For Seniors: Fun and Engaging December Event and Recreation Ideas
December is a time filled with lively events and festivities like Christmas and New Year’s.
Care facilities and day service centers are likely planning events and recreational activities to match the season, too.
In this article, we introduce recommended December events and recreational activities for older adults.
We’ve gathered a variety of ideas, focusing on themes related to December.
Many of these activities can also be enjoyed in other months, but they include seasonal touches that make them especially delightful now.
We hope these events and activities help older adults expand their social connections.
Please make use of this article during the busy year-end season.
- [Elderly Care Facility] Fun-filled recreational activities for a Christmas party: crafts, rhythmic exercises, games, and even a snack-time activity
- [For Seniors] Recommended in December! Safe and Fun Indoor Recreation
- Entertainment ideas for year-end parties that seniors will enjoy
- For Seniors: Fun for Everyone! Christmas Party Activity Ideas
- [For Seniors] Fun Winter Activities: Recreation and Games
- [For Seniors] Recommended Wall Decorations for December: Ideas Collection
- [Care Facilities] Popular Christmas Decorations: Handmade Ideas to Brighten Up Indoor Spaces
- [For Seniors] Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas That Feel Warm and Heartfelt
- Recreation Activities to Liven Up January Events for Seniors
- For Seniors: December Health Topics — Winter Recreational Activities to Warm the Body and the Heart
- [Christmas & New Year] Craft Ideas for Day Services in December
- [For Seniors] Fun Recreational Activities Without Equipment
- [For Seniors] Lively! Entertainment Ideas for New Year’s Parties
For Seniors: Engaging! December Event and Recreation Ideas (1–10)
A quiz recommended for Kanji Day
December 12 is known as Kanji Day, based on a wordplay that reads as “ii ji ichi ji” (a good character, one character).
Because of this, the Kanji of the Year is announced on this day every year.
On this kanji-filled day, why not try some kanji-related quizzes? You can tackle various challenges, such as answering readings or the appropriate kanji, or combining scattered kanji parts to form compound words.
Another recommended quiz is to write only part of a character and have participants add the necessary strokes to complete the kanji.
All of these make great brain-training activities, so give them a try!
Christmas Exercise for Preventive Care
Even simple brain-training exercises and calisthenics become fun when set to music, and keeping the beat helps make everyday movements smoother.
This time, we’ll do a routine to E-girls’ Christmas song “Merry × Merry Xmas★.” The movements are simple—like rotating the neck and stretching the arms—but directing attention to left and right sides also trains cognitive abilities.
Pay attention to expressing the rhythm and Christmas motifs, and be sure to highlight the fun aspect.
To boost the brain-training effect, try more complex variations, such as switching the combinations of arms and legs mid-song.
New Year’s card making
How about making New Year’s greeting cards for the New Year? If you create them for your children or grandchildren, they’ll surely be delighted.
Try different approaches: paint pictures with stencils, mix and match various stickers, or, if you’re good at calligraphy or penmanship, make a bold statement with lettering.
You can also paste a photo of yourself to share an update on how you’ve been.
Many people simply print existing illustrations for their New Year’s cards, but handmade ones convey warmth, so they’re highly recommended.
[For Seniors] Lively and Fun! December Event and Recreation Ideas (11–20)
Snowball Fight Game
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♬ Starman (2012 Remaster) – David Bowie
When it comes to winter snow play, nothing beats a snowball fight! Many of us played as kids and ended up covered in snow.
Here’s an event that brings back those fun memories: a snowball-fight game using balloons.
Put tape down the center of the room to divide it into two sides.
Place several inflated balloons on the tape, and at the starting signal, throw “snowballs” to knock the balloons over to the other team’s side.
When the game ends, the team that has moved more balloons into the opponent’s territory wins.
Throw lots of snowballs, get moving, and feel like a kid again!
Simple paper poinsettia decoration
Let’s make a poinsettia—the plant that adds festive flair to Christmas—using construction paper.
Pay attention to the size of each part and how you layer them; that’s the key to creating a three-dimensional look.
Cut the red paper into a leaf shape that spreads in four directions, then stack two identical pieces to create a shape that spreads in eight directions.
Next, cut the green paper into leaves larger than the red ones, and glue the red piece on top of the green to complete the poinsettia.
It has a three-dimensional feel, yet the paper base makes it easy to incorporate into all kinds of decorations.
Christmas Eve Care Exercises
This is a low-impact exercise routine that can be done while seated, set to Tatsuro Yamashita’s song “Christmas Eve.” The choreography incorporates the Christmas atmosphere and the lyrics of the song to help build excitement for the event.
By performing movements like raising your hands high in a prayer gesture or shaking bells, and paying attention to the size of each motion, participants will engage their arms and shoulders effectively.
In addition to upper-body movements, it’s recommended to include lower-body actions such as marching in place to encourage awareness of the whole body.
Christmas garland
This is a garland inspired by a Christmas tree, made by layering lily-of-the-valley tape and mirror tape.
The step of wrapping them around a cardboard base is important, so you can have fun moving your arms while doing it.
After wrapping them around the base, remove the lily-of-the-valley tape and mirror tape, layer them, tie them together, and cut open the ends to create the shape of a tree.
Then just thread a string through to make it hang, and it’s done.
If you attach star parts to hide the tied section and the area where it connects to the string, it better conveys the tree look, so it’s recommended.
Green is the basic color, but arranging red and other colors will make for a more festive garland.