For Seniors: Fun for Everyone! Christmas Party Activity Ideas
One of the major events in December is, of course, the Christmas party.
Many nursing homes and day service centers also hold Christmas parties, don’t they?
We want older adults to smile and enjoy themselves at these gatherings.
So this time, we’re sharing ideas for performances and activities that seniors can enjoy.
We’ve gathered a variety of options, from games seniors can participate in to staff-led shows.
December is a busy time, with the year-end and New Year holidays approaching.
Please use this article as a reference when preparing for your Christmas party.
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- [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 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: Simple and exciting! Ideas for staff performances
- Christmas Party Ideas! Fun Activities and Game Ideas
- [For Seniors] Lively! Entertainment Ideas for New Year’s Parties
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
- Christmas party booster! A collection of game ideas that large groups can enjoy
- Performances to Liven Up New Year Parties for Elderly Care Facility Staff
- [Christmas] Popular Entertainment/Performance Ideas Ranking
- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
[For Seniors] Crowd-Pleasing! Christmas Party Performance Ideas (71–80)
Christmas game
It’s a game where you create lines in the shape of a Christmas tree using tape, and players roll a ball toward the marked point values along those lines.
It’s a simple game of rolling the ball toward a target, but with creative field decorations, you can convey the fun of Christmas.
Because the layout forms a tree shape, the farther point values are harder to reach, so aiming for them helps develop control and concentration.
You can also adjust the difficulty by making modifications that help the ball stop—such as sticking down duct tape with the sticky side up, or layering vinyl tape to create small ridges.
A present from Santa
A special gift from Santa Claus for local seniors and those who come to the day service every day.
Let’s hand out presents dressed as Santa so everyone can fully enjoy the Christmas spirit.
If you’re visiting single-person households, how about small, single-serving cakes? For those who don’t like sweets or have dietary restrictions, gifts like tenugui cloths with Christmas designs are also recommended.
Santa Claus isn’t just for children! Let’s delight everyone with a once-a-year special gift.
Santa Claus Appears
The appearance of Santa Claus, the symbol of Christmas, is sure to bring out the childlike wonder in older adults.
In addition to handing out gifts to event participants, playing games together and putting on singing or dancing performances creates a uniquely special Christmas atmosphere—highly recommended.
And if reindeer join Santa on stage, the excitement will grow even more.
Whether or not people believe in his existence, it’s a surprise that will make everyone truly feel the spirit of Christmas.
Juggling
Among older adults, many probably played with beanbags when they were children.
Some might even still be master beanbag jugglers today.
For those folks, juggling to enka music might just make them itch to say, “I want to try it too!” While juggling is usually set to upbeat, high-tempo tracks, enka actually pairs surprisingly well.
Let’s build excitement together at the Christmas party by adding hand claps along the way and inviting everyone to sing.
Impersonation
A gift from the staff to the residents: an impression show! Dress to the nines with flashy costumes and makeup, and let’s create a stage full of laughter.
It’s a great idea to pick songs from their youth, like nostalgic Showa-era pop and idol hits from the ’70s.
Instead of just performing, why not make it a quiz: “Who am I impersonating?” That could be a lot of fun.
Even people who are usually quiet often secretly love singing—there are many older adults like that.
To help everyone enjoy a wonderful Christmas, practice your very best impressions and give it a try!
two-person robe (Nininbaori): a comedic act where two people share one kimono-like garment, with the rear person acting as the arms for the front person
Both the audience members and the staff putting on the show were thrilled by the two-person pantomime! One person sits in front while the other hides under a black cloth behind them.
The back person can’t see but can move their hands freely, and the front person can see but can’t do anything—this back-and-forth had everyone bursting into laughter! You can feed snacks, try putting on makeup—there are lots of patterns to try.
Instead of just performing for them, it might be fun to have older adults take the back role too.
Don’t forget to protect clothing so it doesn’t get dirty!
Fingerplay song ‘Ton ton ton ton Christmas’
You express the various Christmas motifs that appear in the lyrics using hand shapes in time with the rhythm.
It’s a classic to depict the scene of Santa coming on Christmas night.
It could also be fun to have everyone think of other motifs under the theme “Speaking of Christmas,” and arrange it by figuring out how to recreate them with hand shapes.
If you gradually increase the number of motifs to be reproduced in order and turn it into a game of remembering them accurately, you can add a brain-training effect as well.