Crafts are a great way for seniors to express themselves and enjoy doing something new. Aside from being fun, crafts are a good way for seniors to engage themselves mentally by focusing their attention on creating something. Keeping seniors occupied with craft activities will also help keep them from getting bored and falling victim to depression. We at Carefect Home Care Services would like to offer some ideas for spring crafts that seniors can enjoy working on with their family members, in a group setting or on their own.
Simple Crafts (Painting, Drawing and Pottery)
Some simple crafts that seniors can enjoy regardless of their skill level are painting, drawing and pottery. Pottery requires more materials since you will need access to a kiln in order to finish the pottery pieces, but if you do have access to a kiln it is a very fun activity for seniors. Seniors that are skilled at pottery can enjoy making nice vases or other pieces while those who are beginners can start with small bowls and work their way up. Pottery gives seniors the chance to make something with their hands that they can actually put to use around their house. Painting and drawing can also be fun for seniors as it gives them the chance to create their own work of art to display. Family caregivers can supply paper and pencils or a canvas and paint and let their loved one come up with their own idea or provide a picture or object for their loved one to mimic in their artwork. When your loved one is done, let the piece dry and then have them choose a place to display their work. Painting, drawing and pottery can all be done year round, but family caregivers can add a touch of spring to the activities by providing their loved ones with bright and pastel colors to paint or draw with and by teaching them how to draw flowers or spring landscapes. Taking your loved one outside to draw or paint can also be very beneficial for them because they can enjoy the nice weather and use their surroundings as inspiration for their work.
Quilts
Another activity that seniors often enjoy is making quilts. Making a quilt does require them to know how to sew, but if you have a group of seniors who are interested you can try holding a class to teach them how to sew and then allow them to make individual quilts or a large group quilt. If the group makes one large quilt together you can display it somewhere that they can all see it and enjoy it. Seniors who make individual quilts can use their quilt or give it as a nice homemade gift to their friends or family members. Another great group activity is knitting. Seniors can form a class or club and learn how to knit together and then work on making their own items such as scarves, potholders or blankets. As with quilts, hand knit items make nice items that seniors can give as gifts or keep for themselves. Quilts and knit items are usually more popular in the winter, but they can be good activities for the spring as well with the right touches. Floral patterns give quilts a nice spring look, and making them thinner allows them to be used during warmer weather. Even if seniors do not want to use their new items right away they can get started in the spring so that they will have time to make all of the items that they will want before winter rolls around again. Starting early can be particularly useful for seniors who have arthritis and might need more time to complete their quilt or knit items.
Scrapbooking
Seniors who have old photographs on hand can make scrapbooks to preserve their memories in a unique way. Have your loved one do a spring cleaning of their house and see what they can find. They might be able to find old pictures or fabrics that they want to include in their book. Seniors can decorate their scrapbooks pages any way that they want and then have their pictures compiled in a book for them to look at whenever they want to. Creating a scrapbook can be especially good for seniors with memory impairment as it gives them something to look at to help bring back their memories of pleasant times in their past. Seniors with memory impairment can also try captioning their pictures when they create the book so that they will always know what is happening in the pictures.
Family caregivers can try out the crafts in this article with their loved ones and switch things up every once in a while so that they have the opportunity to enjoy different craft types. Family caregivers should also keep in mind that group crafts are a great way to allow seniors to interact with each other and share tips and ideas while they work. For the spring, try as many of these ideas outside as possible so that seniors can enjoy the weather and use their surroundings in their art.
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