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Exploring Your Creative Side: 12 Art and Craft Ideas for Seniors

Creativity has no limits, no matter the age! Today may be the time to explore your creative side and let your imagination run free. 

Over the years, art in various forms and shapes has made our lives better. Arts and crafts were linked to an amazing impact on the human brain, not only for children but also for adults. Art is probably one of the few fields that allows us to discover and express ourselves, and the fact that we can do that without using words is even more fascinating.

While kids are taught to join various artistic activities to develop their creative side, who said seniors can’t adopt the same pattern? Any kind of art can help improve the quality of life and maintain the brain as sharp and active as in your twenties.

If these lines convince you to jumpstart exploring your creative side, let’s start with one of my all-time favorite activities.

creative side
Photo by Kalcutta from Shutterstock
  • Modeling polymer clay

I chose modeling polymer clay as the first thing on the list for one reason: it helps you develop your creative side. Being super easy to play with, polymer clay is an affordable product that you can find in every artist store in the neighborhood but also in online stores.

Without the need for an oven, polymer clay dries strong in a matter of hours and is incredibly simple to form by hand. It comes in a range of colors, but in case you don’t find your favorite, you can use acrylic paint to paint over it once it has dried fully.

One may create a multitude of items with polymer clay, such as little cups, decorative flowers, earrings, and rings.

  • Create greeting cards

Do you remember when, in high school, art teachers asked us to create greeting cards for every holiday season? If it was fun, why not recreate those moments now as a senior? Get yourself some blank paper, scissors, some glitter, a couple of colored pencils, and other stuff that gets you motivated to make the card look pretty.

The good thing is that there are no limitations and you can look up the internet for some inspiration and then let your imagination take control. Send these cards to your loved ones for birthdays, Christmas holidays, or any other special occasions to bring a smile to their faces. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it!

  • Make a birdhouse

This is mostly for senior men who want to explore their creative side! If you always liked wood carving and carpentry in general, now that you have more time to dedicate to this hobby, you can build something out of wood that may be quite fulfilling. What do you say about a tiny birdhouse? You can create one from scratch if you have the necessary equipment and skills.

If not, don’t worry, because building one from a kit purchased from a retailer is another excellent choice.

  • Create paper blooms

If you’re on a roll with paper crafts and you’re also skilled at drawing flowers, you can create something cool. Paper flowers, created by stacking layers of tissue paper, provide color and brightness to any space. Turn them into large, eye-catching arrangements, table settings, or bouquets.

  • Color mandalas

Discovering your creative side doesn’t mean you have to create everything from scratch. You can also use your imagination and your favorite colors to use for other projects too. For example, coloring mandalas can be a very calming project for seniors. You can practice meditation by coloring geometric shapes to help you focus and remove yourself from daily worries.

Coloring books are widely available online, Amazon has a ton of stuff but this one is among my favorites 100 Mandalas Adult Coloring Book and it costs just $9.99. If you don’t find something that you like here you can also check at your local bookshop.

  • Pressed flowers

Another way to explore your creative side is by collecting some of your favorite flowers and artistically putting them between two wax paper sheets. To weigh the flowers down, place a thick book on top and leave them overnight. When the flowers are completely flat, you may laminate them or use them to make a variety of crafts, including photo frames, coasters, bookmarks, and greeting cards.

  • Abstract (or finger) painting

After everything you’ve read here, you don’t see yourself doing this because you believe you don’t have any artistic inclination? No worries, my friend, because not everybody has to be good at art to create it!

Painting abstracts is a heartfelt artistic endeavor that offers you more opportunities to produce your work and awaken your creative spirit in a more liberated and expressive way. Finger painting, for example, can be a form of abstract painting, and even though it can become a tad messy, it’s very fun. This form of creativity is also recommended for seniors who have difficulties with coordination.

  • Do some rock painting

When it comes to painting rocks, the only limitation is your creativity. Among many other things, you may turn boring rocks into ladybugs and garden decorations. Sounds fun, right? Get yourself some acrylic paint, and a couple of brushes of different sizes, and let your imagination run wild. If you decide to try out this crafty project, let me know how it goes!

creative side
Photo by JIB Liverpool from Shutterstock
  • Make a terrarium

Are you a plant lover? Then what do you say about making a terrarium on your own instead of overspending on it? Planting a terrarium and adding a little garden to your house is surprisingly simple. Play around with tiny plants like mosses, ferns, and cacti with various hues, forms, and textures.

If you like tiny sculptures, you can add some to your terrarium, but just make sure they’re suitable for humid spaces. I just bought this set of mini mushroom figurines that’s just one click away from you, and it costs $$11.99 on Amazon.

  • Pottery

Making pottery or ceramics is an enjoyable pastime that your parents will enjoy from start to finish. It’s a creative outlet that lets seniors show off their artistic side and make unique gifts for loved ones.

  • DIY a photo collage

You can look through all of your family photographs, vacation photos, and even wedding photos and design something that would be a wonderful addition to your hall of fame by creating photo collages. This may be a fun art project for you to engage in. You can also embellish the picture frames by adding a splash of color to make them pop! You just need a couple of brushes and a couple of acrylic colors.

Remember those paper flowers I recommended you make? They might be added to the photo frames’ sides. Furthermore, you can also make a picture gallery out of your refrigerator! It is simple to turn any size photo into a magnet with sticky magnetic sheets.

  • Restore the look of old bookmarks

There are tons of ways to make bookmarks or even restore some old ones that you like. They also make perfect gifts for friends and family members who love reading books as much as you.

If you enjoyed this article about arts and crafts, you might also enjoy these related posts: 

8 Amazing Stress-Reduction Techniques for Seniors

Keep Your Mind Sharp! 5 Best Mental Exercises for Seniors

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