3 Ways to Incorporate Art Into Your Sessions

Drawing to Musical Directions 
Goals Targeted: Following Directives, Sustained Attention, Fine Motor Skills
Steps:

1. Give your patient a blank piece of paper and something to draw with. 
2. Sing a musical direction that instructs the patient to draw something. (Ex: “First, we draw some grass.”- You can expand to two-step directives by adding on a color, “First, we draw some green grass.”) 
3. Once the patient follows that direction, you can continue with various instructions until they have completed a picture. 

Pass and Draw to Instrumental Tracks

• Goals Targeted: Turn-Taking, Sustained Attention, Fine Motor Skills, Active Listening, Emotional Awareness
• Steps:

1. Give each patient a blank piece of paper and something to draw with. (It works well if each participant has his or her own unique color to draw with.)

1. 2. Instruct the patients to first listen to the music that is played and then begin drawing on their paper. (I like to use various instrumental tracks that evoke different emotions. The Inside Out soundtrack is a hit with the kids and offers a variety of tracks to utilize.)
2. 3. After they have had a chance to draw on their paper then stop the music and instruct them to pass their paper to the person next to them. 

4. Continue this process until everyone has his or her original paper and can see what their initial drawing evolved into. The patients typically enjoy sharing what they started drawing and what it was turned into from other people adding to it. 
5. You can also use this to discuss different emotions and how the various songs made them feel or what emotion they felt like it depicted. 

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Making a Thank-You Card and Song
Goals Targeted: Social Skills, Fine Motor Skills, Self-Expression
Steps:

1. Discuss with your patient the importance of thanking people in their lives and when it is appropriate to do so.
2. Brainstorm with your patient who they can write a thank-you note too.
3. Help your patient make and decorate a thank-you card.  (You can do this with musical directions from the above example or just talk them through it.)
4. Help your patient then put their thank-you card into a song form as well.  (They can then either send the person the video of the song or deliver the card to them in person.) 

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