when I have worked with people with varying degrees of mental illness and their varying degrees of wellness. Keep ’em coming!
Two films stand out about art and adversity in the last few years. “War Dance” abouot abducted children soldiers in Uganda, and “Desert of Forbidden Art”, about 40,000 works of art that were hidden in a “Forbidden Zone” in Uzbekistan. It was a forbidden zone because of the manufactoring and testing of the biogical warfare weapons created there. In the midst of that kind of horror, art did play a key role in helping keep human beings sanity.
I recently began volunteering at a local inpatient eating disorder facility, after having received treatment and recovered myself. Art therapy was essential to my own recovery, and I was delighted when the treatment team at this facility asked for my help with the art therapy groups.
I went online to do some research, and came across your site. I’m so glad I did! I will be referring back here often for more info and ideas, and will be working through the projects on here myself before I work them with the group I’ll be helping facilitate.
Thank you for providing such an excellent resource!
This is such a great idea. I work in a crisis home for people who have mental illness and am always looking for fun groups. Thank you for the opportunity to have a wonderful, educational group for adults!
What a wonderfull idea! My mother always said kill them with kindness. I am an artist/illustrater and I would love to learn more about this Mandala art healing. I am also looking for fun ways to use recyclable items to creat with kids. When I was growing up we lived out in the country so we usually made most of our own toys, from whatever we could find. I think we had more fun hunting for things to use and creating the progect that the toy itself. I dont have a college degree but I do have a very extensive imagination.
I would be careful with the wording on this one. It could potentially be very powerful for people to conjure up “negative spirits” and some people may not be ready or know how to quickly transform their emotions and forgive people in their lives. This could be a great intervention but I would be mindful when deciding who to use it with and in what context. Always make sure art (OR ANY) interventions are safe! That is our first job as therapists.
Please give me some idea for people suffering from Alzheimer. I volunteering in a facility with patients affected by Alzheimer, moderate to severe.
I’m an artist and I use activity related to painting and drawing.
Thank you for your help
Love this idea!!!! Thanks please give us more for the rest of the Holidays. I work with at-risk kids and I could use all the help I can get.