Fun Senior Activity Ideas for Activity Directors

Not Just Bingo goes "beyond bingo" to share helpful and fun senior activity ideas and organizational tips with busy activity directors in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Expand your current monthly activity program to include easy-to-do activities that are fun, meaningful, and appropriate for your senior residents. Also, find helpful hints and ideas for activity directors that can make planning an activity that much easier.

Activity Calendars

Create an exciting environment for your senior residents by including fun activities that inspire, entertain, and delight your seniors. Find these ideas for activity directors and much more in the May activity calendar, the June activity calendar, and the July activity calendar.

May Activity Calendar

Host fun evening events for your residents like Family Game Night (May 8), in which residents play fun games like Checkers, Scrabble, and Dominoes; Cannes Film Festival Night (May 17), in which residents watch a fun recently released movie; Senior Prom (May 28), in which residents get into the Prom season by dressing up for a fun dance; and Official State Dinner (May 31), in which residents attend a tasty dinner that comprises food from your state.

In addition, consider inviting vendors and speakers to come to your facility during May. For instance, invite an eye doctor to give eye tests to your residents during this Healthy Vision Month (Eye Exam on May 14), invite a speaker to speak about osteoporosis during this National Osteoporosis Prevention Month (Speaker Series on May 29), or ask your facility's nurse to talk to your residents during National Nurses Week (Nurse's Notes on May 9).

June Activity Calendar

As summertime arrives, be sure to add plenty of activities to keep your residents hydrated. For instance, host fun afternoon socials like a Popsicle Social on June 21, a Watermelon Social on June 26, or an Italian Ice Truck Social on June 24.

Additionally, coordinate fun summertime crafts for residents throughout June, like Crafts: Sun Mosaics (June 2), making mosaics of the sun, Crafts: Sandy Fish (June 9), using beach sand, or Crafts: Daisy Chain Necklaces (June 30), stringing daisies to make pretty summer necklaces.

July Activity Calendar

Throughout July, schedule fun events that recognize holiday observances. For instance, host an Uncle Sam Sing Along Social on the Fourth of July or a Running of the Bulls Social on the first day of the event in Spain (July 7). In addition, have fun with a Bastille Day Celebration on France's Bastille Day (July 14) or a Buck Moon Nightcap on the night of July's full moon, the Buck Moon (July 22).

Furthermore, celebrate some of the quirky observances of July, like recruiting your facility's Maintenance Coordinator to lead an irrigation project with residents during this Smart Irrigation Month (Construction Site on July 23) or quizzing residents about common courtesies during this Cell Phone Courtesy Month (Common Courtesy Social on July 26).

Men's Activity Calendar

Subscribe to notjustbingo.com to receive access to monthly activity calendars detailing exciting and fun senior activity ideas for the men of your facility. Take a look at the sample men's activity calendar to find out if notjustbingo.com can assist your senior activity program.

Dementia Activity Calendar

Subscribe to notjustbingo.com to acquire access to senior activity calendars each month that are designed specifically for dementia and Alzheimer's residents. Take a peek at the sample dementia activity calendar to determine if a notjustbingo.com subscription is right for your activity program.

Weekly-Themed Activity Calendar

Subscribe to notjustbingo.com and receive access to monthly calendars full of senior activity ideas that include weekly-themed activities. Look at the sample weekly-themed activity calendar to see if it meets your programming needs.

Articles & Resources

Learn more about activity planning for seniors by finding useful ideas that can help you balance creativity and organization. Watch participation in your activities soar by following a few tips from how-to articles, like How to Market Your Activity Program to Your Residents. Also, read over some frequently asked questions from activity directors to locate answers to some of your own questions. Finally, discover helpful online resources that can assist you with your monthly planning, like useful websites for crafts, recipes, and trivia.

How-to Articles

Ever wondered how to start a newsletter in your facility and have your residents do most of the work? Take a look at the how-to article How to Create a Resident-Run Newsletter in Your Facility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you a new activity director? Find solace in knowing that as a busy activity director, you are not alone. See what questions other activity directors have when it comes to maintaining a productive and busy senior activity program.

Activity Resources

Locate some of the best websites for making the tasks of activity directors that much easier. Find links and general information about helpful sites that can make planning a fun, senior activity a snap!

Activity Director Ideas Newsletter

Read interesting articles that detail fun, senior activity ideas for the month, including the Activity Idea of the Month, Creative Craft of the Month, and interesting ideas for your male residents as well as your dementia and Alzheimer's residents.