Christmas Crafts For Seniors
Holidays are a time for family, joy, and celebration. For seniors, including them in festivities lifts their spirits and makes them feel special. Crafting is a fantastic pastime for older adults at any time of the year! They can express creativity while spending quality time with family.
Here are some fun crafting ideas to enjoy with your older loved one.
Handmade Decorations
What are holidays without decorations? The finished result is a lasting reminder of your time together to decorate your home or theirs. Consider these simple ideas:
Paper Plate Wreath
Create a festive wreath using paper plates, paint, glue, and embellishments:
- Cut out the center of a paper plate. Consider safety scissors if your loved one has unsteady hands.
- Paint the paper plate green or any color you wish! You can also buy colored paper plates to skip this step.
- Glue decorations to the wreath. Ideas include bows, pompoms, ribbons, or rhinestones for extra sparkle.
Flowers Arrangements and Centerpieces
Arranging flowers or centerpieces can be a fun and calming craft for older adults. Collect flowers, plants, branches, and decorative elements like ribbon or twine. You can use a vase or floral foam as a base. Lay everything on a table and let your older loved one express themselves.
Sparkling Snowflakes
Snowflake ornaments are perfect winter crafts for older adults. You need popsicle sticks, glue, tinsel, stickers, pompoms, rhinestones, or other decorations. Here’s how you make them:
- Paint the popsicle sticks in a chosen color (unless you have colored sticks).
- Glue the sticks together in the center to form a snowflake shape.
- Decorate with glitter, bells, pompoms, or anything else.
- Glue string or ribbon to the back to hang these ornaments on the tree.
Holiday Scrapbooks
Scrapbooks can be especially important Christmas crafts for seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s. You can capture holiday memories using printed photos, safety scissors, glue, and a notebook. For extra flair, add some decorative elements. Once finished, your loved one will have a keepsake to remind them of your special time together.
Painted Gifts
Let your loved one’s inner artist shine by helping them create their own masterpiece. Arrange a canvas, acrylic paint, paintbrushes, and a cup of water on a table. Newspaper or a waterproof covering can prevent the art from spilling over. You can find plenty of inspiration online or let your loved one’s imagination run free.
Rocks make a fun, exciting alternative to canvas. Your loved one can give the stones as gifts or place them around the community to spread kindness.
Read more about great crafts for seniors with dementia here.
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