Fun Halloween recreation activities at a nursing care facility
When it comes to big events in October, Halloween is the first that comes to mind!
Many day service staff may be thinking, “We want our elderly clients to experience the excitement of Halloween that’s so popular among younger generations!”
In this article, we introduce recommended recreational activities for Halloween events held at care facilities.
We’ve gathered a variety of content to liven up Halloween at care homes—from easy-to-play games to Halloween decorations that brighten up the facility.
Let’s help older adults fully enjoy the fun of Halloween!
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- [For Senior Care Facilities] Fun! Recommended Events for October
- Recommended recreational activities to help seniors enjoy their time in care facilities
- [For Seniors] Let’s Get Excited with Halloween Crafts! Fun and Easy Decoration Ideas
- [For Seniors] Recreation Games Related to October Events
- [For Seniors] Highlights of Fun Events at Day-Service Centers
- Explaining interesting initiatives at nursing care facilities! We also introduce seasonal recreational activities.
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Day Service: A Collection of Fun Event Ideas
- [For Seniors] Liven Up November Day Services! Fun Autumn Event Ideas
Fun Halloween Recreational Activities at a Care Facility (1–10)
Halloween hanging decorations
By making indoor decorations to match different events, you can feel the seasons and enjoy interior decor.
In this Halloween hanging ornament project, you’ll use origami to make a pumpkin, a witch, a ghost, and a black cat, then glue them together to transform them into a hanging decoration.
By getting creative with how you attach the parts and how you hang them, you can make Halloween even more festive.
Lovely Halloween decorations will brighten up your room.
It’s also a good brain-training activity while enjoying the season, so please give it a try.
Halloween exercise ‘Halloween Night’
If you’re looking for a recreation activity that seniors can enjoy with peace of mind, the Halloween exercise “Halloween Night” is highly recommended.
While dance usually involves moving your whole body to upbeat music, this routine features seated arm and leg movements, making it suitable for activities within care facilities.
The choreography—like crossing your arms or closing and opening your legs—is simple and easy to remember.
It’s a great way to liven up your facility as one of the main attractions during a Halloween event.
You can also add facility-specific adaptations, such as dancing at a slower tempo or trying only the simpler moves, which is also recommended.
Halloween Quiz
How about using a “Halloween Quiz” that’s also great brain training for seniors at Halloween parties or recreational activities in care facilities? It turns Halloween trivia into simple questions that even children and older adults can answer, which is part of its appeal.
All questions are multiple choice with four options, so it’s fun even if participants don’t know the answers! You could also project it on a large screen using PowerPoint.
It might get even more exciting if the person with the most correct answers wins a prize.
Fun Halloween activities at a nursing care facility (11–20)
Making a Halloween tree
When it comes to decorations that add a festive flair to a Halloween event at a care facility, making a Halloween tree is a perfect choice.
Take a Christmas tree and adapt it for Halloween.
Before decorating, prepare a plain tree and then add Halloween-themed items like ghosts and pumpkins.
It could also be fun to have the seniors create the decorations as part of an in-facility activity.
Aim for a cohesive color scheme—orange, white, black, and the like—to create a distinctly Halloween feel.
Try making a large tree for the space where you’ll be hosting the event or party.
Halloween Ring Toss
Ring toss is a fun recreational activity that everyone can enjoy together.
The version we’re introducing here can be played while seated, which helps build concentration and the ability to judge how much force is needed to land a ring.
Measure the distance from the pumpkin targets, then throw newspaper rings toward them.
The player who lands the most rings on the targets wins.
Counting the rings provides mental exercise, and the activity also stimulates balance of the body’s center of gravity.
Add eyes and a mouth to the pumpkins to boost the Halloween spirit!
Halloween decorations
How about reusing milk cartons to make Halloween decorations for seasonal recreation at care facilities? You can easily make them with just milk cartons and tissue paper.
Cut the milk carton into long, thin strips and staple them to make three rings.
Make three pieces by wrapping the rings with crumpled orange tissue paper, then glue them together in the shape of a pumpkin.
Create the pumpkin’s vine and facial features with tissue paper or colored paper as well.
Making them together with older adults can also serve as fine motor exercise! These three-dimensional Halloween decorations will brighten up the facility’s walls.
Plastic Bottle Bowling
How about “Plastic Bottle Bowling,” a fun, cost-free game anyone can enjoy, for a Halloween event at a care facility? All you need are empty plastic bottles and a vinyl ball! You can give it a Halloween vibe by decorating the bottles with ghost or pumpkin illustrations.
It’s also fine to tweak the rules to adjust the difficulty, such as bouncing the ball or adding water to the bottles to make them harder to knock down.
It’s great exercise for seniors’ hands and fingers, so please feel free to use this as a reference!