Feeling loved and nurtured supports emotional wellbeing and this has a positive impact on our relationships. You can reflect on this in this fun and interactive matching puzzle game.
What you’ll need: Paper, coloured pens, scissors and Sellotape
What’s it for?
This activity offers reflection time to think about the important people in our lives using our imagination and creative ideas with heart shapes in the form of a matching puzzle. It can be revisited at times when an individual might feel in need of a boost of support and self-assurance.
Check In:
Notice how you’re feeling right now. Close your eyes and notice what’s going on inside your mind and body.
How are you feeling?
What are you thinking?
How does your body feel?
Method:
Hearts are a symbol of love, unity, and strength.
Using a pen and a piece of paper write down particular people in your life who create these feelings in you
Is there an important person who nurtures you with love? What people or activities provide you with a sense of togetherness? Is there anyone special in your life who enables you to feel powerful and strong in the face of fear, anxiety, or challenge?
Now focus on what positive feelings are conjured up from the above reflection and how your important person makes you feel, for example: hopeful, strong, settled, fearless, calm, enthusiastic, etc.
Using a heart template make twenty small hearts that will be used as a puzzle game. Make sure you have an even number of hearts so that they can be matched together.
For each heart write on it a 'strength' word that you came up with in bold and clear pen and duplicate this so there are two of each word
Use Sellotape on the hearts to protect them (or you can laminate them for durability) so the game can be repeated a number of times
Now put all the hearts on a table or the floor face down so that you cannot see the words on the other side
In a pair take it in turns to choose a heart and through a process of elimination find two matching hearts. Each time a pair is found then the person keeps those cards and at the end read out your 'strength' words to each other and think about other times when you have felt like this. For example, if you choose a heart with ‘calm’ on it, recall a time you felt this way, such as 'being calm at the seaside'.
It is a game of memory and emphasises 'strength' words that were explored during the initial reflection period
How many pairs can you find in your 'Heart to Heart'?
Extra Activity:
If you make some extra hearts you could use some string and turn these into a necklace or paper chain to hang up in a prominent place to remember your 'strength' words.
When you’ve finished, spend a moment reflecting on the activity and ask yourself the following questions:
How did the reflection period feel?
Did it help to have this time to think closely about the important people to whom you can search for support and unconditional regard?
Did you come across any challenges in thinking about those special to you and any particular relationships?
Reflect on what you learnt about yourself during this game?
How did it feel to find a matching pair?
How might it be helpful to hold onto the positive feelings conjured up by the support and guidance of others?
Did you have a favourite matching 'strength' word?
Conclusion:
This activity reflects on the meaning of hearts and the importance of understanding the concepts of love, unity, and strength and the people in our lives who provide this to us and in which forms. It allows us to then build on our own relationships and to be more in tune with our own personal needs and those of others especially emotionally and psychologically.
Take a moment to notice how you are feeling at the end of this activity.
Did you discover anything surprising? What can you take away to make you feel better about yourself from this activity? If you would like to, share something about your experience with this activity with someone you live with!
Ask the person who looks after you to send us an email if you have any questions or comments about the activity, or would like to send us any pictures (info@catcorner.co.uk). Don't forget to subscribe for more fun CAT activities!
Created by Sarah Kong © January 2021
Creative Arts Used: Art
Psychological Areas Explored: Emotional Wellbeing, Relationships, Resilience and Self-Exploration
If you enjoyed this activity, you might also like: Positive Pictionary: Use this funny game to share positive experiences.
These activities could be done by children of all ages, but some may need the support of their parent or carer to read the instructions or complete the activity safely.
This website was made by CAT Corner to help you explore your feelings through fun creative arts activities. The people using the website and the people responsible for them need to make sure they stay safe (full disclaimer on About page).
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