Coloring one to one: in someone's room, on a long afternoon

A one-to-one coloring activity can be as small as five Bold pages and a pencil. Leave them within reach for the person who doesn't come to the table. Or it can be a long afternoon: a Bold page, a Story Starter, and a chair by the window.

Both take a few minutes to set up and fit between everything else on your day. Here's how each one goes.

In someone's room

Some people would rather stay in their own room. Some days, the activity room is just too far, too loud, or too busy. The pages can come to them.

What to bring:

• Five Bold pages, each a different subject. A garden, a cup of cocoa, an owl, a farmhouse, a boat.
• A pencil or two, already sharp, and a few colors.
• A clipboard, so the page has something firm under it.

Why five? One page left on a tray can feel like homework. A few different pages feel like a choice, and choosing one is already a small yes.

Put the pages and the pencil within reach: on the tray table, the arm of the chair, the windowsill by the bed. Not in a drawer, and not across the room.

Then keep it simple. Don't announce an activity. Name the top page by its subject: "I brought you an owl." Read its Story Starter once. For Owl in the tree, that's "Are you a night owl or an early bird?" If they answer, listen. If they don't, that's fine. Say, "I'll leave these here," and go.

Coming back

The next visit is where you learn the most. Look before you ask. Is there color on any page? Which one?

Ask about the picture, not about whether they colored: "What color did the owl end up?" If a page is finished, ask if they'd like to sign and date it. If a page wasn't touched, swap it for a new subject without a word.

Make a note of which subjects get picked up. Over a few weeks, you'll know what to bring. Someone who never touches flowers may color every boat you leave.

Your one-to-one notes can stay short: the date, the page, and one thing they said about it, such as whether they're an early bird or a night owl. One line like that tells the next person who visits exactly where to start.

The long afternoon

The hours between lunch and supper can stretch. A coloring page by the window fills some of them, and it needs almost nothing.

Set it up like this:

• A chair by the window, with light coming from the side.
• A clipboard or lap tray.
• One Bold page and a pencil.
• A second chair for you, beside them, not across.

Bring a page for yourself, too: the same drawing, in Regular. Sit down, read the Story Starter once, and start coloring your own page. You don't need to fill the quiet. Coloring side by side is company.

Tea by the winter window, shown above, was made for this. It's tea, lemon, and honey by a snowy window. Its Story Starter is "What did you like to watch from a window on a snowy day?" If that opens a door, its follow-up is "Birds at the feeder, children sledding, or just the snow?"

In warmer months, try Farmhouse by the fence. Its Story Starter is "Are you a front-porch sitter, or a backyard person?" The follow-up is "What did you like to watch from there?"

Ten minutes is a good visit. So is an hour. Let the page decide.

Why Bold, one to one

In someone's room, the light is different. The page sits on a lap or a tray, not a big flat table. Bold is made for that. It's the same drawing with thicker, darker lines and fewer tiny details, so it's easier to see and easier to finish.

Bring a Regular copy too, in case they'd like more detail. Staff pick the version that suits each person that day. If they want the other one, swap it. You can read more about Regular and Bold.

What to say, and what to skip

A few things help:

• Call it by its subject. "I brought the owl" lands better than "Do you want to color?"
• Ask about, not whether. The Story Starter on By the fire asks, "What's your favorite spot to get warm on a cold day?" Anyone can answer that. A quiz is different.
• Never correct a memory. If it's wrong, it's still theirs.
• Take no for an answer. Some days it's a no, and that's fine. Leave the page anyway.

The question works without the page. Even if the pencil never moves, reading the Story Starter and listening to the answer is a visit.

Make it part of the day

One-to-one visits don't have to come only from the activity team.

Keep a folder of Bold pages and a cup of pencils on the activity cart. Aides passing a room can leave a page. A volunteer can do the long afternoon once a week. A family on a visit can color the same drawing twice: Regular for the visitor, Bold for the person they came to see.

Keep the folder full with a mix of subjects and seasons. Cup of cocoa is a good one to have on hand. It's one big mug and some snowflakes, and its Story Starter asks, "What belongs on top of hot cocoa: marshmallows or whipped cream?" Nobody gets that one wrong.

Start with six

Need pages for your first room visits? The First Pack is six drawings with a Story Starter on each, free, with your organization's name on the cover. Print a few, and leave them where someone can reach them.