Bring the Cheer: Four Festive Holiday Activities for Seniors

The holiday season offers a special opportunity to embrace warmth, connect with loved ones, and create joyful memories together. For residents in senior living facilities, the season offers a beautiful opportunity to engage in festive activities that spark creativity, ignite the imagination, and foster a sense of community. Here are four crafting ideas to bring the season’s spirit to life.

  • Creating Personalized Joys: Ornament Making

    • Felt Ornaments: Seniors can cut festive shapes from felt, such as snowmen, stars, or stockings, and decorate them with buttons, sequins, or fabric markers.
    • Salt Dough Ornaments: This classic craft is easy and enjoyable for all. They can create unique shapes by rolling out salt dough and using cookie cutters. Decorating with paint and glitter after baking adds a personal touch.
    • Photo Ornaments: Personalized photo ornaments add a heartwarming touch. Seniors can glue their favorite printed photos onto cardstock and add a final touch of sparkle with glitter or ribbon.

  • Spreading Cheer: Card Making

    • Holiday Collage Cards: Gather old magazines, wrapping paper scraps, and colorful paper. Seniors cut out festive images and create unique collage cards to send to loved ones.
    • Stamped Cards: Provide a variety of holiday-themed stamps and ink pads. Seniors can create simple yet elegant cards by stamping designs and adding their personalized messages.
    • Watercolor Wash Cards: Watercolors offer a forgiving medium for creating beautiful backgrounds. Seniors can experiment with different washes and add simple greetings or designs once dry.

  • Decorating Delights: Festive Garlands

    • Paper Chain Garlands: This classic craft is simple yet satisfying. Encourage seniors to create chains by linking together strips of colorful paper.
    • Popcorn and Cranberry Garlands: They can help string popcorn and cranberries on thread or fishing line for a traditional and fragrant garland.
    • Felt Ball Garlands: Felt balls in various colors can be strung together to create cheerful garlands. This activity offers a fantastic opportunity to experiment with different color combinations and patterns.

  • Expressing Creativity: Holiday-Themed Painting

    • Watercolor Winter Scenes: Watercolors are perfect for capturing the soft hues of winter. Provide seniors with watercolor paints, brushes, and paper, and let them create their winter wonderlands.
    • Acrylic Holiday Ornaments: Use acrylic paints on canvas boards or wooden ornaments for a more durable option. Seniors can paint festive designs, holiday greetings, or even personalized messages.
    • Salt Dough Handprint Ornaments: After making salt dough ornaments, seniors can personalize them by pressing their handprints into the dough before baking. Once baked and cooled, they can paint them and add their names or the year.

Make Memories Bright With Holiday Activities

Bring the joy of crafting this holiday season. These activities are an excellent way to spark creativity and encourage connection. Get in touch with Summit Pointe Senior Living today to learn more about the various holiday activities for seniors in our community.