Creating Mandalas

In their beautiful book, Bringing the Outside In, filled with inspiring photos and ideas, authors Sandra Duncan and Jody Martin encourage both children and adults to explore the process of creating mandalas. They explain:

“Mandalas are circular designs that are thought to represent the universe’s celestial circle of earth, sun, and moon. In addition to the religious, psychotherapy, self-reflection, and calming aspects of mandalas, they are also considered a traditional art form in many cultures. In the early childhood classroom, the meaning and constructing of mandalas could be more basic such as the circles representing children’s immediate spheres of influence: friends, family and community.

Help children understand the circular nature of a mandala by providing images, resource books, and an actual mandala….Once children understand the basic concept of a mandala, it’s time to get busy and create their own  -- or work with others to create a collaborative mandala…

Children can create circles within circles using a variety of natural loose parts such as rocks, stones, sea glass, seed pods, sticks, pinecones, glass beads and wildflowers.

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