When people get older and they retire, it becomes hard to find things to occupy their time. Before, they had full schedules and full lives, work to be done every day, and then chores and more. Now that they’re retired, the only thing that they must do is find some way to spend their time.
A great way for anyone (especially the elderly) to spend their time is to engage in craft projects. Most people always wished that they had spent more time working with wood, or learning how to knit or sew, or creating a physical product that they could hold out at the end of the project and say ‘I built this with my own two hands’. There are a lot of great things that crafts can do for the elderly. They can help to give practice to the fine motor skills, for example. They can help to elevate the mood and instill pride in the work being done (and the finished result). And they are just a great way to occupy a few hours a day or so.
Here are just a few craft projects that can occupy the time of the average senior citizen:
Constructing a Birdhouse
Constructing and painting a birdhouse is a great crafting project for a couple of reasons. To begin with, the actual construction is easy to do and low priced and can be done with the use of a hammer and nails or screws. This means it doesn’t require much in the way of supervision for most seniors.
Knitting a sweater or afhan
Knitting is a fantastic craft for anyone of any age because not only is it easy to do and simple to acquire the materials for, but because at the end, you’re left with a utilitarian object like a blanket, socks, sweaters, hats, and scarves, just to name a few. This means not only does the senior crafting these things get to enjoy them, but they get to enjoy the pride of having something, some finished product, that they can show off to all.
Knitting requires only a plan of what is going to be knit, a set of knitting needles, and the yarn that will make the project come to life. It’s a very low-stress and low-impact activity, and something that can be done almost anywhere on earth, including on airplanes or in cars. Consider knitting for a fun way to create homemade objects that can be used to keep warm or fashionable.
Painting
Painting is widely considered to be the ultimate form of visual expression. It’s a great way to occupy time while still creating something that can be cherished for years to come, and you can paint literally anything that you can conceive of.
Painting requires a handful of things. You’ll need some paints, preferably non-toxic. You’ll need a canvas and an easel on which to rest said canvas. You’ll need two cups; one which will remain dry and hold unused brushes (or those that have been rinsed clean), and one which will hold water for rinsing off used brushes. have been rinsed clean), and one which will hold water for rinsing off used brushes. You will need a variety of brushes of various width as well, and something on which you can mix the paint.
With these simple and inexpensive parts, the imagination can be completely unchained, and allowed to flow freely through the brush held by the artist. At the end, they’ll have a piece of art to hang on their wall.
So, if you are looking for a few great craft ideas, particularly ones that do not require a lot of work or hassle, here are just a few great ideas for crafts that can be done at any age, but particularly for seniors. These crafts are also likely to help with their mental elasticity, which is always a good thing, and they help with fine motor skills as well!