Sketching Intergenerational Scenes

Overview

This is a simple activity in which participants sketch scenes of activities involving some sort of interaction between people of different age groups.

Participant Requirements

People of all ages, as long as they like to draw and have the cognitive ability to understand the topic of intergenerational interaction.

Objectives

Encourage people to think "intergenerationally" and reveal their experience and imagination on paper.

Academic Connections/Life Skills

Art, creativity.

Resources/Materials

Assorted drawing supplies (e.g., paper, pencils, crayons, and markers). If desired, include decoration supplies, scissors, glue and colored paper.

Steps

• Provide participants with drawing supplies.
• Ask participants to think about activities they do -- or might like to do -- with people in other age groups. (For younger children, ask specifically what they like to do with their grandparents/great-grandparents.) If needed, prompt them to think about various arts and crafts, dancing, cooking, computing, gardening, and other activities.
• Have participants draw scenes of activities in which there is intergenerational exchange.
• Have participants discuss their drawings with each other.

Considerations

Kaplan and Hanhardt, 2003
Copyright © 2003 The Pennsylvania State University