Older Adults

Older adults make the most beautiful art. They have decades of noticing things and a steady eye for the details that matter. A drawing from an older hand carries a whole lifetime in it.

Art is a gift worth giving at any age. It gives an afternoon a shape. It makes room for things that are hard to say out loud. And it hands someone a pen instead of asking them to sit back and be entertained. Sharing art with an older person may be one of the biggest gifts you can give, because when you sit down beside them and make something together, you are telling them that their company, and their hands, still matter.

These are screen-free creative activities for older adults, to do at home, on your own, or side by side with someone you love.

Reverse coloring pages come with the color already on the page. You add the lines with any pen. There is no blank page, no right answer and nothing to finish. Memory Mix gives a family a game to make together and keep. Meaningful Moments keepsakes turn a handprint or fingerprint into a gift.

If you are buying for a parent or grandparent

Print a few pages, put out some pens and sit down with them. Then pull up more chairs. Invite the grandkids, a neighbor, or anyone at the table who says they can't draw. Reverse coloring works for a six-year-old and a ninety-year-old on the same page, and nobody has to be good at art to join in. It gives a visit something to do besides small talk and the television, and it gets the whole family making something together.

Good for

  • Quiet afternoons at home
  • Visits with grandchildren
  • Gift ideas for grandparents and elderly parents that go on the shelf, not in a drawer
  • A low-cost way back into drawing

Running art sessions for a group? See senior living and activity directors.