When activity staff are unavailable, The Busy Box can be a great solution. These boxes can be filled with materials that residents can enjoy independently. With the help of family, visitors, or available care staff, residents can make use of these boxes.
What should be Inside in the Busy Box?
What should you include in a Busy Box? If you are overwhelmed with the possibilities of what should you put in seniors’ busy boxes, we got you covered! Here are some ideas to cater to various interests and needs of your beloved seniors:
1. Aqua Paints
Aqua Paints are wonderful resources especially for those with memory loss but also enjoyed by everyone. The magic of these paints is that they reveal colorful images when touched with a wet brush. You can find scenes like home life, tool sheds, and beach life. The best part? The paintings dry quickly and can be reused countless times.
2. Jigsaw Puzzles
Jigsaw Puzzles are great and have given many people hours of enjoyment. Some residents may have enjoyed puzzles in the past but find them challenging now. By using puzzles with larger and fewer pieces, they can still experience the satisfaction of completing them.
3. Scrapbooks
A great activity in memory care is to make scrapbooks out of old magazines. Buy cheap scrapbooks and get the residents to make individual books that can either contain only dog pictures, cats, or your chosen theme. Glue the cut out pictures into the scrap books.
For residents who love dogs, a dog scrapbook can be a comforting distraction. Let them browse through the pictures and enjoy the memories. Add captions like ‘Man’s best friend’ or ‘What a cute puppy’ to enhance the experience.
4. Sewing Tools and Things
For residents who once found joy in sewing, create a nostalgic and engaging sewing-themed activity. Fill the boxes with retro patterns, vintage pattern books, soft fabric scraps, inspiring pictures of sewing machines, and colorful balls of wool. To add an extra touch, include weaving rings with wool for a tactile and creative experience.
5. Cooking Box
Create a nostalgic cooking box filled with old recipe books or personalized recipe books featuring residents’ favorite recipes with ingredients and pictures. Include vintage cooking utensils or cards with images of classic kitchen tools. To complete the experience, add aprons, wooden spoons, measuring spoons, and old recipe cards found at thrift shops or donated.
6. Card Games and Board Games
Card games and board games in the busy box are great if you can get a group of residents together to play. These games can also be enjoyed with a carer or visiting a friend or family. Choose games of different levels to suit everyone’s needs from easy matching card games to draughts and scrabble.
7. Coloring Sheets
Artistic residents just love to draw and color in! Another idea is to leave adult appropriate coloring sheets printed out for them! You can provide pencils, colored markers, wax crayons, and water paints for seniors to use. Include small paint brushes and containers for water to rinse them. Also, have a collection of stickers on sheets so their creations can be decorated and enhanced.
8. A Basket of Clothes
A basket of clothes for folding is a great activity, especially for those with memory care needs. Items like baby and small children’s clothes, socks, tea towels, and pillowcases work well as they are not too bulky. Folding these items can be a therapeutic and engaging activity.
Key Takeaway
As aged care coordinators, it is important to plan ahead of time to make sure that the facility would be smooth sailing with or without our presence. We should provide fun and enjoyment for seniors with any means necessary. That goes to say that implementing some of these things for your own Busy Boxes is a great idea. Sit back and watch as seniors enjoy them from time to time!
Download your printable PDF copy of Busy Box for Seniors in Aged Care
