Drawing with children after an earthquake: guidance for teachers, volunteers and parents on listening without interpreting, ethics and activity ideas.
In a temporary classroom in a container city, a teacher hands out coloured pencils on the table. One child immediately draws a house, another draws friends playing football, and a third colours the whole sheet brown and draws cracks across it. The teacher looks at that drawing and does not know what to say. After the 6 February 2023 earthquakes, many teachers, volunteers and parents in the earthquake zone and in the cities families moved to went through similar moments. Drawing with children after an earthquake is a valuable tool that can make room for them to express what they have been through; but when it is not used well, it can put pressure on a child, harm their privacy or lead adults to the wrong conclusions. This article describes ways of listening without interpreting, building a safe framework and respecting ethical boundaries when drawing with children.
Drawing with Children After an Earthquake: Why It Matters and Why It Needs Care
Children may not be able to describe what they have been through in long sentences as adults do. Play and drawing are their natural language of expression. After a difficult experience, putting something down on paper can help a child carry a feeling outwards, see it from a little distance and share it with an adult.
At the same time, drawing is a powerful tool, and that power calls for care:
- Feelings can be opened up. A drawing can unexpectedly stir up intense fear or sadness. If there is no safe environment in which these feelings can be met, the child may be left alone with them.
- There is a risk of misinterpretation. Adults may look at a drawing and jump to conclusions such as "This child is traumatised". Yet a diagnosis cannot be made from a drawing.
- Privacy is at stake. Children's drawings carry pieces of their inner world and need to be protected.
So drawing with children after an earthquake calls not only for good intentions but also for care and an understanding of boundaries. We discussed how children can be supported after a disaster in general in our article on children's fear of earthquakes.
Drawing Is Not Therapy but a Door: The Difference Between an Activity and Therapy
Drawing activities done at school, in a tent or at home are not the same as a structured therapy process. Keeping this distinction in mind protects both the adult and the child.
A drawing activity: This is done with a teacher, volunteer or parent. The aim is to open up a space for the child to express themselves, to support routine and a sense of normality, and to be together. The adult's role is not to interpret but to offer a safe environment and to listen.
Therapeutic work: This is a process planned with a trained mental health professional, within a particular framework, according to the needs of the child and family. Drawing can be used here too, but the child's situation is assessed together with observation, meetings with the family and, where needed, standardised tools.
Drawing and creative activities featured widely in the psychosocial support work carried out in and after the earthquake zone. These activities are valuable; but there is a big difference between having children draw during an activity and "treating" a child's trauma. An activity supports the child's wellbeing and, where needed, makes the path to professional support visible.
Key Principles When Drawing with Children After an Earthquake
The following principles can offer guidance when drawing with children in a classroom, in temporary living areas or at home.
- Don't impose the subject. An instruction such as "Draw the earthquake" can put pressure on children who are not ready and lead them to experience fear again. Free drawing or safe themes such as "Your favourite place" or "Something that makes you happy" are more suitable.
- Give them a choice. If a child does not want to draw, don't force them. Playing with dough, folding paper or simply watching are also forms of taking part.
- Set up a predictable routine. Saying in advance when the activity will start and end gives a child confidence at a time when uncertainty is already high.
- Keep it short and end gently. At the end of the activity, have a calm close, such as tidying the materials away together, singing a song or taking a few deep breaths.
- Avoid comparing and grading. Comments such as "Ayşe made the prettiest picture" restrict children's self-expression in this context.
- Keep your eyes on the children. Notice a child who becomes unusually quiet, cries, freezes or grows restless during the activity, and go over to them.
The first question to ask when looking at a child's drawing is not "What does this mean?" but "Would you like to tell me about it?"
If a Child Draws the Earthquake: Listening Without Interpreting
Some children draw collapsed buildings, tents, ambulances or people they have lost, even when no instruction is given. This is usually part of an effort to process what they have been through and is not worrying in itself. What matters is how the adult responds to the drawing.
What you can do:
- Stay calm. Your facial expression and tone of voice give the child the message, "It's safe to talk about this here."
- Describe what you see without judgement: "I can see a building here, with a car next to it."
- Invite, don't press: "Would you like to tell me about this picture?"
- If the child talks, listen and don't interrupt. Help them name their feeling: "That must have been very frightening."
- Give a message of safety: "We're here now, we're with you."
What to avoid:
- Comments such as "This picture is very dark, you're not all right"
- Questioning them for details: "What exactly did you see that day? Who was there?"
- Belittling the feeling: "Come on, draw happy things now."
- Showing the drawing to other children or adults as an example
Imagine a nine-year-old who, for weeks, draws the same ruined house in every activity and always adds a small dog in one corner of the picture. One day the teacher simply asks, "Who is this dog?" The child talks about their dog that went missing in the earthquake and cries for the first time. The teacher stays by their side without interpreting, accepts their feeling and shares the situation with the child's family. Here the drawing is not a diagnostic tool but a door that allows a loss the child could not describe to be turned into words.
Ethics: Who Do Children's Drawings Belong to After an Earthquake?
Some practices carried out with good intentions after a disaster can harm children's privacy. The basic principles here are:
- The drawing belongs to the child. It may be kept, photographed or shared only with explicit permission. For children, this permission includes both the parent's consent and the child's own consent.
- Don't share on social media. Sharing children's earthquake-themed drawings on the social media accounts of organisations or volunteers, even with faces hidden, exposes the child's experience to the public.
- Be careful with exhibitions and campaigns. Children's drawings should not be used in fundraising campaigns or exhibitions without the informed consent of the child and family.
- Don't pass drawings around for diagnosis. Circulating a drawing in the staffroom, in WhatsApp groups or among acquaintances with "Do you think this child has trauma?" is both unethical and misleading. A diagnosis cannot be made from a drawing; if you are worried, talk to the family and refer them for professional support.
- Protect confidentiality. What a child tells you through a drawing should be shared only with the people necessary for the child's wellbeing, such as their family or the school's counselling service.
Activity Ideas for Classrooms and Temporary Living Areas
The following activities are simple examples designed to open a space for expression and safety for children without addressing the trauma directly.
- A shared wall picture: On a large sheet of paper, each child adds something on the theme "What makes us happy?" The shared work that emerges supports a sense of belonging.
- My strengths: Children draw themselves as a hero and add their own "superpowers": running fast, helping a sibling, singing. This activity supports a sense of competence against feelings of helplessness.
- Colour and rhythm: While music plays, children draw lines freely on the paper. The movement matters, not the result.
- A window to the future: A window frame is drawn, and children draw something they would like to see through the window. This can open a gentle conversation about hope and the future.
In every activity, the child's right not to take part is preserved, and the products are kept or taken home only with the child's permission. When planning activities, also take into account the children's age range, the size of the group and how quiet the setting is. An activity held in a crowded, noisy tent can be tiring rather than relaxing for some children. Small groups and a calm corner are often a better start.
The adult's own load
Teachers and volunteers working with children after a disaster are often people who have lived through the same disaster or witnessed intense stories themselves. What you encounter in children's drawings and stories can affect you too. Paying attention to your own sleep, mood and limits, sharing with colleagues and, where needed, getting support for yourself are preconditions for accompanying children in a healthy way. We described how adults can support those close to them after a disaster in our article on psychological first aid after a disaster.
For Parents: Drawing with Children at Home After an Earthquake
Drawing with your child at home, while staying with relatives or in a city you have just moved to, can be a lovely way to connect with them and create a calm moment in the day. To support these moments:
- Take a sheet of paper for yourself too. Drawing side by side helps the child feel not like someone being examined but like someone spending time together with you.
- Keep the time short. A fifteen- or twenty-minute drawing time is more relaxing than a long, tiring session. It is especially good not to go into intense subjects in the hours before sleep.
- Make materials easy to reach. In a crowded home or a temporary living space, having a small paint box and notebook of their own can give a child a sense of control and belonging.
- Pay attention to your own feelings. A scene your child draws may be painful for you too. This is natural. Try to stay calm in front of your child; share your own feelings later with an adult you trust.
- Don't compare siblings. One child may draw the earthquake often while another never mentions it. Every child's way and pace of processing what they have been through is different.
If one day your child gives you a drawing and says, "Keep this," that is a sign of trust. Keeping the drawing carefully lets the child feel that what they have shared is valuable. But still, don't try to interpret the drawing or show it to others; see it simply as something shared between you and your child.
When Should a Child Be Referred for Professional Support?
After an earthquake, reactions such as fear, sleep problems, clinginess or anger are common in children and usually ease over time in a safe environment. However, it would be appropriate to refer a child to a mental health professional in the following situations:
- Reactions are not easing, or are increasing, even after weeks have passed
- The child acts out the same frightening scene again and again in play and drawings, and this distresses them rather than bringing relief
- There are marked setbacks in sleep, appetite or toileting habits
- They refuse to go to school or are drawing away from friends and play
- They talk about harming themselves or wanting to die; in this case seek support without delay, and in an emergency call 112 (emergency services)
A referral should be made not by presenting the drawing on its own as evidence, but by sharing observations about the child's general state with the family.
In child and play therapy, play and drawing are tools that make room for a child to tell their story in their own language; but they are never used on their own as a diagnostic tool. They are considered together with meetings with the family, the child's developmental history and observations. We also discuss how art can be used after trauma in our article on art therapy after trauma.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it right to tell children to draw the earthquake?
It is generally not recommended. An instruction like this can put pressure on children who are not ready. It is more appropriate to offer free drawing or safe themes, and to listen calmly if a child draws the earthquake of their own accord.
As a volunteer, can I take photos of children's drawings?
Only with parental consent and the child's own consent, and with the purpose of sharing clearly stated. Sharing on social media is not recommended, as it exposes the child's experience to the public.
A child's drawing worried me a lot. What should I do?
Rather than interpreting the drawing or showing it to others, look at the child's general state and share your observations with their family or the school's counselling service. If your concern continues, a referral for professional support can be made.
What should be done if a child doesn't want to draw?
Don't force them. Some children prefer playing with dough, listening to a story or simply watching the activity. These are valuable forms of taking part too.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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