FOR ACTIVITY COORDINATORS
Paint by numbers in care settings.
This page is for activity coordinators, care managers and family carers. It sets out which kit specification actually works in a care setting, a session plan you can print and work from, and an honest note on who the activity does not suit.
We make and sell the kits. We are not a training provider and we do not run sessions. For bulk or donated kits, email hello@paintamoment.shop rather than ordering through the site.
The specification we recommend
The instinct is to buy the most detailed version. In a care setting that is the wrong call.
24 colours, not 48
Fewer colours means larger sections and larger printed numbers. The premium 48-colour tier produces sections too small to be comfortable for most residents.
50x60cm or 60x70cm
The largest canvases we make. Section size scales with canvas size, so bigger is genuinely easier, not just more impressive.
Familiar, high-contrast subjects
Animals, gardens and coastal scenes. Avoid abstract designs and portraits, and anything that could unsettle.
A session plan you can work from
A ONE-HOUR SESSION
Written for a table of four to six. The full version, with adaptations, is in the guide below.
An honest note on who it does not suit
Paint by numbers is not a treatment and we would not claim otherwise. The evidence base for art activity in dementia is genuinely thin: the 2018 Cochrane review of art therapy found only two eligible trials covering 60 participants and rated the evidence very low quality.
It is worth doing for engagement and enjoyment. It should not be offered as anything more.
It tends not to suit someone with significant visual-perceptual difficulty, anyone whose tremor makes small sections frustrating rather than absorbing, and anyone likely to be distressed by getting it wrong. If a resident may put brushes or paint in their mouth, it is not suitable for them at all.
Common questions
Yes. Email hello@paintamoment.shop rather than ordering through the website. There is no trade portal and no order minimum. I can assemble a mixed selection of subjects at the right specification and arrange delivery in one go, and I am happy to talk it through on a call if that is easier.
Possibly. I keep a small number of kits aside each month for care settings that cannot fund them from an activities budget. There is no application form. Email me and explain the situation. This is a one-person business, so the number available is genuinely small, but the offer is real.
The 24-colour Standard tier at 50x60cm or 60x70cm, in the No Frame format. Fewer colours on a larger canvas gives the largest sections and the largest printed numbers. Choose familiar, high-contrast subjects such as animals, gardens or coastal scenes, and avoid abstract designs and portraits.
Yes. The paints are water-based acrylic intended for use on canvas and not for ingestion. If your home needs documentation for its COSHH or art materials policy, email and I will send what I have. If a resident is likely to put brushes or paint in their mouth, this activity is not suitable for them.
Where to next?
A few places worth a look.
The full practical guide
Kit choice, group setup, adaptations, reminiscence, safety and storage.
For adults generally
How the difficulty levels compare, with realistic completion times.
