Page 45 - Meeting with Children Manual

Section 4

P a ge | 43

 Spread out all the cards on the floor. Ask the child/youth to choose pictures
that remind him/ her of his/ her mum or mum’s house. Then ask the same
about the father. The child may tell you why he chose the ones he chose as he
goes along, but if not, just lay each card under each heading.
 After the child has finished choosing all the ones that remind him of that parent
or parent home, ask him what reminded him of each picture and write
verbatim beside each picture of what the child said. Take a photo at the end
and remove the pictures.

NOTES
Some children complete this activity quickly and some children take the whole
meeting time to finish. If the child finishes quickly or if he/she can’t pick any pictures,
you learn something either way. Children say very important things about the cards
they choose to put on the paper and cards they do not end up choosing.

YIELD
What do you learn from the pictures children choose? Children use their own
experiences to draw on to choose things that are meaningful to them. More
information about each parent and parent home and what is salient for the child can
be understood by this activity. Because the cards depict many different life issues such
as driving in a car, sports activities, children’s bedrooms and pictures that elicit feeling
states, children/youth may be drawn to physical, emotional, relational symbolic
representations. Some cards are all positive and it is clear the child enjoys time with
each parent and each parent environment is quite supportive. Sometimes one parent
is viewed as more positive than the other and sometimes the child is clearly rejecting
a parent or there is realistic estrangement. The picture of the police car /police
intervention may show up under one of the parent columns for instance. You must
suspend your own judgment regarding the meaning of the cards as the child chooses
and just ask open-ended questions and note “Tell me a bit about what made you
choose that one?” (See Inquiry Skills above)

Add the information you gather to the CYCS.

ACTIVITY 3. PERSON IN THE RAIN
Best for 5 years to 12 years

INSTRUCTIONS
SCRIPT
I have an idea… can you draw/paint a picture of a person – in the rain? You can
draw it anyway you would like. At end of painting or drawing explore the picture
with the child. (See Inquiry Skills above).

SCRIPT
What can you tell me about the person?
How hard is it raining?

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