Arts and crafts for senior citizens is growing in popularity as more seniors discover the rewards of finding a new hobby or rediscovering a pleasurable hobby from their past. Many seniors enjoy painting.
As with age, physical limitations might hinder Senior Citizens from enjoying activities that were once part of their lives. Today's seniors are replacing some of those activities with enjoyable arts and crafts projects that give them a sense of accomplishment while keeping them involved in life. Arts and crafts are some of their favorite hobbies. They enjoy the thought of all the endless projects they can create, and can spend hours crafting alone, or with their grandchildren. They really love teaching them how to be creative. Even grandchildren enjoy doing arts & crafts with the Grandparents. Senior Citizens at a retirement homes pass their time to working at this , as it brightens their day and cheers them up. Arts and crafts are good therapy for the senior citizens. It keeps their hands busy, as well as giving the hands a workout, which helps the hands to thwart stiffness from being inactive. It also helps their minds to keep busy and alert, not to mention it is a place of social gathering for the senior citizens as well. After craft sessions, they have coffee, tea and cake or pie, and sit around chatting and sharing stories. A good time of enjoyment is had by everyone.
There are many easy and simple craft projects <http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/4161/easy_craft_projects.html> seniors and grandchildren can make. Seniors and their grandchildren enjoy each other's company and can make crafts for every holiday. As grandchildren decorate their home and the windows of their home with their decorations, they are encouraged to spend more time with their grandparents. Many seniors enjoy showing off their crafts to their friends, family and neighbors. If they are living in a residential facility, they can show off their crafts in their resident dining room, or livingroom; so visitors to the facility can enjoy seeing what they have made. This gives encouragement to the grandchildren and seniors as visitors to the senior facility show joy from what they have made.
Some of the favorite projects are:
Coloring Pages
: They can print them out on a computer for their grandchildren and others to enjoy.
Decorating
: Then can also use many different colors of paint and glitters for this project, and thus decide what to do with them when done. This allows them to think up their own designs and creations.
Simple magnets
: Some enjoy making magnets from just about anything, or glass stones, jewelry, toys, seashells etc. Sometimes they can even make simple straw hats and wreaths.
Bracelets & necklaces
: The grandchildren and the seniors enjoy working with all the colorful beads and other little trinkets. They also make great gifts.
Trinket boxes
: These boxes come in many different shapes and sizes, they paint and stencil the boxes, with whatever strikes their fancy when the are feeling creative.
Ceramic Painting
: They can buy ceramics from the dollar store. There are tons to choose from, and they can be hung on the wall, or even have little knick knacks to paint. Everyone enjoys painting these ceramic pieces.
Stick People
: Most say they have lots of fun making stick people that are so much fun to make!. Both popsicle or craft sticks work very well. You can even use just about any materials & craft items to create these cute stick people and even make stick animals. You can even use clothes pins. The kids get such a kick out of playing with them!
Paper Plate Faces
: The kids really love this one! All they need are cheap paper plates, crayons <http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/34117/crayons.html> or paint, glue and ribbons. Paper plate faces can be made as a wall hanging, a mask or just display it on mom and grandma's fridge. Seniors can also make paper plate clocks and teach younger children to tell time.
Decorative Clay Pots
: This is a fun project for young and old alike, decorate any size clay pot anyway you want, you can paint them, stencil, add buttons, or just mix it up, anyway you want to, Then just add a plant to the pot, and there you go, keep it for yourself, or give it away for a gift.
These are just
a few of the
craft projects <http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/4161/easy_craft_projects.html> they can do, and most of the craft items they use can be bought at the dollar store. Crafting is a wonderful way to spend time with children and Senior Citizens; it's not just about making something, it's about spending quality time with others, enjoying each others company and having fun too!
Many Senior Citizen Centers, craft stores and continuing education groups offer arts and crafts <http://seniors.lovetoknow.com/Arts_and_Crafts_for_Senior_Citizens> instruction to the older generation. Residents of nursing homes, group homes and assisted living <http://seniors.lovetoknow.com/Assisted_Living_Homes> centers are creating arts and crafts projects that are enjoyable while keeping their minds and hands busy. Seniors living alone find creative expressions to be a pleasurable way to pass the time.
As the trend toward arts and crafts for seniors continues to increase, the growth of senior citizen fairs is becoming more popular. Many people have the opportunity to sell their creations and supplement their income.
There are some Crafts that offer Senior Citizens exercise while making things. One is working with polymer clay, and another is one-stroke painting and mosaics etc.
Projects that involve working with polymer clay are a wonderful choice for seniors who suffer from limited dexterity in their fingers or hands. As they work and soften the pliable clay, they are also exercising their hands and fingers while creating useful or decorative objects including:
Pens
Vases
Pins
Holders for pens and pencils
Beads
Bowls
One-Stroke Painting
Many seniors are discovering the relaxing and creative hobby of one-stroke painting. With a few simple techniques, it is easy to create beautiful flowers, unique designs, butterflies and birds. One-stroke painting is simple to learn by following the illustrated instruction books by artist Donna Dewberry <http://www.hofcraft.com/donnadewberryonestrokepaintingbooks.htm>.
Mosaics
Creating a mosaic surface is a craft project enjoyed by many senior citizens. This project can be easily modified by using different-sized pieces in the mosaic patterns, depending upon dexterity and eyesight of the crafter. The mosaic pieces can be preformed into a design before being laid onto the surface or they can be placed on the surface as you go along with no particular design in mind. Mosaic pieces that seniors enjoy making often include:
Flowerpots
Picture frames
Mirror frames
Small tabletops
Trivets
Garden stepping stones
More Arts and Crafts Projects and Resources for Seniors
Photography is a wonderful art for seniors. Taking pictures of everything from people to flowers provides ready resource material for other crafts, too. Use the pictures to make collages, specialized stationary or begin scrapbooking <http://scrapbooking.lovetoknow.com/Main_Page>.
Seniors that love sewing <http://seniors.lovetoknow.com/Arts_and_Crafts_for_Senior_Citizens> and have difficulty with a small needle and thread may enjoy working with plastic canvass or string large beads for necklaces and bracelets.
Create a lacey pincushion or custom stationary <http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/crafting/article/0,,HGTV_3352_1390836,00.html> with step-by-step instructions from craft expert Victoria Crayne from HGTV. These crafts are designed especially for seniors that are new to crafting.
Senior Citizens can Look for more projects on the following sites:
At LoveToKnowCrafts <http://crafts.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Main_Page>, there are tips on knitting, candle-making, soap-making, rubber stamping, and crafts to do with children.
SeniorArk <http://www.seniorark.com/senior_tips_hobbies.htm> is a fun-filled site.
Find more senior craft ideas at TheCoolGrandma. <http://www.coolgrandma.com/learning/crafts_main.asp>
CraftBits <http://www.craftbits.com./>, AllCrafts <http://www.allcrafts.net/> and CraftPop <http://craftpop.com/> also offer excellent crafting ideas, tips and resources.
Arts and crafts for senior citizens provides an outlet for their creativity while keeping their minds active. They generally are less depressed and have a healthier outlook on life. Make any project a social event by participating in special crafts classes at stores such as Michaels <http://www.michaels.com/art/online/home> and Hobby Lobby <http://www.hobbylobby.com/>.
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