Pamela

My residents (of all cognitive and physical levels) LOVE balloon games. I have several variations in the activity rotation. The one tip I can add here is to fill your balloons with a mix of air and helium. Balloons filled with air only drop to the floor so quickly - I felt that we spent as much time picking balloons up as we did actually playing. I found small tanks of helium in the party supply section of Walmart (very reasonably priced). I blow my balloons up about 2/3 with "my air" then add a nice shot of helium before I tie them off. This gives the balloon a nice "loft". It tends to sort of float more slowly through the air and stay up a little longer. This minor difference makes a big difference in giving residents a few more seconds to prepare as a balloon heads in their direction.