Art sessions for young sibling carers
This festive season, we're offering FREE online creative arts sessions on Saturday 22nd November for young people who care for a disabled, neurodiverse, or seriously ill sibling. Delivered in partnership with Artpod, each session will include support from a member of the Sibs team, ensuring a welcoming and inclusive space for sibling carers to connect and create. These unique sessions are made possible thanks to the generous support of The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust.
Who can come to the sessions?
This session is for young people who help care for a brother or sister who is disabled, neurodiverse, or seriously ill. We’ll ask you about this on the booking form.
Caring can mean many things — from keeping an eye on them, helping with dressing, supporting emotional regulation, or being the one who understands and communicates with them best. Your child doesn’t need to be formally registered as a carer to take part. If you’re unsure whether this applies to your child, feel free to drop us an email to [email protected] — we’re happy to help. Parents will need to be available for the first 5-10 minutes of the session so that we can say hello and introduce the session.
Which session should I book?
Saturday 22nd November
- 10am-11.30am (ages 4-10)
- 1pm-2.30pm (ages 11+)
What will we be making in the art sessions?
In this joyful arts session, siblings will create their very own festive tree table decoration, with activities tailored to different age groups.
Ages 4–10: Younger siblings will decorate a cone using colourful paper shapes to form the tree’s leaves. They’ll receive a mix of pre-cut shapes and larger papers to trace and cut themselves. Starting from the base, they’ll build their tree upwards – finishing with a sparkling star on top!
Ages 11+: Older siblings will craft layered star decorations using foam or felt. These stars will slide onto a stick, with beads placed between each layer for a festive touch. Some stars will come pre-cut to help with tracing, and participants will also cut and decorate their own unique stars
What equipment will I need?
We will post a box to your home containing everything siblings need to complete the activity, but you will need to provide some scissors. Each activity is carefully designed for children to be able to do on their own, but some may need support from parents during the session. Each pack will include some suggested follow-on activities you can easily do at home with leftover materials or common household items to keep the creativity going!
To participate, parents/carers will need to provide an email address to receive the Zoom link. You’ll need Wi-Fi and a computer, tablet or smartphone with camera and microphone (usually built in). If for any reason you have technical difficulties during the session, each pack will include instructions to allow you to complete the activity. Parents will need to be available for the first 5-10 minutes of the session so that we can say hello and introduce the session.
Frequently asked questions
Can more than one sibling in a family join in?
Yes, absolutely, they are very welcome to join — but they’ll need to attend the session that matches their age group. We have limited places, so ask you to consider whether this is an activity that all of your sibling children will enjoy.
Will I have to pay?
Thanks to funding from The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, we’re able to offer free places at these workshops.
If you’re in a position to do so, we kindly suggest a donation of £5 per child to support Sibs and help cover the costs of running sessions like these in the future. Each place costs Sibs £35, so any contribution is greatly appreciated.
Thank you for any support you can give.
My sibling child does not provide any care, can they still join?
Unfortunately not on this occasion. The funding we have received is specifically for sibling young carers. Caring can mean many things — from keeping an eye on them, helping with dressing, supporting emotional regulation, or being the one who understands and communicates with them best. Your child doesn’t need to be formally registered as a carer to take part. If you’re unsure whether this applies to your child, feel free to drop us an email to [email protected] — we’re happy to help.
Can my disabled child join in?
Sibs is only funded to work with siblings of disabled children, so this activity is for sibling carers only.