with Laura Geilen
While puppetry, circus arts and clowning by themselves are not therapy, the benefits they bring can be deeply therapeutic and transformative. Through these arts children (as well as adults) gain self-esteem, confidence and joy, finding new grounding and resilience with which to meet the world.
Puppets are a good place to start when exploring ways to reach young children with trauma and emotional issues. Children will engage with puppets with abandon when the adult in the room is getting nowhere. They are simply magnetic.
Circus arts activities, in their full range, increase and support the following important developmental movement, sensory and social needs:
- Bilateral coordination skills
- Muscle and core strength
- Crossing the midline abilities
- Brain and body balancing
- Self-esteem
- Teamwork
- Ability to overcome fears
- Communication with peers
- Balance and flexibility
- Focus and attention
Clowns have big emotions, big hearts and great empathy. They mess up, they make mistakes, but they are eternally optimistic. They remind us of what it is to be human. As teachers/ parents/therapists we can fortify ourselves tremendously by accessing our inner clown and the clown’s outlook.
In this workshop we will mix and lightly dabble in these 3 healing realms so naturally disguised as fun.