The benefits of using mandalas with kids

Mandalas are great to use with kids because they get to express themselves artistically while learning to self-soothe. Below are a few additional benefits for using mandalas with kids:

• Gives kids a space to put their thoughts and feelings

• Allows kids to express their unconscious processes in a safe space

• Coloring and focusing on a mandala is calming

• Creating mandalas helps to calm the mind and quiet negative thoughts

• Helps lower blood pressure and relax muscle tension (Malchiodi, 2003)

• Helps kids develop insight and personal awareness

• Helps kids recognize the mind-body connection

• Increases focus

• Stimulates creativity

• Decreases impulsive behavior

• Decrease symptoms for people diagnosed with PTSD

Prompts for therapeutic use of mandalas

• Create a mandala that shows how you feel today

• Draw a mandala that represents your angry feelings

• Draw a mandala that represents the grief you feel inside

• On the inside of your mandala, draw what’s going on inside you and in the outside circle draw what’s going on around you

• Draw a mandala that shows how you see yourself within your family

• Working with mandalas is fun and engaging for both kids and adults. Have you used mandalas with children? If yes, I would love to hear how you used the mandala!