In collaboration with Purple Hydrangea Dementia Care Consultation & Support
As a dementia professional who has worked in memory care and assisted living and home care, I find it really important to find activities that work with different levels of ability and can be modified day to day. The Search and Find Boards from S&S are one of my favorite activities. You can modify for earlier or later stages of dementia, and it can be an independent activity or in a group.
The pack comes with two dry erase boards with objects on them. The great thing about these boards is that they have a hard clear plastic on top, so they are durable and can can be re-used. They also come with a felt eraser. One of the boards is abit busier, with a lot more objects on it and can be a bit more of a challenge. The other has more white space in it, fewer objects and less disctrations, so it will may a bit easier to start with.
Each board has different objects, so you will have so many options for activities. You can switch back and forth between the two boards as well.
View the Search and Find Boards here >
They also have these Memory Boards that you can use the same way!
Search & Find Boards – Activity Ideas:
“I Spy” – reminiscing
- Find specific objects and have a conversation about that object or general topic about that object & cross off the objects as you go with the dry erase marker.
- Modify: use sticky notes, poker chips, candy pieces, etc. if a marker is too difficult.
You can use these boards for a traditional “I Spy” game, where clients go back and forth spying an object and the other person finds it. This activity also allows you to turn it into a conversational piece, and have residents reminisce about each object. The board acts as a starting point.
For example, “I spy a cap of a cream soda bottle”. You could have a whole conversation about different things they like to drink, maybe they went to a soda shop after school with friends, and this can lead to a discussion on other activities that they enjoyed doing after school. Once you have talked about the cream soda cap, you can cross it off with a dry erase marker, so now you know you found and talked about that one. Then repeat with other objects. When you are done, you can use the felt eraser and wipe off the markers, which makes the board re-usable!
common groupings
- Look for colors, animals, shapes, food items, numbers, letters, etc.
As an alternative to looking for specific objects, your group can look for things that have commonalities. For example, “find all of the objects that are orange” and residents will circle the butterfly, fish, etc. or “find all of the animals” and circle an elephant, turtle, owl, etc. This is a great way to improve cognitive skills.
These can also turn into conversation starters – maybe your resident had an experience with a turtle or owl that they would like to share. View the video below for a demonstration!
tic tac toe variation
- One person uses X and one person uses O. Alternate turns to mark off objects in a category you’ve chosen.
For this idea, you can make it a group activity and have each resident take turns. Each one will have a marker and finds certain objects that you specify. One can mark with “X” and the other can mark with an “O”. This is like a variation of the classic tic tac toe game. It can be fun to see which objects your residents are drawn to, and discuss the objects.
scavenger hunt
- Find objects on the board then in their residential space. This encourages movement and socialization aside from the players of the game.
Another great way to use this is a scavenger hunt! This adds some physical activity to the game. This is a great idea for senior facilities, because there may be a lot of these objects from the boards that you can find around your facility. For example, if I say “find the paper clip”, they have to get up out of their chair and walk around to find the paper clip. This can even facilitate conversations with others that they would not normally be interacting withm and adds a social aspect.
Search & Find Board – Tips:
• Use the busier board for those in earlier stages of dementia & the less busy board for those in later stages of dementia.
• The more the merrier! This is a very intergenerational-friendly activity, so involve friends, kids, and companions to join in.
• Modify the activity by covering part of the board so there are less distractions. Cover up half of it, or a third, and use only small sections.
• If marker and eraser are difficult for your person to grab onto, you can also use objects to place on the top of the board to mark off that you have already found and discussed those. Ex. bingo chips, candy, paper or felt, sticky notes, etc. to cover the objects.
This is one of my favorite activities from S&S Worldwide. It is fun for individual residents, as a group activity, and also for an intergenerational activity if senior residents have grandchildren visiting. It is a long lasting activity with many objects on each board, plus it can be reused over and over.
Remember, there are so many way to make this your own and get creative, and see what works best for your group!
About the Author:
Olivia is a Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) and Certified Montessori Dementia Care Professional (CMDCP). She has been working with caregivers and those living with dementia for over a decade. She is committed to making professional dementia care as personal as possible. Olivia was motivated to fill the void in personalized dementia care when she saw that the professional side of dementia care often blinds us to the personal aspect. She wanted to provide the deep personal connections that are often missing in the industry so she started Purple Hydrangea Dementia Care Consultation and Support, with a mission to equip dementia caregivers with the tools they need to feel supported, knowledgeable, and confident in their role.
