Skip to content
Manipulatives provide self-accessed, purposeful activity to Residents who live with dementia.

Easily affixed to the wall in the care environment, Manipulatives are readily accessible to Residents on a 24/7 basis, requiring minimal demand on care-staff time. 

Manipulatives are appropriately designed using Montessori principles and methods to build functional capacity. By tapping into past interests and providing familiar themes, Manipulatives utilize a Resident’s existing functioning to provide physical, cognitive, and social stimulation appropriate to the ability of the Resident. Manipulatives are meaningful and purposeful, self-correcting, have good contrast and logical progression. The graphic designs are familiar, aesthetically pleasing with intuitive prompting.  

Manipulatives do not replace structured recreational programs but are meant to augment and enrich the care environment with self-accessed purposeful activity.

Manipulatives facilitate a state of ‘well-being’, help to manage responsive behaviour, and improve the quality of life of a Resident living with dementia. 

Manipulative Activities

Enriching the care environment with self-accessed, purposeful activity.

The Importance of Priming

Depending on the remaining cognitive ability of the resident, residents may be challenged to initially self-engage with Ambient Activity. ‘Priming’ is the process of directing the resident to the activity, introducing, and going through the function of that activity. This may mean physically helping the resident with ‘hand over hand’ direction which will help stimulate ‘memory through movement’. Priming may be required several times until the resident is conditioned to initiate and engage with the activity on their own accord.

Scenic Window Frame - Seasonal

AAT540

A wall-mounted faux window frame – housing 2, double-sided interchangeable compelling seasonal orientation scenes.

Dimensions

80cm wide x 60cm tall

Sits proud from wall 3cm

Installation and Hardware

All hardware and wall mounting instructions will be supplied.

Puzzle Blocks

AAT563

Residents flip the two-sided blocks to complete a picture on one side, and match pairs on the other side.  Just as our other Manipulatives selections, Puzzle blocks are appropriately designed using Montessori principles.

Dimensions

Size: 29”(73.7cm)w x 18-1/8”(46cm)h x 3-1/4”(8.3cm)d

Installation and Hardware

All hardware and wall mounting instructions will be supplied.

Sort the Cupboard – Large

AAT551

Residents are invited to sort through familiar objects found in the kitchen and place them back into the kitchen cupboard. 

Easy to see and easy to grasp pictorial image spindles.

Instructions to place the kitchen items into the cupboard are plainly printed on side door graphic panels.

Dimensions

180cm wide x 85cm tall

Sits proud from wall 5cm.

Installation and Hardware

All hardware and wall mounting instructions will be supplied.

Spindle Match – Large

GB21

Residents are invited to sort through the coloured spindles to match the coloured circles printed on the game board. Easy to grasp spindles.

Dimensions

60cm wide x 60cm tall

Sits proud from wall 6cm

Installation and Hardware

All hardware and wall mounting instructions will be supplied.

Open and Find

AAT565

Residents are presented four doors, each with their own latch mechanism to open. Behind the doors, residents are asked to identify an object within the image behind each door.​

Dimensions

80cm wide x 60cm tall

Sits proud from wall 8cm

Installation and Hardware

All hardware and wall mounting instructions will be supplied.

Sort the Tools

AAT560

A sort and match activity, that asks residents to sort out and place tools and items found in the workshop back into their place. 

Easy to see and easy to grasp pictorial image spindles.

Dimensions

80cm wide x 60cm tall

Sits proud from wall 5cm

Installation and Hardware

All hardware and wall mounting instructions will be supplied.

Spindle Match – Small

GB20

A smaller, and ‘not so busy’ version of the regular sized Spindle Match Activity, residents are invited to sort through the coloured spindles to match the coloured circles printed on the game board.

Easy to grasp spindles.

Dimensions

40cm wide x 60cm tall

Sits proud from wall 6cm

Installation and Hardware

All hardware and wall mounting instructions will be supplied.

Comforting Images Bead Reveal

AAT553

Residents are invited to rotate the wheel,causing beads to fall into alternate chambers and revealing feel-good and familiar images.

Easy to turn knobs.

Soothing and interesting sounds of beads falling into alternate chambers encourages physical activity, enhances confidence, and promotes independence.

Dimensions

116cm wide x 76cm tall

Sits proud from wall 13cm

Installation and Hardware

All hardware and wall mounting instructions will be supplied.

Schedule Appointment

Fill out the form below, and we will be in touch shortly.