Bravery Amidst the Bubbles

Hi Sweet Friends,

So last post, we talked about how to recognize and get to know our, oh so bubbly, bubble buddies a.k.a. our feelings. Today we’re going to use imagination and art to help our little minds, not only get to know their bubble buddies better, but also—help them blow those bossy bubbles, back home.

Up next for part two of our two-part post. I know it was supposed to be a three-part post. But I couldn't wait so— get ready for one long, very bubbly post ;). Since we now know how our beautiful bubble buddies play, let’s take a pause and check their temperature. Shall we?

Feelings Thermometer

A feelings thermometer is a great tool for our little minds. This handy tool helps with feeling identification and expression—making it a learning-filled craft that also supports emotion regulation. It's an activity, I believe, is best crafted together but, a picture of one is better than none. The thermometer’s unique shapes, colors, and words help little minds begin to notice and vocalize their feelings. You can add to the fun, by picking certain colors or a mix of colors for various bubble buddies. To the right, you’ll see a thermometer my eldest son and I created together. The addition of a colorful, child-safe paper clip adds to the fun for little minds, if age-appropriate. The paperclip provides a means for the children to express their feelings without words. They can simply move the paperclip up and down to show you which bubble buddy has come out to play.

***Side Note Safety Check: Please be sure your child is supervised with the paperclip. Do not use a paperclip for children under 3, those seeking oral input, or those who tend to put things in their mouth.

Supplies Needed:

Cardstock paper (your choice of color), colorful child-safe paperclips, crayons, markers, colored pencils and/or paint.

Directions:

Draw or print out a blank thermometer and draw boxes for each of your child's bubble buddies. Ask your child to pick a color for each feeling and then draw the accompanying face that matches that feeling. Feel free to just add faces, with no words or for extra learning add the feeling words as well. Depending on the child's age and skill level, you can assist more or less with this activity. Then add the paperclip. That's it! Easy peasy.

Psst...follow The Little Mind Retreat on Pinterest to see a tutorial on this fun activity. You can also find a fun reel of this on our Instagram page ;)

Bubble Buddy Story Time

For this activity, we need to give our bubble buddies a story. We can do this with toys, puppets, singing, dancing, arts, or crafts. Better yet, we can use all of the above to make up their unique stories. The important part is, not which one we choose to use but, that we are playing when we create them. Play is— without a doubt, the best way our little minds process all their big feelings. So, let’s join them in the fun. Playfully creating one bubble buddy at a time.

Sneaky Sin Puppet

For all you Christian, homeschooling mommas out there, this activity may be just for you. My boys and I created another fun activity, we call—a Sneaky Sin Puppet. This fun activity helps little minds understand sin and the way it meanly plays in our lives. Since sin often is accompanied by very big feelings, I thought it might be worthwhile to add it to the mix of activities in this post.

***Side Note Safety Check: Please be sure young children are supervised with any small items you choose and ensure items are age appropriate.

Supplies Needed:

Brown paper bags, yarn, pipe cleaners or popsicle sticks, finger paint, markers, crayons, colored pencils, pom poms, tissue paper, tape or glue, plastic eyeballs, stickers, and all things arts and crafts.

Directions:

Begin by reading a Children's Bible and teach your children about sin. Then invite your children to give sin a name and physical characteristics. You can talk about how we know if sin is trying to get us to disobey and how we can boss him back. The Sneaky Sin Puppet is a wonderful way to help little minds gain a better understanding of sin and how it can create mischief in our lives.  It's important to remind our children that we all sin, even parents, and that Jesus paid the price for it. Afterall making Jesus the center of our education is the best way to protect our children's salvation and keep them close to God.

Bubble Box

For this activity, we will be making a Bubble Box (a.k.a. coping skills box, sensory box, or mix of the two). This box is by far, one of my personal favorite ways to boss back our bubbles, especially for our neurodivergent little minds. It’s an awesome craft that helps little minds find their calm by providing a space for play, imagination, and sensory experience. My little minds and I created our own little box that we named Super Senses Box. They also, added their own little beautifications to their box. Complete with colorful scribbles, construction paper, and stickers. Decorating the box, not only adds to the fun, but it makes the box much more special and inviting when their bubble buddies come to play.

Supplied Needed:

Fidgets, textured items, musical instruments, sunglasses, handheld massager, brush, beanie babies, finger puppets, blocks, miniature animals, toy cars, noise makers, headphones, age-appropriate snacks, chews, mini books, play doh, small sketch pad, a few crayons, and anything that both interests the child and provides a sensory experience.

***Side Note Safety Check: Make sure all items in the box are age-appropriate and safe for your children.

Directions:

Decorate the box and give it a name. Inside the box you can put items, pictures, or words that help your little minds return to a place of calm. The more senses you can involve, the better. This also opens up a great discussion for how to bravely boss back those bubble buddies.

Here’s a short list of how to bravely boss back bubbles (this is by no means a comprehensive list, as always—use your imagination, get creative, and find what works for your little minds!):

·       Spend time with Jesus

·   Read Never Clap Your Hands on the Rainbow ;)

·       Listen to music

·       Punch a punching bag or pillow

·       Breathe deeply (stay tuned for an entire, future post on this one 😉)

·       Scream in a pillow

·       Sing

·       Dance

·       Read a book

·       Talk to your Bubbles. Tell them how you feel!

·       Color

·       Paint

·       Draw

·       Play

·       Cuddle with a family member or favorite stuffed animal

·       Jump on a crash pad

·       Swing

·  Heavy work activities (More on this later :)

·       Sensory play

·       Spend time outside

·       Go on a nature walk

Important side curve: I invite my kids to use these skills and their bubble box, both when they are calm and when they are facing big bubbles. If your child only engages in these activities when they are facing intense emotions and feelings, their minds could associate the tool with those particular emotions and feelings, thereby interfering with its calming effect.

Brave Bubble Wand

And now for our final activity. We can help our little minds create their very own Brave Bubble Wand. This fun Christina created craft, helps our little minds be brave like David. By facing a giant Bubble Goliath with their one-of-a-kind bubble wand (P.s. reading the story of David and Goliath from a Children’s Bible, is a great addition to this activity. Followed by helping your little minds understand how their feelings can feel unbeatable, like many perceived Goliath to be. But with God’s power and provision, we can defeat our Goliath bubbles, one brave step at a time).

For those of you who homeschool, this is a great activity for creatively intertwining biblical education to help children learn God's word.

Supplies Needed:

Card stock or thick paper, large popsicle sticks, finger paint, pencils, crayons, colored pencils, pom poms, tissue paper, tape or glue.

***Side Note Safety Check: Make sure all items in the box are age-appropriate and safe for your children.

Directions:

Cut a piece of card stock paper into a large circle. Make a slit in the middle and cut out an inner smaller circle. Glue the paper ring to the tip of a large popsicle stick. It will look like a magnifying glass when you are finished. Decorate it! Have fun and make a mess 😊. Cut out small circles of tissue paper. Pretend the tissue paper pieces are bubble buddies, write their names on the tissue paper with a pencil and practice blowing the pieces through the bubble wand. This activity not only inspires creativity and restores needed calm; it also utilizes deep breathing. An added benefit for your little mind’s limbic system.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/80766f_63d4560be43a4b91b443df01808e8619/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

If your little minds are struggling with their big, beautiful bubbles, invite them to bravely boss them back. Most importantly, let’s remind our little minds that God has given us all we need to face any bubble that comes our way and He will be with us as we face them.

So, next time your little minds are covered in all kinds of bubbles, add some imagination to the mix, be patient, talk to and about Jesus, and peacefully watch as those big, bulky bubble buddies blow right on by.

Until next time,

                        Christina

P.s. You will soon be able to find supplies mentioned in this post on our shop page. But a quick disclaimer. I am an Amazon affiliate. I do earn a commission, if you make a purchase from any of the links on our website, at no cost to you.

After thought of the post: Let’s model for our little minds, bravery amidst the bubbles. Instead of ignoring our hard-to-love buddies, let’s face them, get to know them better and let them float on by.

***Even though I am an independently licensed social worker, none of the information provided to you in this blog, within my books or on my website is professional advice, diagnosis or treatment of any kind. These posts are strictly providing general information/education and are not substitutes for professional help. If you find yourself concerned about you or your child's mental health, please don't hesitate to reach out to a qualified mental health provider. All views expressed in this blog are personal and not representative of the social work profession.***

All written content, photos, and activities @2026 by Christina Retherford. All rights reserved. Graphics created using Canva/Wix media/Unsplash Images.