What I don’t often write about is children.

Involving children in activities with your loved ones, however, can reap tremendous benefits.

Children have a remarkable ability to brighten the lives of everyone around them, which is especially true for individuals with dementia. I’ve been in many facilities with active community outreach programs, where children-focused groups, such as the YMCA’s Adventure Guides, Scouting America and the Girl Scouts, come to visit or perform, often around holidays. The whole room lights up!

Likewise, when a young person accompanies their parent when visiting a loved one, many others eagerly reach out to engage with them. Kids are like happiness magnets to older adults.

Encouraging children to participate in activities with their grandparents or other relatives who have dementia can also foster understanding and empathy from a young age, building respect for older adults. We say it’s essential to respect our elders, but we rarely involve our children in meaningful ways to learn this firsthand.

One of the most heartwarming activities is singing. While many older adults enjoy music, the experience of children singing for them often brings an extra layer of joy. We’ve certainly seen this in our memory care homes; while residents appreciate professional entertainment, there’s a particular delight when children share their songs.

A few meaningful-yet-straightforward activities that children can enjoy with their memory-impaired grandparents include reading books together, engaging in simple conversations, and looking at photos, which can tap into long-term memories. These take little preparation but lead to rewarding outcomes.

Other activities that take only a little planning include cookie decorating, blowing bubbles, coloring, water coloring, and playing with modeling clay or dough. These are tactile experiences that also promote creativity and dexterity — while having fun.

Games are also great for kids and older adults. For those adults with memory impairments, keep the games simple with board games, such as Candy Land or checkers, simple card games like Uno, or even jigsaw puzzles. Who doesn’t enjoy a good puzzle? Best of all, the unfinished puzzle can be revisited and joined by the whole family.

Other tactile experiences might involve the garden. While outdoors, plant seeds together and talk about the life of the plant, and the need for water and sun. Encourage the older adults to share their experiences over the years. While indoors, try flower arranging, which involves the senses of touch and smell while being creative.

We host a monthly “Live Love Art Family Day” at my memory care facilities and invite families to join their loved ones in a special craft and/or activity, enjoy good food, music and fellowship. Our activities, like those you may plan for yourself, should be fun for everyone involved. They not only provide moments of happiness — but also help children develop compassion and understanding.

Lauren Mahakian — who writes a monthly column dubbed “The Alzheimer’s Whisperer” for the Palos Verdes Peninsula News, an SCNG community weekly publication — is a certified dementia practitioner and elder care specialist. Mahakian facilitates a twice monthly support group in person and on Zoom. For ore information, call 310-383-1877, email busoffice@familyconnectcare.com or go to familyconnect memorycare.com.