Create a Senior-Friendly Vision Board for the New Year

If you’re looking for a creative, low-stress activity to try in the new year, consider making a vision board. What’s that, you ask? A vision board is a collection of meaningful visuals or textiles spread across and attached to a board like a corkboard or poster board. The meaning of a vision board is the real reason behind making one–it should represent your goals or vision (hence the name).

Whether your goals are small, like learning how to make an indoor herb garden, or larger, like downsizing your home, you can lay it all out on a vision board to help you feel inspired and motivated throughout the year. Some people like to have vision boards specific to a certain area of their lives, such as a career or retirement board. Others create more general boards that describe their vision for the year. Everyone’s vision board looks different, but it generally includes a collage of images, words, and phrases related to your goals.

How Can Making a Vision Board Benefit Seniors?

Vision boards can be a ton of fun, but they’re more than an afternoon art project. Creating your vision board is a creative process that can provide various benefits.

• It helps you set intentions. A 2019 study found that people who use vision boards as a form of self-expression said creating the project helps them identify goals, purpose, and values.
• It can provide a sense of purpose. Goals give you something to work for, and having goals can help you harness a sense of purpose.
• It can be a fun social activity. It’s perfectly acceptable to create a vision board on your own, but it can also be a fun activity to do with friends and family–or even your caregiver! Plus, there’s no age limit or gender restrictions on creating a vision board, so it’s genuinely an activity you can enjoy with anyone.
• You can tap into your creativity. One of the primary reasons people enjoy vision boarding is because it’s a creative outlet. It’s impossible to mess up your own vision board–the sky's the limit! And you can tap into your creative mind to design something that makes you happy.

Time to Make Your Own Vision Board: Here’s How

To get your creative juices flowing, explore the tips below as an outline to help you navigate the creative process.

Write Down Your Goals

Like any great art project, vision boards take some prep. Before you start cutting and pasting images, write down a few goals or aspirations you have for 2025. They don’t have to be lofty goals with action steps, but instead, think of ideas or plans you’d like to achieve in the new year.

If you’re having trouble coming up with goals, consider a few of the following questions to spark some ideas:

• What’s a hobby you’ve been wanting to try but haven’t had time for?
• How would you like to show up for your loved ones this year?
• What’s something new you’ve wanted to learn, either a skill or a topic?
• What’s something that will make you feel more like yourself?

In addition to goals, write down words or phrases that inspire or bring you joy. Include everyday things that make you happy, such as having a nice cup of tea in the morning or spending an afternoon with your favorite food and television show.

Gather Your Materials

Once you have a general outline for your vision board, it’s time to gather your materials. You’ll need some basic materials like:

• Board - either a poster board, cardboard cutout, or corkboard
• Glue
• Scissors
• Markers or colored pencils

You’ll also need things to put on your board. You can grab some magazines, travel books, or newspapers to cut images and words out of. You can also use the internet to search for images, then print them and put them on your board.

If you want to really jazz up your board, here are additional supply ideas, some of which you might have at home already:

• Scrapbook paper
• Stickers and stencils
• Washi tape
• Photos from your life and experiences
• Die-cut shapes and embellishments
• Ribbon
• Glitter
• Mini clothespins and string

You can find supplies at nearby craft stores in Rockwall.

Start Creating

This is where you let your creativity lead you. Start by placing things on your board, moving images and words around until you have a visual you enjoy. Once you have everything in its place, start pasting it with glue, tape, or whatever method you use to secure your materials to the board.

Your vision board doesn’t have to look perfect or pristine. Simply make something that inspires you. And don’t forget to have fun!

Update As You Go

It’s natural to change goals and interests throughout the year. Your vision board is not a set-in-stone plan for how the year has to go. As the year goes on, you can continue to add or remove things from your vision board. Continue to evolve your board as little or as much as you want. Make sure you keep it somewhere you’ll see it daily so that it is regularly on your mind, gently inspiring and motivating you as you go about your days.

Building Vision Boards With Visiting Angels

The compassionate team at Visiting Angels is happy to help clients create vision boards and other craft projects to improve their overall well-being. Caregivers can provide transportation to a local craft store, assist with cutting or printing images, and help find the perfect display location for clients’ vision boards.

Beyond helping clients find enjoyable crafts and activities, Visiting Angels Garland caregivers can assist with nonmedical household tasks such as light housekeeping, cooking, medication reminders, and mobility. We do what it takes to keep seniors safe and independent at home so they can spend their time enjoying the present and focusing on what motivates them.

Give us a call at 214-703-8123 to learn more about our in-home services and how we can help!