Senior Halloween Activities
Halloween, often associated with children, also provides an entertainment opportunity for seniors. Whether you're planning a nursing home Halloween celebration or a gathering for your senior friends, the holiday provides inspiration for activities. A senior Halloween celebration is also an opportunity for younger children to join in for a multigenerational party. Does this Spark an idea?
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Halloween Bingo
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Bingo is a classic game often associated with seniors. A Halloween theme to the game makes it fitting for a senior Halloween gathering. Add Halloween pictures or words into the squares of the Bingo grid in place of the usual numbers. Halloween stickers are a simple way to add holiday images to the cards. Candy corn works well as the markers for the game. Play the game like regular Bingo, calling out the Halloween symbols one at a time until someone gets a Bingo.
Decorating Contest
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A Halloween decorating contest works well in a nursing home or assisted living facility for seniors. Provide different decorating materials like artificial leaves, streamers and Halloween-shaped cutouts. The seniors use the materials to decorate their doors or a table in the dining area. Another option is to invite the family members to help out with the decorating. This allows residents with limited mobility or limiting medical conditions to still participate while giving them time with their family members. Judge the entries based on creativity.
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Homemade Costumes
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Kids aren't the only ones who enjoy getting dressed up. Homemade costumes spark creativity with the seniors. They also get to jump into the Halloween festivities right next to the kids. Plain masks, outfits, fabrics and decorative materials provide the base items for creating the costumes. After creating the costumes, host a senior costume fashion show so all of the participants can show off their creations. If the celebration is in a nursing home or other residential facility, coordinate the contest with a family visit so the seniors can share their creativity with their relatives.
Trick-or-Treating
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Hosting a trick-or-treating event allows seniors to see kids in costume, which often brings them joy. For a senior residential setting, each participating senior can pass out candy at his room door. Another option is to set up the seniors with their candy bowls in the dining area or other common area. The kids move from person to person to collect their Halloween candy. This is an ideal way to involve youngsters related to the residents in the event.
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References
- Photo Credit Halloween image by irum from Fotolia.com
