What Does Your Tumor Look Like?
A monster? A blob? An alien? Something silly, strange, colorful, or completely impossible to describe?
This October, we’re inviting children with brain tumors to show us what their tumor looks like through their eyes.
Draw it. Paint it. Build it. Give it a name if you want. There’s no right or wrong way to create it.
Use whatever materials feel right—markers, crayons, paint, collage, clay, digital art, or something completely different. When you’re finished, give your creation a name and, if you’d like, tell us a little about what it represents to you.
For Parents & Caregivers
A brain tumor can be difficult for a child to explain, especially when so much of their experience is happening inside their body.
Creative activities like this can give children another way to express what they’re thinking and feeling. By turning something invisible into a character, creature, shape, or image they can see, children may find new ways to talk about their experience—and sometimes have a little fun with it, too.
Let Your Child Lead
Their tumor doesn’t have to be scary. It doesn’t have to be a monster. It can be funny, boring, angry, tiny, enormous, sparkly, gross, friendly, or something that makes sense only to them.
Try not to interpret the artwork or decide what it means for them. Instead, get curious about the story they want to tell.
Questions You Can Ask
If your child wants to talk about their artwork, open-ended questions can help them tell the story in their own words.
“Tell me about what you made.”
“Does it have a name?”
“What is it like?”
“What should I know about it?”
“How does it make you feel?”
“If you could change anything about it, what would you change?”
“What helps you when you’re having a hard day?”
“Is there anything else you want to add to your picture?”
Your child can answer as much or as little as they want. Sometimes the drawing itself is enough.
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