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.
- [Elderly Care Facility] Fun-filled recreational activities for a Christmas party: crafts, rhythmic exercises, games, and even a snack-time activity
- [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] Let's Have Fun Together! Christmas Party Entertainment Ideas (1–10)
funny clapping
With a bit of creativity, you can make people laugh using just clapping.
“Funny clapping” is a performance I’d love for you to try during recreational activities.
When there’s an event like a Christmas party, staff members need to step up as entertainers, right? You may want to make people laugh but feel that one-liner jokes are difficult.
In that case, try clapping.
Tell everyone, “While I’m clapping, please clap along with me.” Then start clapping, suddenly stop, and try to catch participants off guard! The more chaotic it gets, the funnier it is!
Can-can dance
At Christmas parties held at nursing homes and day service centers, I’m sure many different activities are planned, but when it has to be simple, fun, and exciting, the staff in charge may be at their wits’ end.
In such cases, we recommend the “Can-Can Dance.” You might think it requires a lot of preparation, but if you ask the residents to help with making the props, it also serves as good finger dexterity training for daily living.
And not only female staff—have the male staff put on skirts and makeup and give it a try as well.
You’ll be rewarded with big laughs and applause.
Also, if you switch the music to songs that were popular for your residents’ generation, they can enjoy it not just with their eyes but with their ears too.
Here’s to a lively, festive Christmas!
Christmas wordplay game
We’d like to introduce a Christmas word-play game that stimulates the brain by using your hands.
Prepare pictures that evoke Christmas—such as Santa Claus and presents—and a set of cards: one card for each character in the names of the items in the pictures, plus the characters for “present” (プ・レ・ゼ・ン・ト).
Place the pictures where they’re easy to see and shuffle the cards.
The more pictures and cards you have, the more challenging it becomes.
To start the game, search through the shuffled cards to find and collect the characters that make up the name of a chosen picture.
The round ends when you’ve gathered all the necessary cards.
Solo play can involve timing yourself and competing for faster completion, while two or more players can enjoy lively competition grabbing the needed cards.
Because the game involves associating words with pictures and collecting letters—offering moderate stimulation and a competitive element—it also works well as brain training.
Enjoy a Christmas with a twist!
[For Seniors] Liven Up Together! Christmas Party Performance Ideas (11–20)
bazaar
Speaking of Christmas, gifts are a must—but don’t you think it’s fine to have a gift for yourself, too? A great way to offer that chance to seniors using nursing homes or day services is a “bazaar.” All you need are some items, space to display them, and—most importantly—currency.
Choosing what they want, calculating the price, and counting out money to pay are all activities considered very beneficial for maintaining and improving cognitive function.
If your facility is concerned about handling real money, we recommend creating in-house currency featuring caricatures of your staff members.
It will spark a chuckle and make a nice keepsake for the seniors.
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas filled with presents and many happy memories.
kamishibai (paper theater)
Kamikishibai used to be performed in places like parks.
For some older adults, watching a kamishibai may bring back fond memories.
It seems like seniors could enjoy it while reminiscing about the past.
It would also be great as a Christmas program.
Staff might create an original kamishibai with Christmas-themed content.
How about using construction paper and incorporating seasonal topics? Using kamishibai available for loan at the library is an easy option, too.
Reading it in a way that matches each scene will make it even more enjoyable.
You can spend a heartwarming time together with older adults.
Intro Quiz
An intro quiz where you play just a few seconds of a song and have people guess the title is great because everyone can join in.
If you choose songs that match the participants’ generation, it won’t just be a fun quiz—it will also evoke a sense of nostalgia.
However, if it’s too difficult, it can create a gap between those who are good at it and those who aren’t, so try to make questions that anyone will recognize as soon as they hear them.
It’s an activity that staff can enjoy while preparing the questions and that will help liven up your Christmas party.
Science Experiment Magic
We’ll introduce four mysterious chemistry magic tricks perfect for Christmas, using candles and colors! The first trick makes a candle flame go out even though something is blocking the front, yet somehow the flame beyond it gets extinguished.
The second trick keeps water from spilling out of a tilted plastic bottle just by covering the opening with gauze.
The third trick lets you layer two different-colored waters without them mixing.
And the last trick puts out a candle flame simply by bringing a glass close to it.
All of these can be done with simple items you have at home, so give them a try! They’re easy, so it’s also a great idea to have an older adult play the role of magician.
