On show at Annantalo Arts Centre in Helsinki: Mahdollisuus lapselle ry: Väriä elämään - kirjavaa kuvista – Color in Life – Diversity Through Art – 7–12-year-olds with a parent

Color in Life – Diversity Through Art is an accessible art course for children with special needs and their parents, offering a shared creative experience in a supportive setting. The work is based on each participant’s own interests and individual support needs. The child and parent work together as a pair, exploring a variety of materials and tools with guidance from the instructor.

Each pair can move forward calmly at their own pace. A range of supportive tools is available, including visual supports, fidget toys and ear defenders. The course takes a multisensory approach: for some, sensory work based on touch may feel most natural, while others may prefer using a brush, sponge or different printing tools.

During the course, participants explore colours and easy techniques such as salt painting, modelling and printing with a variety of fun objects. They can also make their own fidget toy and print a fabric tote bag to take home.

The course is suitable for children with special needs who benefit from individual support and accessible participation. In art-therapeutic work, the final result is not what matters most; the shared process and the experience of being seen and heard are at the heart of the work. Everyone is welcome just as they are.

The language of instruction is Finnish.

The course is led by Maarit Myllynen, the developer of the Color in Life courses, an art therapist and art teacher (Master of Arts). The course is organised by Mahdollisuus Lapselle ry.

Price: Child and parent 185 euros total. Register by October 14 2026 using the registration form. https://www.malary.fi/