12/31/2025
Happy ALMOSt New Year! This week at Winter Clubhouse, our youth made vision boards in a way that actually fits complex, brains: low pressure, high choice, and zero “do it right” energy.
A big reason we lean away from perfectionism: when a youth thinks there’s a “correct” board, their nervous system often goes straight into freeze, shut-down, or performance mode. But when the goal is simply expression and regulation, creativity comes back online.
Also, many neurodivergent youth don’t naturally connect with abstract, far-off “future self” prompts. “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” can feel like a blank wall. So we focused on right now: what feels steady, what feels exciting, what feels like them, even if they can’t explain it yet.
Here are 3 you can try at home:
1️⃣ Use Visual Timers to set a amount of time you will commit to focusing on this project and not giving up
2️⃣ Brainstorm coping strategies in advance: set the foundation that when it gets hard we will stay engaged somehow
3️⃣ Join In! Even you being there to look at pictures, cut papers or be along for the ride means more than you kow!
At Bolts4Kids, we don’t measure growth by neatness. We measure it by safety, connection, and small moments of confidence 💛
Learn more about what we do at www.bolts4kids.ca
