Kevin Sheldon

LEI 4724
Activity 9
Activity Title: Me collage
Source: All About Me Collage for Kids Self-Esteem/Character Building Activity for Kids. (n.d.).
Retrieved September 24, 2015.
Equipment: Scissors, magazines, paper, glue
Description of Activity:
The participants are handed a variety of magazines that encompass many different cultures,
hobbies/ activities, and interests (ex: Sports Illustrated, Times, NatGeo, People, etc.). The
participants are then asked to cycle through the magazines and find different excerpts, phrases,
and pictures that help to describe their own interests and personalities. After finding the
appropriate clippings, the participant is asked to cut and paste onto their Me board or paper.
Upon completion, the participant must explain their project and explain their own interests. The
idea of this activity is for the participant to practice self-examination and articulating their
thoughts through art. This activity is great to use as introductions or icebreakers between
classmates/ peers.
Leadership considerations:
This activity is great between any group sizes. Appropriate magazines in terms of population is
critical; if the participants are an adult population, the magazines should be age/ cognitive
appropriate. The therapist should serve as a facilitator and manage group discussions and direct
group thinking by encouraging the clients to express themselves and show a side not many have
seen before (upon comfortability, share something that no one knew about themselves). A warm,
inviting atmosphere is suggested and coupled with thoughtful seating. The therapist should
strategically seat the participants upon goals set by the therapist. If the goal is socialize with new
people, have the participants work with new mates. Reciprocally, if the goal is to build friendship
chemistry, sitting buddies together will add to that social dynamic.
Adaptations:
Clients who have intellectual disabilities: Depending on the cognitive level of the participants,
the therapist may feel to eliminate the phrase and word aspects of the activity. Also, having
preprinted general words/ adjectives (words like funny, positive, outgoing, and helpful) to cut
and paste may be a great alternative, versus having the participants reading/ choosing their own
words to describe themselves. Of course, reading these words out loud and explaining the
general feelings will help the participant to filter and sift through which feelings they think best
describes them. Putting more emphasis on the visual aspect may be the best plan of action and
the best way they might be able to express themselves.
Clients who have anxiety/ depression disorders: With this population, expressing oneself may
appear to be challenging at the surface. To welcome these participants, it is suggested to

significantly minimize the size of the group doing the activity (2-5 participants). In doing so, this
will help to lessen the anxieties of peer attention, peer scrutinizing, and generally create a closer,
warmer feel in the atmosphere. The therapist must pay close attention with other participants to
not overwhelm this population with negative feedback or over-crowding. It is important to be
sensitive towards the feelings of the client and is good to keep an on-going dialogue with the
participant(s). Seat proximity may be a great adaptation as well. After constructing a trust bond
with the participant, it may be beneficial to place the participant next to the trusted individual as
a means of comfort. As time progresses, easing the reliance of the trustees presence is a great
exercise.