Caregiver Stress: Easing Stress by Playing with Clay
Caregivers in Manassas VA
Sensory therapy is an extremely popular therapeutic approach in the senior care community, gaining momentum since its development in the 1960s and becoming one of the most prevalent and versatile forms of therapy available. Utilizing sensory therapy activities with your aging parents is a fantastic way to get their minds active and working, but is also wonderful for easing stress, encouraging personal expression, and supporting creativity and imagination.
One particularly enjoyable and accessible forms of sensory therapy that you can integrate into your caregiver journey with your seniors is playing with clay. This activity may seem like just a game, but the tactile manipulation of the clay offers both mental stimulation and hand strengthening benefits, the colors stimulate the mind for faster and more flexible thinking, and the freeform concept of the activity encourages your loved ones to get creative and come up with anything that they want to design, often giving insight into themselves and their journeys through life.
While you can easily purchase clay or play dough at the store, making your own is far less expensive and allows you to personalize the dough for a more exciting and engaging experience. This simple recipe is perfect for your parents to make along with you, or get your children in on the fun as well and let both generations benefit from one another as they create their dough and then make projects together.
What You Will Need
- A large mixing bowl
- 1 and 1/2 cups of salt
- 1 cup of water
- 4 cups of flour
- 2 to 4 tablespoons of canola cooking oil
- Glitter
- Food coloring in desired colors
- A stirring spoon
- Plastic bags or a plastic container for storing
What to Do
- Pour the water into the large mixing bowl
- Add the food coloring to the water in the bowl
- Mixing colors will create new colors, so you can create multiple different balls of colored dough
- Stir the bowl to make sure the color is evenly distributed
- Add the flour and salt to the bowl
- Mix gently, but only briefly as mixing too much will create a crumbly dough
- Add the oil to the bowl
- The more oil you add, the softer the ball, but adding too much, too quickly, could make the ball mushy, so add the oil in with 2 tablespoons to start, and then one tablespoon at a time until you reach a desired consistency
- Add the glitter to the dough
- Mix the dough and the glitter together well until the dough is the right consistency and the glitter is well distributed
- Knead the ingredients together well until the dough is soft
- Store the dough in small balls in plastic bags or a plastic container. The dough will dry out if left uncovered.
Extra tip: Get another sense in on the experience by scenting your clay. Simply add a few drops of your favorite essential oil or skin safe fragrance oil while adding the canola oil and knead it in.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring in-home professional caregivers in Manassas VA, please contact the caring staff at LivinRite Home Care. Call Us Today at (703) 369-6677. Serving Northern Virginia, The Valley, and Surrounding Communities.
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