Hi – Arts & crafts allows dementia participants to use color to represent thoughts and feels more comfortable expressing themselves through nonverbal means especially painting. Enjoy – Meghan (text me if you have questions 303.717.5134)
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Watercoloring painting or markers or colored pencils – Provide brushes and watercolor sets or markers or pencils and coloring pages with black-and-white outlines of flowers, seasonal events (New Year’s or Valentine’s Day found online at https://www.justcolor.net for early-stage dementia) or https:// www.coloring.ws for middle to advanced stages dementia.
Click the photo to view Kelly’s explanation about painting.
- Select 2-3 pictures for each participant to choose from. Next, have them select a color for whichever picture they choose.
- For advanced stage dementia, pick their favorite color and begin coloring the picture for them and then you say “it’s your turn to color!”.
- Some want to paint with an easel while others want to paint on the table.
Tempera paints (water based) – you can use a paint brush or roller or sponge. Tempera or watercolor paints, easels and rollers. – Michaels, Hobby Lobby, DickBlick.com or Joanna Fabric.
Positive attitude and smiling can make people happy
Loom & weaving -Early to advanced stage dementia that encourage creative expression. They can have the hook and weave or they are sort by color or they can do whatever they want to with the loom and loops! Curved pegs prevent loops from slipping off.
Flower arranging -Early to advanced stage dementia that encourage creative expression for flower arranging. For early stage dementia, real flowers might be usefully. Have a vase or holder and plastic flowers (cut the flowers up to make them individual flowers).
Lacing cards and holes & thread – Get your hole puncher, thread or yarn and paper plate or birthday card or holiday card out. Have your participant punch holes and begin lacing the card. If you yarn, put tape around the end of the yarn to make a needle.
Rubber band art –Rubber bands shape puzzle matrix 8×8 brain teaser. Good for early to middle stage dementia who love making shapes, letters, or designs.
Bead or button work – Middle to advanced stage dementia. Find a string or shoe lace or pipe cleaner and have them put beads or buttons on it. For the holidays, go to the store (Michaels, Hobby Lobby or Dollar Tree) to find white and red beads to put on pipe cleaners to make candy canes! Make sure they did not put the beads in their mouth!
Clay sculpturing – early to advanced stage dementia. The participant can make textures and shapes by using the basic pinch-pot method or rollers or pasta machine to make the clay thinner. Then they can create anything the can imagine – animals to aliens!
Picture framing -Any stage of dementia can do this activity. With a picture frame with multiple frames, have them put photo into the frames – squares, circles and rectangles. Find old photos (black & white photos) of themself or family photos, make copies and cut them out to fit the frames. He or she may talk out about the photos and reminisce.