Hey everyone, as promised today I’m sharing all of the activity ideas you submitted to me on Instagram for my dad to do at home. If you missed my initial Instagram stories, I mentioned that my dad suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and lately it has been causing him to feel depressed so I’ve been trying to come up with activities and a daily routine for him. I asked you all for ideas and I was overwhelmed with the amazing response from everyone. Not only did you give me the best ideas, but you also gave me the courage and strength to continue helping my dad fight this disease. I used to cry a lot when he was first diagnosed because I felt so lost and alone.  I didn’t know how to make it all better and fix everything, but sharing my dad’s story with you has been so therapeutic and eye opening. I still feel a lot of stress and anxiety about the situation, but there are so many of you that are experiencing something similar with a parent so I will continue to share this journey with you so that we can all support and encourage each other.

You can read about about my dad’s story here—>A Challenging Road with MS or check out the most recent update here—> Father’s Day + No More MS’n Around

Easy Activities For Adults With Disabilities:

1. Journal five things you’re grateful for and five things you want to pray for each day.
2. Create a daily routine with a check list that he/she can check off throughout the day.
3. Daily stretches or meditation
4. Go for a walk even if it’s just down the street and back.
5. Crossword puzzles with names of things he/she likes
6. Volunteer work at a library or church
7. Wii tennis or golf
8. Take a water aerobics class
9. “Insight Timer” app for meditation
10. Puzzles of his/her favorite places
11. Adult coloring books
12. Painting — One of my sweet followers, Lauren teaches art and she sent all the best supplies to buy!
    Materials to gather:

    -paint (acrylic, but he may like watercolor)

    -brushes (round and flat) of various sizes

    -matte medium (makes acrylic paint thinner like watercolor)

    -Paint palette

    -canvas

    -90lb mixed media paper

    -cup of water, paper towels

    -easel or other work surface

    -drawing materials graphite, charcoal, chalk pastel

    -Natural light!

    -Maybe some books to use as painting/drawing references of things he’s interested in.

    “You can buy in store at Michaels or purchase online through Blick.com. Everything I’ve linked is through Michaels.

    Windsor Newton and Liquitex paint brand have good viscosity and pigment. It’s also not very pricey.

    Get these colors or get a box set:

    • Titanium white
    • Cadmium yellow light
    • Permanent alizarin crimson
    • Ultramarine blue
    • Burnt umber
    • Payne’s Gray

    *note: Cadmium Yellow is toxic but you can buy “cadmium free” yellow in Liquitex paint brand. I Love liquitex!

    If you are unsure about buying them individually, this is a good box set to start with

    He can add a matte medium to the paint to make it thin like watercolor if he likes to paint like that too.

    For paint brushes, round and flat are good to start with in various sizes. I’ll link one, but if you go in an art store you can buy them in variety packages. I personally use round and flat the most in various sizes.

    For paint palettes: I use a large zip loc container with a lid because palettes can be pricey. Get him a palette with a lid so if he stops working he can put a lid on it and it won’t dry out and he can pick up where he left off.

    For paper or canvas:

    If painting on paper, the paper needs to be at least 90lb. It will say it on front cover what it’s lbs are. Bristol paper is smooth. Mixed media paper is textured. Watercolor paper is really nice too.

    Canvas you can buy in many sizes!

    Drawing pencils are good for sketching things out.

    Compressed, vine charcoal and Chalk pastels can be used with acrylic as a sketch or drawn on top of acrylic.
    Lastly, watch this sweet video I watched a year ago that reminds me to encourage all ages to create. Not just my little students.”
13. Family game night
14. Beginner yoga classes or youtube videos at home
15. Use Resistance bands to work out
16. Create things with Polymer clay or play doh
17. Start an indoor planting kit
18. Maintain a small garden
19. Daily juicing
20. Put together photo albums
21. Adopt a pet like a cat or rescue dog
22. Get a putting green with a putter or go to a miniature golf course
23. Get an Amazon Alexa for him to set reminders
24. Take cooking or follow a cookbook
25. Get a Netflix account
26. Read the book 29 Gifts
27. Get the audible app by amazon

I bought these activity books from Amazon for my dad that you all suggested!

Life isn’t easy and I know sometimes it can feel like you’re on this road alone, but you aren’t. So many others face the same everyday challenges and struggles, but we have to find the strength in ourselves to keep going and moving forward. Just keep your eye on the light at the end of the tunnel and find a way to persevere and if you can’t do it for yourself, do it for someone else.

“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

You can find my tan sneakers available at Vince Camuto.