CBA x The Srijan School, Delhi: Using Children’s Books to Support Mental Health
CBA collaborated with The Srijan School, Delhi to facilitate a series of children’s book reading sessions focused on supporting mental health across different age groups. A series of workshops was conducted for children, adolescents, and teachers on 7-8 Feb 2025.
With Children:
We began with The Day the Crayons Quit, using its playful tone to evoke the importance of emotional expression. Following the reading, the children engaged in a letter-writing activity, where they safely expressed their feelings and quiet rebellions toward parents, teachers, and siblings—an exercise in voicing unmet needs. The group was then split into two sub-groups to read Ish, a book about embracing imperfections, and Nilofer Ki Muskaan, which celebrates rediscovering joy. Each group concluded with a theatre-based activity to creatively express their takeaways from the stories.
A child expressing how they are feeling with the help of art
With Adolescents:
We introduced The Feelings Doctor, a powerful narrative about building emotional resilience and developing tools to anchor oneself during times of distress. After a reflective discussion, the adolescents were divided into two groups. One explored Ish, focusing on themes of perfectionism and finding one’s own voice, while the other read The Suitcase, which delves into the complexities of friendship.
Learning to distress using sensory bottles
Play with clay - a tool to recharge your batteries
Each group delved into an art-based reflective activity to express their internal blocks around things they have always wanted to do but held back from due to external criticism. Their expressions came alive through creations of “dance-ish”, “art-ish”, “skating-ish” and “music-ish” - honest and imaginative interpretations of their desires and dreams. The session concluded with the hopeful idea of establishing a CBA club at the school, encouraging continued engagement with children’s literature for self-reflection and connection.
Gearing for an art exhibit designed to express blocked desired and dreams
With Teachers:
Our session with educators centered on The Heart and the Bottle, a tender story about grief and love. This opened up heartfelt conversations around personal loss and longing. To support emotional containment, we engaged in a symbolic activity: each participant crafted a paper heart and placed it in a glass jar. One by one, they picked a heart and shared what grief it might be holding. The session closed with a strong sense of solidarity, as the group came together in mutual empathy and the co-creation of a caring community.
Bottled hearts seeking expression in a safe environment
CBA with teachers after the workshop