The holiday season is upon us and brings with it numerous opportunities for turning typical days at home, or in a senior community, into seasonal experiences. Therefore, you can treat November as a month-long Thanksgiving celebration with regular themed activities scattered throughout. The seniors in your life can get involved by helping decorate and plan for the big day. Take a look at these suggested Thanksgiving activities for seniors:
Make Gourd Turkeys:
Thanksgiving Gourd Turkeys combine two of the most popular symbols of fall, turkeys and gourds! You can use these Thanksgiving gourd turkeys to decorate your dining area or the lobby of their senior facility. Additionally, they will add some color and cuteness to the space. This activity is easy for any seniors that choose to participate.
Recipe Competition:
Have a family recipe competition. Everyone’s got their own family traditions and, while there’s probably some overlap in what your families have typically made for Thanksgiving, there are probably some unique family recipes that bring back fond memories for your loved ones. Let everyone submit their favorites, then share them with the group to take a vote. The winning items can now be made for the Thanksgiving feast on the big day.
Felted Acorn Garland:
Colorful felted acorns can get you in the autumn spirit (especially if you stick with traditional fall colors like brown, orange, and yellow) and give your seniors something productive to work on for an afternoon. If you string them together into a garland, you have a handy decoration for your dining room, or any room in the assisted living facility.
Write Thank You Letters:
Musing on what you’re thankful for is one thing, however, letting the people in your life that have helped make it better know how much they mean to you is another. You could do this anytime in November, but it might have the most impact if you time it so the letters will likely arrive near Thanksgiving Day. You can add a craft component to the letter by encouraging everyone to make some homemade Thanksgiving-themed stationary.
Have a Thanksgiving Dinner Celebration:
Everything else on the list has been leading up to this. Use the crafts that have been made to decorate the celebration. Then prepare the recipes that were voted on and won the Recipe Competition. Also, you can bring out the gratitude tree to start the discussion of things people are thankful for. Encourage your everyone to be as involved and engaged in the proceedings as possible. Invite seniors to help with cooking and setting the room up. Don’t forget to share with everyone what YOU are thankful for!
We hope you try some of these Thanksgiving activities for seniors with your loved ones. There’s no reason that seniors should have a Thanksgiving that feels any less celebratory and cozy than those spent with family over the years. You can keep the beloved traditions alive for your loved ones by incorporating activities in line with the season and encouraging them to be involved.
Take a look at Home Care One’s Senior’s Guide to Halloween Activities and Crafts.
