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!
- [For Seniors] Challenge Your Brain with a Halloween Quiz! Fun Trivia Questions to Learn and Enjoy
- [For Seniors] Fun Autumn Activities: Recreation Games
- [For Seniors] Fun Halloween Games: Ideas to Enjoy with Ghosts, Mummies, and Spiderwebs
- Exciting Halloween games! Ideas that will captivate both kids and adults
- [For Seniors] Handmade Halloween Treats to Enjoy: Fun Ideas with Pumpkins and Ghosts
- [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 Nursing Care Facility (41–50)
Halloween wreath
Chic wreaths are a staple of stylish cafés and salons.
Seeing seasonal wreaths that are just a step ahead of the calendar can often be soothing, right? Why not try making one with a Halloween twist? You could simply draw Halloween characters on paper, cut them out, and paste them on, but here we’ll make everything three-dimensional! We’ll weave the spiderweb with yarn, and create the pumpkin heads using a mechanism like opening a miniature book inside out.
You can even use real dried branches and leaves.
Try incorporating small lights from a 100-yen shop, too!
sweet pumpkin
There are probably many seniors who enjoy sweet, fluffy pumpkin.
Here’s a sweet pumpkin treat made with just that.
Cut the pumpkin into moderate pieces, microwave until soft, and remove the skin.
Mix it with ingredients like maple syrup and butter, then roll it into balls.
Use a toothpick to score lines on the surface so they look like tiny pumpkins.
Bake them in the oven, and top with bits of pumpkin skin to finish—adorable, pumpkin-shaped sweet treats.
While they’re baking, the sweet aroma of maple syrup fills the air, making this a dish you’ll look forward to eating.
Ghost Scooping Game
Here’s a game that treats plastic bags like little ghosts.
Have older adults sit in chairs and use a stick made from newspaper to scoop up plastic bags placed on the floor.
Then have them place the scooped bags into a bowl set on the chair.
This game helps strengthen the biceps on the front of the upper arm.
It’s perfect for people who find it difficult to bring food to their mouth with a spoon, too.
Since it uses familiar items, it’s easy to do in short breaks.
Because they’re “ghosts,” it could be fun to add eyes and a mouth to the plastic bags.
It’s also great as a Halloween-season activity.
Crazy Party Night: The Revenge of the Pumpkin
This content recreates the dance from Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s “Crazy Party Night ~Pumpkin no Gyakushū~,” which portrays the spookiness and fun of Halloween.
The track is notable for its powerful beat and sound expressions in the lyrics, so firmly catching the light, buoyant rhythm is the key to moving your body enjoyably.
The choreography mainly features simple upper-body movements overall, so if the steps are difficult, try doing it while seated in a chair.
It’s a comical dance with a cute vibe, making it a routine that lets you feel the atmosphere of a fun Halloween night with your whole body.
There’s no such thing as ghosts.
This activity involves moving your body to the lyrics of the children’s song “Obake nante nai sa,” which expresses feelings about ghosts.
The movements are simple and match the lyrics, and a key point is that you can do them while sitting in a chair or even while singing.
Since the song portrays both insisting that there are no ghosts and being scared, paying attention to facial expressions can make it even more enjoyable.
Not only using your hands but also moving your entire upper body side to side helps you feel the rhythm in your body and enhances the sense of fun.
Bakechama the Ghost
This is a comical and cute song in which “Bake-chama,” a ghost who’s actually a scaredy-cat, introduces themself.
The choreography is simple, focusing on the swaying movements of a ghost—have fun moving your body to the calm rhythm.
Not only the big, full-body motions but also the hand-waving is a highlight, helping you stay aware of the sensation of blood flowing to your fingertips.
Since the upper-body movements are the main focus, it should be enjoyable to do even while seated in a chair.
Ghost Fireworks Ondo
Ghosts are an essential motif for Halloween, but in Japan they also strongly evoke summertime.
It might be interesting to incorporate this piece—depicting a summer festival scene themed around ghosts—into your Halloween.
A key feature is the inclusion of ondō elements, making the rhythm easy to grasp so you can move calmly and enjoyably.
Express the fun with swaying, ghost-like motions and Bon Odori-style movements.