Help students feel seen and valued.
Students draw original artwork transformed into custom keepsake pillows — an SEL arts enrichment program for K-12 classrooms, after-school, and community events. CCSPP Approved Vendor.
Ready
The Purpose Behind the Program
Designed for classrooms, after-school programs, and family-school community events. Supporting the whole child through creative reflection, SEL grounding, and identity expression.
Supports the California Community Schools Framework — whole-child model through creative reflection, SEL grounding, and identity expression
Builds Active Family & Community Engagement when offered during family-school partnership events and community gatherings
Supports Collaborative Leadership: teachers, counselors, after-school staff, and family liaisons can all facilitate using the same simple outline
Aligns with Expanded Learning Time & Opportunities across enrichment blocks, after-school programming, and extended learning sessions
Reinforces Integrated Student Supports — honoring each child's creation builds identity, pride, and self-worth
Program Experience
A flexible creative flow adaptable for classrooms, after-school programs, and community events
GROUND
A facilitator reads a short grounding prompt to get everyone in the right mindset, calm, present, and ready to create.
REFLECT
Guided prompts invite participants to explore what comfort, safety, joy, and belonging mean to them personally. There are no right or wrong answers here.
IMAGINE
Participants choose one meaningful idea to draw: a self-portrait, who they want to be when they grow up, a person they love, a place that feels safe, or a memory that matters. Every prompt is open-ended — the choice is entirely theirs.
CREATE
Using paper and markers, participants draw at their own pace with bold outlines and bright colors. Every line, shape, and choice is honored exactly as they created it.
ANCHOR
Their Draw Pillow becomes a tangible personal grounding tool they can hold and hug anytime they need to reconnect to the calm, safety, and joy they felt while creating it.
How It Works 🏢
From first drawing to final reveal. Works in classrooms, after-school programs, and community events.
Guided Creative Experience
We provide everything your facilitator needs: a step-by-step guide, reflection worksheet, and drawing activity. No art background required. Flexible enough to fit a class period, an enrichment block, an after-school session, or a family-school community event.
Artwork Submission
Completed drawings are photographed flat and uploaded to a shared Google Drive folder provided by Draw Pillows. Simple, straightforward, and no tech skills needed.
Pillow Creation
Each drawing is hand-edited by our team and transformed into a custom-shaped Draw Pillow. Every line, color, and shape is honored exactly as the student created it.
The Special Reveal
When the Draw Pillows arrive, each one is as unique as the child who created it. A tangible grounding tool they can hold, hug, and return to. Reconnecting to the feeling they had the moment they made it.
Everything You Need ✓
A complete, turnkey program designed to fit seamlessly into your school day.
Facilitator Guide
Step-by-step guide for teachers, counselors, after-school staff, and family liaisons. No art experience needed.
Reflection Worksheet
A 'Before We Draw' worksheet with guided prompts for emotional reflection on comfort, safety, joy, and belonging.
Flexible Scheduling
Fully adaptable to your schedule. Works as a single session or spread across multiple days. Perfect for class periods, enrichment blocks, after-school programs, or community events.
Family & Community Events
Designed to run at family-school partnership events, community gatherings, and district engagement nights.
Simple Upload
Photograph drawings and upload to a shared Google Drive folder. No design skills or special equipment needed.
Custom-Shaped Pillows
Each drawing is hand-edited and transformed into a custom-shaped Draw Pillow. Every line, color, and shape is honored exactly as created.
Approved CA School Vendor
Draw Pillows is an approved California school vendor. Pricing is based on program size and can be paid directly through your district budget.
Backed by Research 🧠
Art You Can Feel is grounded in established research on art therapy, neuroscience, and child development.
"Drawing activates multiple brain regions at once: the motor cortex, visual cortex, and emotional processing centers. This strengthens neural connections and supports overall cognitive development."
Winner et al., Harvard Project Zero
"Art allows children to express emotions they can't yet verbalize. This is especially true for younger students or those experiencing trauma, instability, or transitions."
Malchiodi, Cathy. Art Therapy and the Brain
Connection Through Creation.
Art That Builds Community.
Some kids carry things they don't have words for yet. Art gives them a way to express what they feel, share who they are, and be seen by the people around them.
When a group creates together, something powerful happens. Differences fade. A shared experience takes over. And every child walks away holding proof that what they feel matters and that they belong here. The Art You Can Feel Program works wherever kids are: in classrooms, counseling sessions, after-school programs, and community gatherings. The activity is the same. The connection it creates is universal.
"When I use structured creative prompts in group sessions, something always shifts in the room. Kids who won't talk will draw. The physical object becomes a grounding tool they return to for comfort and emotional regulation. And I've had parents tell me they had no idea their child felt that way. The art communicated what the child couldn't put into words."
Art That Holds What Words Can't
For students navigating grief, loss, or life transitions — a Draw Pillow becomes something they can hold onto. A physical reminder that what they feel is real, and that the people they love are always with them.
✂️ Custom-cut to the shape of the drawing
Every line, every star, every wing — honored exactly as drawn.
Counseling Program Drawing Prompts
Grief & Loss
"Draw someone you love who is no longer here." The pillow becomes a comfort object — something to hold during hard moments.
Future Self & Identity
"Draw who you want to be when you grow up." Students visualize their future self and carry that vision with them every day.
Safety & Belonging
"Draw a place where you feel completely safe." Grounds students in a felt sense of security they can return to.
Resilience & Strength
"Draw yourself being brave." Externalizes inner strength into something tangible and visible.
"Kids who won't talk will draw. The physical object becomes a grounding tool they return to for comfort and emotional regulation. The art communicates what the child couldn't put into words."
Ready to Bring Art You Can Feel to Your Community? 🎨
Schedule a free 20-minute call with our team. We'll walk you through the program, answer every question, and help you plan it for full school rollouts, after-school programs, or district-wide community engagement events.
Opens Calendly in a new tab · Zero commitment
This Program Pays for Itself
Art You Can Feel is eligible for four major California funding streams. No fundraising. No parent fees. Just existing district budget — already allocated for exactly this kind of program.
Community Schools Partnership Program
Draw Pillows is an approved CCSPP vendor. Contract directly from your existing allocation — no separate grant application needed.
Who to Contact
Student Support & Academic Enrichment
Federal funds flow to districts annually. Visual arts is explicitly listed as a well-rounded education subject under ESSA Title IV-A, Subpart 1.
Who to Contact
Arts & Music in Schools
$1.045B statewide in 2025-26. EC §8820 requires up to 20% go to outside vendors — that budget exists specifically for programs like Draw Pillows.
Who to Contact
Expanded Learning Opportunities Program
Arts enrichment outside the regular school day is explicitly listed as an allowable ELO-P use under EC §46120. Any staff member can facilitate.
Who to Contact
Not sure which funding source applies to your district?
We work with districts every day to identify the right funding path. Schedule a free 20-minute call and we'll help you figure it out — no commitment required.
Schedule a Funding Consultation →