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Are your residents\u00a0<\/span>artistic and\u00a0<\/span>creative? If not, then use National Assisted Living Week (September 8-14) as a way to incorporate art therapy activities into your senior activity program. This year\u2019s theme is \u201cA Spark of Creativity,\u201d so be sure to help your residents explore their creativity through fun art therapy activities that include a variety of art forms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Provide residents with fun painting kits\u00a0<\/span>where<\/span>\u00a0they can showcase their creative design. For example, use\u00a0<\/span>ceramic piggy banks<\/a><\/strong> that\u00a0<\/span>residents can<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>easily\u00a0<\/span>paint in fun colors or even\u00a0<\/span>ceramic bisque plates<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0so that<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>residents<\/span>\u00a0can try to\u00a0<\/span>replicate<\/span>\u00a0popular China patterns.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Another painting option is to use watercolors instead of acrylic paint. For instance, if your residents would prefer to create their own design and choose their own colors, then supply them with<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>watercolors<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>watercolor paper panels<\/a><\/strong>,<\/span>\u00a0where they can freehand their own artwork. If, however,\u00a0<\/span>your residents<\/span>\u00a0need more guidance on shape and color, then provide them with\u00a0<\/span>paint-by-number prints<\/a><\/strong> or watercolor velvet art<\/a><\/strong> that they can easily fill in with the water-soluble paint. Furthermore, if you have residents who need even more help with painting, try Paint-a-Dot kits<\/a><\/strong> or super simple Aquapaintings<\/a><\/strong>, <\/span>where residents only need to add water to the prints to reveal the design.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A third painting option is finger-painting. For this activity, simply supply residents with\u00a0<\/span>finger paints<\/a><\/strong> and\u00a0<\/span>finger paint paper<\/a><\/strong>, and then encourage them to get their hands messy while having<\/span>\u00a0fun.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you want to see how well your residents do with sculpting, then s<\/span>upply\u00a0<\/span>them<\/span>\u00a0with\u00a0<\/span>air-dry sculpting clay<\/a><\/strong> so that\u00a0<\/span>they can<\/span>\u00a0create their own sculptures.\u00a0<\/span>Encourage residents to use their hands to mold the clay, or supply them with\u00a0<\/span>sculpting tools<\/a><\/strong> \u00a0if they would rather sculpt the clay.<\/span>\u00a0Then a<\/span>llow the clay to dry overnight so that it\u00a0<\/span>can\u00a0<\/span>harden before\u00a0<\/span>residents start painting the sculptures<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> If the clay is still really cold to the touch, then it’s not dry yet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If<\/span>, instead, you want to use colored clay or to use clay that can be reused, then\u00a0<\/span>supply residents with\u00a0<\/span>playdough<\/a><\/strong> or modeling clay<\/a><\/strong>. Just make sure to place the lid back on the <\/span>playdough<\/span>\u00a0container so that it doesn\u2019t dry out. In addition, when using reusable clay, you can even\u00a0<\/span>add in fun games. For example, invite residents to play a game of\u00a0<\/span>Clay Pictionary<\/span>, in which you<\/span>\u00a0supply each resident with a mound of clay and then name an animal to see who can create the animal the fastest.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Another art therapy idea is to u<\/span>se\u00a0<\/span>colored pencils<\/a><\/strong> to\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>each residents how to\u00a0<\/span>draw basic shapes and use shading to create dimension.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Simply provide<\/span>\u00a0residents with\u00a0<\/span>drawing paper<\/a><\/strong>, and encourage them to have fun creating\u00a0<\/span>their\u00a0<\/span>own\u00a0<\/span>designs. <\/span>To create a textured surface that is great to color\/draw on with colored pencils (especially if your using budget brand pencils but want bold color) base coat your paper with white tempera paint and allow to dry before starting your drawing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Another fun project to try is providing crayons<\/a><\/strong> first to create an abstract design on the drawing paper and then use watercolor paint<\/a><\/strong> mixed with plenty of water to wash color over the crayon design to create an interesting wax resist! You can see a finished sample of a flower resist design that was made using this same process here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Have your residents ever wondered how to use their phones to take pictures? If so, then\u00a0<\/span>host a fun photography class where you teach residents how to take high-quality photos using\u00a0<\/span>their phones while making sure to pay attention to\u00a0<\/span>focus, natural light, and perspective<\/span>\u00a0when taking the shot<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Then o<\/span>nce the class is done, encourage residents to pick out their favorite photos to download and place in a\u00a0<\/span>wooden frame<\/a><\/strong> that they can decorate or stain to match the colors in their photograph.<\/span> Or mat the finished pictures with these cardboard frames<\/a><\/strong> for display and host a gallery opening!<\/span><\/p>\n I<\/span>f your residents are more receptive to textiles, then host a fun decorating class where residents\u00a0<\/span>use\u00a0<\/span>fabric markers<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0 or fabric paint<\/a><\/strong> to decorate\u00a0<\/span>plush sea animals<\/a><\/strong> or these teddy bears <\/strong><\/a><\/span>that can be given as gifts to the<\/span>ir<\/span>\u00a0grandchildren.<\/span> Another project to try would be creating personalized pennants<\/a> that can be decorated using fabric paint<\/a> or fast-drying fabric markers<\/a> used as room decor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Do your residents like to doodle?\u00a0<\/span>If that\u2019s a yes,\u00a0<\/span>then\u00a0<\/span>teach them the technique<\/span>\u00a0of scratch art. For instance,\u00a0<\/span>provide them with\u00a0<\/span>scratch art paper<\/a><\/strong>, and then show them how\u00a0<\/span>they can \u201cdoodle\u201d<\/span>\u00a0on the paper<\/span>\u00a0using a\u00a0<\/span>stylus <\/a><\/strong>that removes the<\/span>\u00a0top<\/span>\u00a0black layer to reveal the color underneath.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, encourage residents to use their hands to weave fun crafts, like\u00a0<\/span>baskets<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>bracelets<\/a><\/strong>, or even the classic woven <\/span>potholder<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n About Not Just Bingo:<\/strong><\/p>\n Not Just Bingo<\/a>\u00a0is an online resource of fun, senior activity ideas for activity professionals of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. They have been providing fun activity ideas online since 2009, and continue to assist activity professionals across the country by creating meaningful and engaging activity ideas for their residents that go \u201cbeyond bingo.\u201d Not Just Bingo feels\u00a0privileged to help activity directors better the living experiences of their residents while demonstrating that a senior\u2019s quality of life can actually\u00a0improve<\/i>\u00a0when they move to a nursing facility!<\/p>\n Want even more ideas each month? Sign up for the\u00a0Notjustbingo Membership<\/a>\u00a0to receive specialized activity ideas to keep your residents and staff engaged, active, and having fun!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Painting<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Sculpting & Molding<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/span>Drawing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/span>Photography<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Textiles<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/span>Doodling & Scribbling<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/span>Weaving<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
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