Performances to Liven Up New Year Parties for Elderly Care Facility Staff
A New Year’s party is an event to celebrate the start of a new year and refresh our spirits.
Of course we exchange New Year’s greetings, but we also want to make it a joyful gathering where we can share the excitement of the year’s beginning.
With that in mind, we’ve put together ideas for performances and activities suitable for a New Year’s party for staff.
Many of these are primarily carried out by staff members, but it’s even more enjoyable if you find ways for older adults to join in—like clapping along or singing together.
Preparing props for a lion dance or making omikuji (fortune slips) can be a lot of work, but it could be nice to have the older adults help during a pre–New Year’s party recreation session.
- [For Seniors] Lively! Entertainment Ideas for New Year’s Parties
- For seniors: Simple and exciting! Ideas for staff performances
- [For Seniors] Recommended Songs for New Year’s Parties: Nursery Rhymes, Children’s Songs, and Popular Songs to Liven Up Even on Cold Days
- [For Staff at Elderly Care Facilities] Simple Performances to Liven Up a Year-End Party
- Entertainment ideas for year-end parties that seniors will enjoy
- [For seniors] January health topics: A roundup of popular recreational activities from exercises and crafts to New Year’s games
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- Recreation Activities to Liven Up January Events for Seniors
- [Christmas Party at the Nursing Home] Staff Take on the Challenge! Fun Performances Everyone Can Enjoy
- Entertainment and Performances That Delight at Day Services for the Elderly
- [For Staff] Energize Your Nursing Home Respect-for-the-Aged Day! Performance Ideas Full of Laughter and Emotion
- [For Seniors] Brighten Up Your New Year’s Party: A Collection of Handmade Decoration Ideas
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
[For Staff at Elderly Care Facilities] Performances to Liven Up New Year’s Parties (11–20)
Soran Bushi
When you hear “Soran Bushi,” don’t you picture it being danced at school sports festivals? Some of the staff may have actually performed it themselves.
Since it’s a regular feature at sports days, it’s full of power and visual impact! Why not fire up the New Year with the staff’s full-on Soran Bushi? Matching outfits and a headband will make it perfect! It’s quite an intense number for adults to dance, but let’s project our voices and power through to the end!
Finger Action ‘A Whole New World’
The now-classic “finger action” performance! Dressed like stagehands in all-black to hide faces and bodies, performers express a whole world using only the movements of their color-gloved hands.
You can gather together to form a single shape, or offset slightly and move in unison… Beyond the examples introduced here, many other finger-action videos have been uploaded, so take a look for inspiration.
Disney songs are the go-to music choice, but you can also use songs familiar to older adults.
It takes practice, but it’s sure to be a performance that earns praise!
Magic where the color of a balloon changes
How about a handmade magic trick using balloons from a 100-yen shop? Prepare two balloons of your choice.
Hook one balloon onto a pencil and insert it inside the other, which will be the outer balloon, then inflate them together.
Tie only the inner balloon that contains air, and stick a piece of cellophane tape onto the outer balloon.
When you peel off the tape, the outer balloon will pop and the color will change instantly, surprising the audience.
It’s a simple idea, but with a bit of showmanship, it can create both laughter and amazement.
The March of the Toy Soldiers
If it’s a concert featuring songs that older adults have heard before, it’s likely to be an even more enjoyable time.
For example, a concert of “The Parade of the Tin Soldiers,” which is also played on cooking shows, could be a good idea.
Since it’s known as a cooking show tune, using instruments like pots, frying pans, and ladles could really liven things up.
Staff who perform could wear aprons and triangular kerchiefs, which would make for a fun production.
Also, songs familiar to older adults may help trigger memories from the past.
Starting with “The Parade of the Tin Soldiers,” people might reminisce about cooking with family or recall learning recipes, which could naturally lead to conversation.
Magic: The Enchanted Christmas Card
It begins with a staff member playing the magician, who invites participants to draw a card with a picture on it.
The drawn card is placed in a box, and when the magician casts a spell, the chosen card astonishingly emerges from the box on its own.
Participants are amazed at the moment their card appears, and onlookers respond with surprised exclamations and applause.
Even with simple props—a deck of cards and a box—you can create a magical experience through clever staging.
With music and lively patter, it becomes an idea perfect for a Christmas party program that everyone can enjoy.
What a nice bath.
“Ii Yu Da Na” (“What a Nice Bath”) seems like a song that older adults would really enjoy.
One TV show that many seniors used to watch was “It’s 8 O’Clock! Everybody Gather ’Round!” It was sung during that show’s ending, so some people might be familiar with it.
It’s a fun, humorous song, and if the staff perform it with coordinated choreography, the unexpected twist could make it even more enjoyable.
It also seems like something seniors could join in on by clapping along while they watch.
[For Staff at Elderly Care Facilities] Entertainment Ideas to Liven Up New Year’s Parties (21–30)
street performance
Street performance is a staple act at events, and the fun part is that you can see the effort behind it—whether it ends in failure or success.
To help people feel the excitement of street performance, it’s actually important to show some failures on purpose; the success that follows will stand out even more.
And since clowns are strongly associated with street performance, putting real thought into the costume can evoke a circus-like atmosphere.
We recommend taking on a variety of acts—like juggling or cigar boxes—and letting the audience watch you work hard as you rise to the challenge.
