An Exploration of Learning Art Activities in Children of Divorced Parents

This study is aimed at exploring whether learning about art activities can help children of divorced parents in three aspects, namely self-concept, emotional expression, and linguistic expression. The researcher designed appropriate art activities for children of divorced parents based on their family backgrounds. There were nine art activities in total, including “self in the mirror”, “painting with paint”, and “pick-up and paste”. From February to April in 2016, these art activities were conducted once a week for 40 minutes, led by the researcher. During these art activities, data were collected through observations and interviews and then coded and analyzed. To ensure the correctness of the analysis results, triangulation was applied for verification with three angles, the researcher's, the case subject's caretaker's (the grandmother's), and the case subject's custodian's (the father's). The research findings are summarized below: 1. In the aspect of family and self-concept, the art activities helped the children of divorced parents with their self-exploration and self-assertion. 2. In the aspect of emotional expression, the art activities offered the children of divorced parents more opportunities to express their feelings and gradually reveal their true emotions inside. 3. In the aspect of linguistic expresision, the art activities offered the children of divorced parents more opportunities for expression. The children were allowed to express their thoughts and ideas through drawing images and symbols. Lastly, based on the research findings, as references for children of divorced parents and related future studies.