Curve | Dementia Friendly Activities Sheet

Dementia Friendly Activities Sheet

This activities sheet is designed for carers, friends and family members to use to support creative activities for someone living with memory problems or dementia.

These activities are designed to be explored together in a fun, informal way.

We’ve provided ideas to get you started, but these are only a starting point - use your imagination and the interests of the person with dementia to develop your own themes and ideas.

For more information on Dementia Friendly productions at Curve, visit; https://www.curveonline.co.uk/dementia-friendlyperformances/ 1

Themed Box Conversation and Creative Writing Curate a collection of items that all align with an overall theme in a box (or on a tray or table, any means of identifying the items as a collective).

Think of items that evoke multiple sensory experiences; sounds, smells,tastes and tactile items work well in this activity.

If this activity is being done with a family member or friend, old pictures of that person can be a good tool to stimulate stories.

We encourage the person assisting the activity to select a theme personable to the person they are planning the activity for, however some ideas for themes and collections of items can be found below;

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Seaside Collection shell, sun cream, sand in a jar, vanilla essence and vinegar on pieces of cotton wool to smell like ice cream and fish and chips, pebbles or smooth stones (even better if they are warm as though they have been sat in the sun), old postcards, stick or rock, photos of the beach or promenade, Punch and Judy shows and donkey rides.

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Gardening Collection gardening gloves, soil in a container, seeds, stones, floral aroma (for example lavender essential oil), handheld gardening tool (spade or rake), audio of bird song.

Street Party Collection bunting, balloons, reminiscent music of a celebration or era, flags, paper hats, cupcake or finger sandwiches, tea bags or loose-leaf tea, pictures from nostalgic street parties.

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Invite the person living with dementia to open the box and spend as much time as they would like exploring each item.

Encourage conversation about each item by using all the senses; how does it feel, smell, sound, taste (if edible).

Please ensure non-edible items are explored together and are not consumed.

Make note of any descriptive words either of you use when exploring the items.

Next discuss reminiscences with the person living with dementia.

When reminiscing, sometimes the question “Do you remember...” may cause challenge or upset, so it is a good starting point to ask broader questions to initiate the conversation.

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Some examples of opening questions after exploring the seaside collection may be; “When you think of the seaside, what comes to mind?”

“I love fish and chips when I’m at the seaside, do you?”

“My favourite seaside to visit as a child was Blackpool, did you go to the seaside when you were younger?”

Open ended questions can also be asked such as;

“Do you have any stories of the seaside you would like to share?”

Sometimes in this style of activity, conversation about stories and memories begin organically, so feel free to pause mid exploration to fully engage with the natural progression of conversation.

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After noting some of the stories, memories and descriptive words down, work together to build some of the ideas into a life story or a poem.

Use examples of the memories, descriptions, words and phrases which make you and your activity partner smile.

Think about words that go well together, words that make a pleasing list, that sound nice when you say them - use the exact phrases the person uses.

Poems do not have to rhyme. These descriptive points can be extended into a short story by linking the ideas together in a narrative story. Working collaboratively will help to inspire one another when translating the sensory exploration to page.

Extension idea Encourage the person living with dementia to read the life story or poem to a friend or family member. If this activity is delivered in a group setting, encourage them to read and share their life stories or poems with each other.

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Singing and Dance Reminiscences Select a song, or a playlist of songs, that means something to the person living with dementia. These may be songs that have a significant meaning or from a time period in their life.

Prepare by printing out the lyrics to the song, as well as making a clear space to move in with a well-supported chair available.

Print of photographs of the artist, especially momentous occasions they may have performed. If the songs have significant meaning to the person living with dementia, find photographs from that time in their life to show them.

Play the song once to start with and listen to it, then again and sing along using the lyrics. After this, look through the photographs and images.

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Encourage a conversation about the song to prompt reminiscence.

An open question to start from could be; “How do you feel when you listen to this song?”

Other examples of prompt questions could be;

“Did you ever dance to...”

“Have you got a story about dancing / singing to this song?”

“Do you have a favourite song by ...”

As previously, encourage natural conversation progression to allow the person living with dementia to fully explore the music.

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Lastly, offer the person living with dementia if they would like to dance to the song. This could be gentle standing dance, or seated dancing dependent on their mobility. If they would like to dance, allow them to take lead, and reflect their style and movement of dance with your own.

Clapping or tapping along to the rhythm of a song is a helpful way to introduce the idea of movement to the music, and often movement will organically evolve from there.

Give a second chance for reflection, as dancing may prompt further stories or memories.

*Please note, these are activities to undertake together, to ensure the comfort and safety of the person at all times.

Please ensure non-edible items are not consumed during activities.

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