Tiny Demons
Activity Summary
In this activity students explore and articulate how they are feeling through drawing. This activity helps students express, share and face their fears. Students often find themselves in conditions of stress or anxiety related to both academic performance and personal life: drawing helps to visualise these emotional states and to create a concrete support to share emotions with peers.
Activity Plan
1
2 min
Explain to students the purpose of the activity, emphasising that the classroom is a safe, nonjudgmental space where they can express themselves freely.
2
3 min
Ask each student to list his or her fears/anxieties about a particular topic (for example: an upcoming evaluation).
3
2 min
Hand each student a blank sheet of paper and ask them to divide it into four parts and draw a shape in each section: a round, a square, a triangle and a squiggle.
4
5 min
Ask students to unleash their creativity by turning each shape into a monster (abstract or realistic). Then, ask them to associate each monster with one of the fears they wrote down at the beginning of the exercise and name the monster.
5
5 min
Divide the class into small groups and ask each student to share at least one of their monsters with the group. Then ask the group to reflect and come up with a solution together to deal with each of the shared monsters.
6
5 min
Ask students to return to work independently: each should represent their monster, defeated by the solution found during the group work (for example: the miniature monster).
7
5 min
Set up a space on one of the classroom walls (or, if you are working digitally, create a shared bulletin board) to which each student can hang his or her “defeated monster.” Each student is asked to hang their monster and briefly summarise its story (what it represents and how it can be defeated).
8
5 min
Conclude the activity by summarising the fears that emerged, analysing how they were dealt with, and leaving room for students to intervene if they wish.
Tips & Tricks
- You can ask students to perform some of the steps before class time so that more time can be devoted to class discussion.
- Remind students not to focus excessively on the quality of the drawing: the drawing should be a tool and not the ultimate goal of the activity.
- This activity can also be organised online, using a videoconferencing tool that allows breakout rooms for group activity and setting up a digital board that students can use to share their drawings.
Additional Resources
Source: https://onehe.org/eu-activity/tiny-demons-drawing-monsters/