Rainbow Healing Handprint Mandalas!

This is a fun, calming, and healing art activity for use in a Family Yoga class, kids’, or teen yoga class. Can also be done as a stand-alone art activity. All ages and ability levels are able to participate in this activity, with or without adult/teacher assistance.

Supplies:

Paper (black or white)

Colored pencils, crayons, pastels

Paper plate or large circle template

Variety of Stencils or templates (optional)

Beginning:

Talk about our hands in class (bring students to a seated position and have them place their hands in Namaste (prayer) position. Encourage students to close their eyes or to gaze downward, to focus on what they feel, rather than see with their eyes. Encourage them to “feel” their own hands, feel where palms and fingers touch each other. Is there warmth, softness, energy they can feel in their own hands? Try moving hands slightly apart, and can they still feel warmth there? What color or colors do your students feel or imagine? Talk about how hands are often used in healing…a mother or father caring for a child, a doctor, nurse, other caregivers caring for someone who is sick…a child caring for a pet that is hurt, putting a bandaid on an cut with our hands…praying with our hands, someone giving a massage, or giving a hug….any examples you can think of.

Pass out paper and put art supplies and templates in a convenient location.

Each student may draw or trace a circle on his or her paper. Try to allow children to do this without help (unless they ask for it) the circle does NOT have to be “perfect.”

Now speaking about the colors your students saw or felt, have them use those colors to “illuminate” their hands. The colors may end up like a rainbow of colors, they may have seen shapes, such as hearts, birds, sun, moon, etc. Encourage them to color their own hands with whatever comes to mind! Have children feel the healing energy in their own hands as they create!