This activity gets your residents sharing memories by tossing around a conversation-starting ball! To make your own reminiscence ball, simply write some questions on a beach ball using permanent marker. The questions can ask about your residents’ preferences like “Cats or dogs?” or ask them to share a memory like “What was your favourite subject in school?” Your residents can sit in a large circle and toss the ball to each other. Whoever catches the ball answers the question that their right thumb is touching. Give the resident time to answer the question and for the group to comment before tossing the ball to someone else.
Get your residents moving and having fun with a game of seated kickball! Have your residents sit in a large circle. Toss a beach ball into the circle so your residents can kick it back and forth. Add other light-weight balls of various sizes to make the game more exciting.
These recipes are true fall classics, so they’re sure to bring back fond memories of the season! Try them with your resident baking club or pass them out at your next activity.
This easy activity creates a beautiful fall centrepiece in no time! You’ll need colanders and plenty of fall-themed fake flowers from the dollar store. You can also collect materials like pinecones and acorns yourself if they’re available to you.
If you want to change the colour of the colanders, you can easily spray paint them copper or brown for a rustic look. To create the flower arrangement, your residents can either fill their colanders like a bowl or flip them upside down and stick the stems of the flowers through the holes. You may need to cut the stems to get the flowers to the right height. Your residents can work on their arrangements until they’re happy with the look!
It’s never too early to plan for a holiday, and Halloween is just around the corner! With this DIY, you and your residents can create custom t-shirts with spooky Halloween designs. The best part is that you can get all the materials you need at a dollar store!
For best results, you’ll need t-shirts in a dark colour, since the design is created by spraying the shirt with bleach. This technique is sometimes called reverse tie-dye. You’ll also need Halloween-themed cut-outs to use as stencils. Usually, you can find wooden cut-outs in the seasonal section of a dollar store, but you could also make the stencils yourself.
Lay the t-shirts on a flat surface in an outdoor or well-ventilated area. Your residents can choose the stencils they want to use and arrange them on top of the t-shirt to create their designs. Fill a spray bottle with bleach and spray all around the stencils. Allow the bleach to dry before rinsing the shirts with water. Here’s a video tutorial that uses all dollar store materials!
These embroidery hoop pumpkins will be the perfect addition to your fall decor, and they’re so easy to make! For this craft, you’ll need embroidery hoops in any size and some fabric in whatever colour and pattern you’d like your pumpkin to be. The stem of the pumpkin is made from brown fabric or ribbon. See the full instructions here!
You can decorate your pumpkin with twine, fall-themed appliques, and any other trimmings you’d like to add. Check out the examples below for inspiration!
You’ve heard of paint-by-numbers, but did you know that you can create beautiful artwork with stickers, too? These kits are designed for adults and feature many different themes and difficulty levels. Each design is divided into dozens of numbered spaces and comes with the matching stickers. Just find the right sticker, peel it, and stick it in place. Keep your brain engaged while you watch the coloured illustration emerge!
We know that activity professionals will go above and beyond to entertain their residents. Next time you feel like going all out, invite your residents to watch the activity team compete in a mascot race.
The purpose of the event is simple. You and your team dress up as costumed characters and race each other around a track to determine the winner. To up the stakes and give your residents someone to cheer for, each team member can represent a different floor. The entertainment value is in the costumes, so be sure to break out your silliest ones for this event!
Invite your residents to give a presentation on a topic of their choice with a resident speaker series! They could share memories of an exciting trip, discuss their former career, or give a demonstration related to a favourite hobby. Your residents all have stories to tell, so this is a perfect way to help them share what’s important to them!
Help your resident speaker prepare a slideshow of photographs and anything else they need for their presentation. Invite the rest of the residents to attend.
This painting technique creates a beautiful marble or abstract effect. It can be used to customize just about anything with a flat surface, but a canvas is a good place to start. Be warned though, it can get messy!
You’ll need acrylic paint in a variety of colours and an acrylic pouring medium, which is used to get the paint to the right consistency. You can find pouring mediums at an arts and crafts store. Common brands are Liquitex and Floetrol. You’ll also need plenty of disposable plastic cups to mix the paint in.
Here’s a list of full instructions. Keep experimenting with this technique until you’re happy with the look you’ve achieved. When it comes to paint pouring, every piece is sure to be unique!
