Family Caregiver Projects: Unique Art for the Family to Make Together

Family Caregivers in Knightdale, NC – Try this Fun Art Project for the Whole Family

​As a family caregiver for your elderly parents, the most wonderful part of your relationship is the time you get to spend with your family. Though your primary goal within your role as a family caregiver is to make sure your aging parents are healthy, safe, and happy, your role as their adult child means your goal is to continue loving them, having fun with them, and making lasting memories. Planning activities to do together brings the generations into one experience for priceless family bonding and lets you take your focus off of some of the more stressful aspects of caregiving.

The next time you are looking for something to do with your family, try this project and create a unique piece of art you can proudly display. This spin on a family tree is a visual reminder of how special it is that the different generations of your family have a strong relationship and that the youngest are carrying on the legacies created by the eldest.

What You’ll Need

• Large piece of white poster board, large canvas, or roll of artist’s paper
• Several colors of washable poster paints. If possible, choose a different color for each member of the family, blending colors to create new shades
• Paint sponges
• Paint trays
• Drop cloth or plastic tablecloth
• Masking tape
• Rags or towels you do not mind getting messy
• Permanent markers
• Chair

How to Do It

•  Find a large open area of floor in your home. You can also do this in a garage or other place where there is a large, flat, clean space to work. Lay out the drop cloth or plastic tablecloth and put tape on the corners and edges to keep it in place
• Place the poster board, canvas, or unrolled artist’s paper in the center of the cloth and tape the corners down. Make sure it is placed horizontally so the widest edge is toward you. This surface should be at least 36 inches wide
• Place the chair in front of the paper and the paint tray to the side
• Put a small amount of each color of paint on the paint tray, being careful not to allow them to run together. If you have a large family, you may want to wait to put the paint in the tray until each person’s turn or use more than one tray
• Start with the youngest family member. Have him sit in the chair and use a paint sponge to carefully apply a layer of his color of paint on to the bottoms of his bare feet. Instruct him to press his feet in the exact center of the paper, positioning them so they nearly touch. If this is a baby, hold him above the paper and have another adult quickly press his feet down and then pull him away from the paper
• Move on to the next oldest member of the family and repeat the process, having her place her feet on either side of the smaller prints so that hers surround them. Position these prints close to the smallest, but not touching them and with enough empty space to clearly see the definition of each set of prints
• Continue this way until you finish with the oldest member of the family placing his prints on the far edges of the piece
• Once the paint has dried completely, use the permanent marker to write the name of each person on the corresponding left footprint and that person’s age on the corresponding right foot print. Use a white or metallic marker for darker paint colors. Write your family name at the bottom of the piece along with the date.

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