Paper Plate Flowers for Alzheimer's

Creating Paper Plate Flowers with People Living with Alzheimer’s Disease

Art activities for people with Alzheimer’s can be simple, joyful, and surprisingly beautiful. In this project, I wanted to use materials I already had around the house, and the results were truly amazing. Even the simplest supplies—paper plates, liquid watercolor, and sequins—can become a source of creativity, engagement, and pride for participants. Creating paper plate flowers for people with Alzheimer's turned out to be the perfect activity.

Materials

• Cheap paper plates (3 per participant)

• Staple gun

• Dick Blick Liquid Watercolors

• Sequins

• Brushes

• Water for rinsing

• Black construction paper

• Scissors

• Tacky Glue or Elmer’s

Steps

1. Precut shapes from the paper plates: big flower, medium flower, small flower, and two leaves, leaving the smallest center flower uncut.

2. Hand out the small flower and have participants paint it in pinks, reds, and purples.

3. Next, give the largest flower shape and paint it in pinks and reds.

4. Then the middle flower, painted in oranges and yellows.

5. On the biggest flower, staple two petals together to create a slightly raised effect.

6. Repeat the same raised effect with the middle flower.

7. On the smallest flower, staple two petals together to continue the dimensional effect.

8. Staple all three flowers together through the center.

9. Have participants paint the leaves green and staple them to the biggest flower.

10. Add a blob of glue in the center and pour sequins on top—this always brings a smile.

11. Glue the finished flower onto black construction paper.

12. Hold up each flower and give praise to celebrate their work.

Tips & Notes

• Use the entire paper plate for the big flower, and vary the petal shapes (rounded to pointy to rounded) as the flower sizes change.

• Stack several plates and use sturdy scissors to cut shapes efficiently.

• Keep paint colors separate to avoid turning them gray; small plastic cups with lids (like those for salad dressing) work well.

• Volunteers can be very helpful with stapling.

• The results can be far more beautiful than you might expect—these flowers often surprise and delight both participants and facilitators.

Reflection

Working with these simple materials reminded me that creativity doesn’t require expensive or elaborate supplies. The joy, focus, and pride participants experienced were priceless. Each flower became a personal expression, and the process fostered engagement, connection, and smiles all around. Please feel free to share your feedback below—I’d love to hear how these ideas might inspire your own art activities.

Happy results: