Art Lesson Plans May Ward Off Memory Problems

Exactly how do art lesson plans contribute to a person’s health? Well, as you grow older, it becomes important to keep your mind active.

Get more creative through taking art lessons. It is an excellent way of maintaining your mind body connection. as you are taking old information and ideas and combining them to make something new. This is especially true when you’re learning a brand new art technique… such as painting with pastels. You’ll be creating familiar scenes through an unfamiliar medium.

Learn Something New Make the Mind Body Connection

The human brain is always hungry for new information, even in old age. The main difference between the learning that takes place as a child…

and the learning that happens, as you get older… is your brain’s ability to retain the new information.

Activities where you are active and physically engaged will stick with you longer. Your brain retains the muscle memory of the activity.

This is why you’ll remember how to ride a bicycle far longer than you’ll remember math or a foreign language. Learning something new in old age can help counteract memory problems. You’re creating new neural pathways and keeping old ones alive at the same time.

Art as a Tool for Memory Problems

If you look at art lesson plans as senior activities…

You’ll see the benefit of learning a new technique as an aid for memory retention. Art requires you to be able to use your short-term memory. Being able to look at a scene or object and retain it long enough to recreate it on the canvas in front of you.

Art lesson plans also require your long-term memory. As you’ll need to make a plan for the picture as a whole. Then determine where certain objects need to be in relation to each other.

You then have to remember this plan each time you revisit the picture to be successful.

Painting With Pastels

When you’re looking for a new art technique to learn as a way of keeping mentally fit… you should consider pastels. Pastel paintings have a bright and cheerful nature. Which almost forces you to create positive images.

The other big selling point of pastels is that they don’t run or dry out. This means that you don’t have to do long spells of painting. You can walk away and leave the painting for days at a time without having to worry about it. They are quite messy to use. So you’ll need to make sure that you have a dedicated space for them. And plenty of paper towels close by to keep your fingers clean.

Using pastel art lesson plans will also show you that you’re not limited to just using paint brushes.

You can use just about anything to create… the smudged and airy look… that comes naturally to pastel paintings. It is one of the best senior activities. You can use your hand and fingers to mix the colors around. This not only helps to build the muscle memory and the knowledge base. It also helps to keep the mind body connection fresh.

There is no time like the present to start something new. That will stimulate your brain… and improve your overall outlook. Never forget that Grandma Moses didn’t start painting until she was in her seventies. She is still famous for her work today.

Other articles in our activities series

Activities for Senior Citizen Centers

Growing Bonsai Trees

Retirement Advice and Being Active

Oil Painting Lessons offer Mind and Body Connection Benefits

Pastels Art Lesson Plans

Beginner Guitar Lessons

Beginner Guitar Lessons Part Two

Piano Lessons for Beginners

Family Tree Research

Tai Chi for Seniors

Brain Fitness and the Wii

Fitness Program for the Brain

Gifts for Seniors

Don’t forget gardening, skiing, golfing or swimming and so much more.

We will continue our series of activities for seniors and not so seniors until we run out of things to do. That will take a long time.