[For Seniors] Lively! Entertainment Ideas for New Year’s Parties
With the New Year upon us, some staff members at senior care facilities are likely planning New Year’s parties.
Are you perhaps racking your brains over what entertainment to prepare?
What kinds of activities would delight the elderly residents?
This time, we’ll introduce nostalgic New Year’s games and simple exercises set to New Year’s songs.
Classic New Year’s pastimes can spark memories and get people sharing stories from the old days.
Let’s liven up the New Year’s gathering and make it a fitting event to kick off a fresh year with joy.
- Performances to Liven Up New Year Parties for Elderly Care Facility Staff
- Entertainment ideas for year-end parties that seniors will enjoy
- [For Seniors] Recommended Songs for New Year’s Parties: Nursery Rhymes, Children’s Songs, and Popular Songs to Liven Up Even on Cold Days
- [For seniors] January health topics: A roundup of popular recreational activities from exercises and crafts to New Year’s games
- [For Seniors] Today’s Recommended Activity: Fun and Engaging
- [For Staff at Elderly Care Facilities] Simple Performances to Liven Up a Year-End Party
- For seniors: Simple and exciting! Ideas for staff performances
- Recreation Activities to Liven Up January Events for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Craft Ideas Recommended for New Year’s and the New Year
- [Respect-for-the-Aged Day Celebration] Laughter All Around! Ideas for Performances and Games You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Brighten Up Your New Year’s Party: A Collection of Handmade Decoration Ideas
- Entertainment and Performances That Delight at Day Services for the Elderly
- Liven up the Respect-for-the-Aged gathering: A roundup of recreational activities everyone can enjoy.
For Seniors: Crowd-Pleasing New Year’s Party Performances (21–30)
Japanese taiko drum
If you want to liven up a summer festival, a “wadaiko” (Japanese drum) performance is highly recommended! The powerful sound of the drums fills the venue with excitement and spreads smiles to everyone watching.
One of the charms is that you can enjoy Bon Odori along with the drum rhythms, and even those who aren’t confident about dancing will find their bodies moving naturally when they hear the familiar beat.
Drumming together, dancing together, and getting excited together will become the best memory of the summer festival.
Give this idea a try to create a lively, energetic summer moment!
Grab-and-win game
A grab-and-go game gives you that great bargain feeling and gets your heart racing, doesn’t it? Let’s enjoy that excitement at a festival as a game! Put your hand into a box filled with small treats and compete to see how many you can take in one go.
You can’t try again, and anything that falls before it’s bagged or brought to the designated spot doesn’t count.
Prizes can be anything, so prepare items that are easy to grab.
If using your hands is difficult, it’s fine to scoop with a ladle or similar utensil instead!
[For Seniors] Crowd-Pleasing! New Year’s Party Performances (31–40)
HAND CLAP
HAND CLAP, which gained popularity after a video was released in 2017.
The hand clap dance, performed to the song “HAND CLAP,” is characterized by big arm and leg movements and energetic jumping.
Because this dance is highly effective for burning fat, it involves large, dynamic movements.
If the staff perform a sharp, energetic routine, older adults are likely to enjoy it as well.
It’s recommended to perform it as a small group with synchronized choreography.
It should also be satisfying for seniors celebrating their birthdays to watch the dance.
Additionally, if you modify the choreography so it can be done seated, older adults can participate too.
Please give it a try.
Hige Dance
The Hige Dance, which was hugely popular in the Showa era.
The Drifters’ Ken Shimura and Cha Kato wore fake mustaches and silently performed various gags—an unforgettable sight.
Back then, many children were glued to the TV to watch the Hige Dance.
Many older adults have probably seen it at least once, too.
Because the Hige Dance is familiar to seniors, it’s also recommended for birthday recreation.
Have the staff put on a Hige Dance performance.
Try doing tricks to the distinctive Hige Dance melody.
If staff with fake mustaches perform silently, it’s likely to get seniors excited.
Even seniors who don’t know the Hige Dance will probably be captivated by the staff’s act.
fashion show
A birthday party that celebrates longevity and expresses daily gratitude.
How about holding a fashion show as part of this wonderful birthday event? Invite seniors to wear outfits connected to their lives or ones they’ve always wanted to try.
Choosing among dresses, kimonos, and more can make for an enjoyable time in itself.
And be sure to spend time on makeup, too.
Just as there is makeup therapy that incorporates psychological techniques, some people feel lighter and brighter after a makeover.
Walking the runway with staff members, just like a real fashion show, is sure to get everyone excited.
Matsuken Samba
Released in 2004, “Matsuken Samba” is apparently still popular today.
The Matsuken Samba collaboration café held in Shibuya, Tokyo, drew huge crowds—the numbered tickets sold out, and the items on sale became a hot topic.
Many people, including seniors who might find it energizing, seem to love “Matsuken Samba.” Ken Matsudaira singing and dancing in dazzling costumes leaves a strong impression.
If you perform the song and dance from “Matsuken Samba” at a birthday party, it’s sure to be a hit.
Of course, we also recommend that the staff members performing wear flashy, glamorous outfits.
Season of Love
Let’s perform a dance to Pinky & the Killers’ song “Koi no Kisetsu” for an older adult’s birthday.
Just like Pinky & the Killers, wear a rounded derby hat with a curled brim and dance.
Of course, singing is a great option too.
Both the dance and the song set to “Koi no Kisetsu” are likely to delight seniors.
Some may even have personal memories connected to this song.
As they listen, it might bring back recollections of those days.
It’s a recreation activity that can spark conversation and make the celebration even livelier.