Craft of the month · January 2027 · 45 minutes · 4-8 residents
Hopes for the Year Memory Jar
Each resident decorates a clear jar and fills it with paper slips: a hope for 2027, a favorite memory and a small happy moment to add each week. The writing is short and the decorating is open-ended, so every ability level can take part, and the jar becomes a keepsake to look back on all year.
Get the large-print instructions
You'll need
- Clear plastic jars with lids, one per resident (recycled peanut butter jars work well)
- Colored cardstock cut into 1-by-4-inch slips
- Large-print felt-tip markers
- Ribbon or yarn in winter colors
- Foam stickers: stars, snowflakes, hearts
- Glue sticks
- Washi tape or colored masking tape
- Blank adhesive labels for names
Before residents arrive
- Wash and dry the jars, remove old labels and check that no edges are sharp.
- Cut slips ahead of time and print three starter prompts in large type: 'I hope...', 'I remember...', 'This week I smiled when...'
- Set out each resident's supplies on a tray so no one has to reach across the table.
Step by step
- Write or help write your name on a label and press it onto your jar.
- Wrap a ribbon around the jar's neck and tie a bow, or ask a neighbor to help tie it.
- Decorate the jar with stickers and strips of colored tape any way you like.
- On a slip, finish the sentence 'I hope...' with one wish for the new year. Fold it and drop it in.
- On a second slip, finish 'I remember...' with a favorite New Year's memory. Add it to the jar.
- Share one slip aloud with the group if you'd like.
- Put the lid on and set the jar where you can see it. Add a happy moment each week.
Adapt it for every ability level
- Independent: Offer extra slips for a gratitude list or a goal for each season. Pair with a neighbor to swap and read each other's hopes aloud.
- Supported: Use pre-printed slips with yes/no choices to circle, such as 'Visit with family'. Staff can write while the resident talks.
- Sensory: Focus on the feel of the ribbon and stickers. Staff fills one slip with something the resident enjoys and reads it aloud warmly.
Safety: Use plastic jars only, never glass. Keep small stickers away from residents who may put items in their mouths.
While hands are busy, ask
- What did your family do on New Year's Eve when you were young?
- What is one thing you would like to do more of this year?
- Did you ever make a New Year's resolution that you kept?
- What small thing always brightens your day?
Print the instructions
Materials, prep, every step, the ability adaptations, and the questions to ask, on one large-print sheet. Plus one useful email a month. Unsubscribe anytime.
