B a r b a r a s h e r I l L u s t r a t I o n s b y r a L p h

W
H A T
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S
B
E I N G
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The ability to be still and look closely at what’s near at hand is the atten-
tion skill being developed in this game. There is a lot of pleasure to be had
from noticing the tiny wonders of nature that are in our own backyard.
Shelf Paper Story
Having a huge roll of paper to draw on without space limitations is almost
as good as drawing on a wall and more fun than a pad of paper. In this
game, the roll of paper becomes a scroll of your child’s life.
T
Y P E S O F
A
T T E N T I O N
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N C O U R A G E D
Open and focused
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Attention Games
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M
A T E R I A L S
Roll of white shelf paper
Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
D
I R E C T I O N S
Give your child the roll of paper and his drawing materials. Explain that
on this paper, he can draw a story about his life. Open the roll of paper and
have the child draw a picture of himself on the first section. In the next sec-
tion he can draw himself doing whatever he did that day or a few of the
things that happened that day.
Each day, he can add to the scroll. The paper can be kept rolled up and
be added to when the mood strikes.
V
A R I A T I O N
If he doesn’t want to draw his life, any subject is fine, or even just whimsi-
cal designs.
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H A T
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Because they have the freedom to express whatever story or art idea they
come up with, children are encouraged to use open attention to think
about what is possible. Then, no matter what they decide to do, drawing is
a good focusing skill.
Thinking Box
It’s easy to get distracted while doing homework. The essence of this activity
is to make a space that is conducive to those times when concentration and
thinking are unavoidable—in other words, when doing that homework.