Colouring books have been immensely popular this past year, bringing much calm to people who immerse themselves in mindful colouring. Bringing colour and creativity to your life can certainly help you unwind and relax. So, would you considering sharing the gift of creativity with your family this Christmas?
We seem to naturally involve children in colouring in and play. But let’s not forget the elderly!
Being able to spend time with elderly family members is a true gift, and showing your love while making something together is priceless! Creativity can be such a bonding experience when the whole family gets involved.
It is important to remember that creative expression is about focussing on the person’s ability (rather than disability). There is no such thing as right or wrong. Creativity is more than colouring inside the lines; it’s also about going outside the lines!
The benefits of creativity
Creativity offers many benefits for the elderly, including:
- Increased self-confidence
- Feeling empowered
- Feeling happier and calmer
- Exercising fine-motor skills
- Awakening the imagination
- Exercising cognitive functioning
- Helping with focus
- Fun and enjoyment
What activities are suitable?
Activities that your elderly loved one enjoys and finds meaningful! What are they interested in? What are they good at? What was their occupation? For example, if your grandfather loves horses, but dislikes cars, it would be much more appropriate to offer him an art activity involving horses rather than cars.
Let them explore a range of media like watercolour and acrylic paints, crayons, clay, collage and wool, but don’t introduce them all at once. Keep things simple and break things down into manageable steps.
It is a good idea to give the elderly a template or an outline, as a blank piece of paper can seem daunting. Inviting an elderly person to add colour to a mandala design can do wonders, as it helps with focus and structure. Templates that are simple, and have dark and thick outlines work best.
Activity: “Stained glass window” Mandala
I recently invited an aged care group to participate in this activity, and everyone was left beaming! All people, including those with poor vision, can take part in this activity. It’s a fantastic activity to do with the whole family too.
Materials:
- Wax paper cut to A4 size
- Pencil
- Acrylic paints (several colours)
- Paintbrush
- Bottle lid (from plastic water bottle)
- Blu-Tack
- Tissue
- Black A4 paper (to frame your artwork)
- Glue stick
Steps:
- Draw an outline of a circle onto the wax paper with a pencil.
- Add large thick dots of paint inside the circle with the paintbrush (the circle outline is just a guide, don’t worry if you go over the line).
Tip: The more colours there are, and the closer the dots of paint are, the better the colours will blend in the next step.
- Push down a bottle lid to blend the dots of paint and create a pattern.
Tip: Stick some Blu-Tack inside the bottle lid, so that the elderly can hold the Blu-Tack and manoeuvre the bottle lid more easily. Also, occasionally wipe the lid with a tissue so the colours don’t become murky.
- Allow the artwork to dry.
- Cut a circle out of the Black A4 paper to make a frame. Glue the frame to the artwork.
- Display the “stained glass window” on your window, and admire the radiating colours and patterns as the sun shines through the wax paper!
Sound like fun? Why not give it a go with your family this Christmas?
Grace Randall (nee Ho) is a Transpersonal Art Therapist who is passionate about empowering the elderly to awaken self-confidence, express themselves, and nourish their lives through creativity in a supportive group environment.
Grace currently facilitates art therapy groups with people with dementia, physical disabilities and/or mental illness. She is also keen to support women to de-stress, find their voice and nurture their sense of self through art therapy. Grace has obtained an Advanced Diploma of Transpersonal Art Therapy, a Diploma of Energetic Healing, a Meditation Facilitators Certificate, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree (Psychology Honours Class I). Grace believes that showing compassion, and giving people the freedom to express themselves, allows them to flourish and live in harmony.