How Art Helps Children Express That Words Cannot

A mother of two girls attending my W.I.N.G.S Program called me one late evening to discuss a challenge with her children attending school. They had recently moved to a new place away from their grandparents. The parents decided to drop them off and pick them up from school, instead of the usual school bus.

When a Parent Reaches Out: Understanding the Real Issue

And just so happened that the children, especially the one in kindergarten, were absolutely inconsolable and would cry daily, until the school had to call the parents to come and pick up their daughters during midday itself.

It started happening so often that the mother finally shared this with me over a call. I did share with her that I had noticed the children were a little low and were constantly mentioning to me, “I want to go to mumma and papa.” This is quite uncommon with the children attending our program.

How Art Helps Children Express What Words Cannot

As we discussed, I assured her we’d try to work on some activities to see what was bothering the children.

So, in the next session, we had a fun art activity: Describe and draw your school.

I asked them simple questions: What do you love about school? One said, friends; the other said the food, she said the garden and colouring.

The next question was, what do you not like about school? Some kids said they had difficulty making friends, while others said they disliked social studies.

Then came the breakthrough moment: the kindergarten child said, “I don’t like school as I feel mumma and papa may forget to come to pick us up. They’re always late”

My next question was, “Why would they forget to pick you up?”

The child replied, “I don’t know. But I feel they may forget to pick us up.”

The younger one drew a big, messy blue school. I asked her gently, why is your school so blue? She said, “It is very big for me. And only blue in colour.” Interestingly, both sisters attended the same school. While the older one drew a school that resembled what it looked like, the younger one only coloured it blue!

Instead of probing further with questions, I asked them to draw their school again. This time, she drew a cloud and a rainbow. It was as if the suppressed, unexplained anxiety or worry that she had been harbouring had melted away with the big blue school followed by a colourful rainbow.

The Hidden Fear: “What If Mumma and Papa Don’t Come?”

I discussed this with the mother later that evening. It really helped her to put things in perspective. We discussed that the children were taking time to adapt to the relocation and just needed time to adjust to all the changes. Usually, we enrol children from Grade 2 onwards. Since the family had just moved to a new place, the mother asked whether her younger child could also join the program, along with her elder sister, who is in Grade 3; I obliged.  

Supporting Parents Through Transition and Change

We discussed that they might need to take a break from our program, even though the girls were brilliant in their work, they seemed to be getting exhausted, especially emotionally, due to the relocation phase; the parents had to drop off their children at their grandparents’ place on some days, and the erratic scheduling during the relocation process was probably starting to affect them.

A few months later, I bumped into the lady, and we chatted. I asked her how the girls were, and she mentioned, “Oh, they’re very happy now, all settled in their new home, new playground and activities. They took a while to settle down, and now all is well.” It made me very happy to hear that.

Why We Assess Before We Mentor

Whenever we onboard any child into our W.I.N.G.S or I.N.S.P.I.R.E programs, we start with a simple reading and writing test, followed by a face-to-face/ online video meeting with the parents as well.

The reading and writing test not only help us assess the child’s current reading and writing ability and the effort I need to invest in the child but also helps gauge whether the child is eager or willing to be mentored. It also helps determine whether parents and the child are aligned in this learning process, as both our W.I.N.G.S. and I.N.S.P.I.R.E programs don’t follow a regular school syllabus that promises marks and percentages.

Creating Safe, Calm, Grounded Learning Spaces

Our programs are carefully designed to help take off the load of pressures, challenges, fears, and judgements that children may face and may not always have an avenue to express. In our sessions, the children are so happy that they look forward to each session, which helps them feel calm, grounded, centred, safe and understood. And just by that, they’re receptive to learning and feedback, and that’s how they start improving in their reading and writing skills and their attitude towards life.

Life‑Skills Through Writing and Art: Our Core Approach

We work on concepts such as problem-solving and critical thinking, which are integrated with writing and art. Children who are resistant to writing and reading love attending our sessions, as our lessons are more fun and activity-based.

Since every child’s needs are different, we offer 1:1 sessions for senior students in our I.N.S.P.I.R.E program (Grades 8+) and up to 4 children per batch in our W.I.N.G.S. offline program (Grades 2+).

So far, with minimal promotion on social media and in our neighbourhood, we’ve had students sign up primarily through referrals and word of mouth.

At the time of enrolling in our programs, we remind parents that if they’re seeking instant results translating into perfect writing in school, increased marks and better grades, this is not the place for their children, as we don’t intend to pass down the pressure here as well.

Growth Takes Time: The Write Compass Promise

While some children show remarkable growth and improvement in a couple of months, some children take six to eight months or even more. Since we want the best for the children, we never compel parents to enrol their children, as our programs offer life-skills-infused learning that keeps them engaged without being hooked on a mobile or tablet.

Good things take time. Even when we sow seeds in the soil, not all may sprout at the same time. Growth, positivity and nurturing take time and patience, and that’s what I always request of parents.

Explore W.I.N.G.S and I.N.S.P.I.R.E: Programs That Go Beyond Marks

If you’re keen to explore The Write Compass’ I.N.S.P.I.R.E online writing program (Grade 8+) or the W.I.N.G.S. offline program (Grades 2+), drop us a message or fill out this form. We’ll be happy to connect.

Disclaimer: Our Commitment to Ethical Sharing

All photographs and videos of students shared in this feature have been published only after receiving permission from their parents or legal guardians.

No part of this article — including its text, student reflections, images, or creative outputs — may be copied, reproduced, stored, or distributed in any form without prior written permission from The Write Compass.

These stories and visuals are meant solely for educational and mentorship purposes. We request readers to honour the privacy, dignity, and creative work of our students.

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