For activity directors

A calm 45-minute coloring and puzzle hour

A simple plan for senior living, adult day and library programs, with free pages you can copy for everyone in the room.

Get the free pages Make a puzzle with your residents' words

The session plan

First 5 minutes

Warm up together

Read the word list out loud as a group. Ask one question about the theme, like "Who had a percolator?" It gets people talking before pencils come out.

Next 30 minutes

Quiet work, two choices

Put out a word search and a coloring page at every seat and let each person choose. Soft music from their teenage years helps. Circle the room and offer the answer key as hints, not as a test.

Last 10 minutes

Share and display

Invite people to show a finished page and tape colored pages to a hallway "gallery" with first names. Families notice, and it gives everyone something to talk about on visits.

Making it work for everyone

Low vision: enlarge to 11x17 on the copier, or use the maker's Extra Large setting with a 10 x 10 grid.
Memory care: pick the Big Snowflake or the Stained Glass page, which have large shapes and no wrong answers.
Tremor or arthritis: chunky markers and a clipboard work better than colored pencils.
Mixed groups: pair a strong reader with a neighbor and let them "find words together".

Permission to copy

The free pages on this site and the free sampler may be printed and copied for your residents, patrons or group at no charge. Please don't resell them or post the PDFs elsewhere; link to this page instead.