We recommend these simple exercises to assist with hand-eye-coordination, skills needed for artmaking. As you develop your own confidence you can make slight changes, however, please remember that predictability will support participation of people living with dementia.
Our observation has shown the benefits of this shared experience to ground participants and engage the body.
All art activities require coordination between the hands and the eyes. Sometimes it can be hard to make a start. These exercises are a way to begin each activity.
Because we're using our hands, let's start by rubbing them together. Feel the warmth? Rub them fast. And now slowly. Rub your fingertips together and the heels of your hands together.
And now we're going to fling our arms wide and make a whooshing sound. So rub your hands. I'm going to say three, two, one. Watch out for the person beside you.
Three, two, one, whoosh. Rubbing again, three, two, one, whoosh. Now shoulders up, breathe in, roll your shoulders back expand your chest. Breathe out as you lower your shoulders.
Exercises that require you to cross over your body connect the right hemisphere of your brain to the left hemisphere.
So let's start palms up. Closing one fist and opening closing the other hand to make a fist and opening. You can pull your hand down a little bit. Set up a rhythm.
Now put your palms facing inwards. Make one hand into a pointing finger. And with this pointing finger touch the palm of your other hand. And a part finger up attach the palm, finger up and touch your palm, finger up and touch your palm. And let's make this a little bit more complicated still. One hand, a pointing hand across your torso. The other hand open. And now again we're going to swap our hands over.
Remember to laugh if you don't get it quite right. Again, just setting up a rhythm. And now to finish.
Let's cross our arms across our bodies hands on the shoulders, breathe out.
Cross your arms over, and now we can start art making.