Make It Personal: How a Simple "Favorites" Page Can Become Your Loved One's Anchor

Of all the activities in our library, one of the simplest is often the most powerful: the Favorites page.

It's exactly what it sounds like — a single printed template where you fill in your loved one's favorite things. Favorite song. Favorite meal. Favorite place. Happiest memory. Favorite flower. Favorite show.

Simple. Personal. And unexpectedly therapeutic.

Why personalization matters in senior engagement.

Most engagement activities are designed for a general audience. A crossword puzzle about movies. A word search about nature. A coloring page of flowers. These are effective — they engage the brain, provide structure, and create calm. But they're not personal.

The Favorites page is different because everything on it belongs specifically to your loved one. It's their song, their meal, their place. And that personal specificity activates a different kind of engagement — one rooted in identity rather than general cognition.

For seniors with memory loss, identity is one of the most vulnerable things. As facts and events fade, the sense of "who I am" becomes fragile. A Favorites page reinforces that identity gently and repeatedly. Every time they look at it, it says: You are a person with preferences. You have a history. You like specific things. You are still you.

The conversation IS the activity.

Here's the part most caregivers don't expect: creating the Favorites page together is often more valuable than the finished product.

The process of asking "What's your favorite song?" opens a door. Maybe they can't answer immediately. Maybe they say something surprising. Maybe the question triggers a story you've never heard — about the first time they heard that song, or the dance they had to it, or the road trip where it played on the radio.

You're not just filling in blanks. You're inviting your loved one to tell you who they are. And for someone whose identity is being eroded by disease, being asked that question — and being listened to — is a gift.

Even if they can't answer every question, the attempt matters. "I'm not sure" is its own kind of engagement. And you can always fill in answers you already know and read them back: "Your favorite meal is pot roast. You love Frank Sinatra. Your happiest memory is the family trip to the lake." Hearing their own story reflected back to them is soothing and affirming.

What to do with the finished page.

Put it on the refrigerator. Put it by their bedside. Put it in their Me Book. Make it visible and accessible.

The Favorites page becomes an anchor — something your loved one can return to on any day, whether you're there or not. Professional caregivers can reference it to personalize their interactions. Family members visiting from out of town can use it as a conversation guide. And your loved one can simply look at it and feel a quiet sense of self.

How to make one.

Download a Favorites template from CarePrints, or make your own with a simple sheet of paper. The categories can include anything: favorite song, favorite meal, favorite color, favorite place, happiest memory, favorite season, favorite family tradition, favorite hobby, favorite movie, favorite saying.

Sit together. Fill it in. Decorate it with colored pencils. Let the conversation wander wherever it goes.

That's the whole activity. And some days, it's the best one you'll ever do.

👉 Download a Favorites template from our library.