There are several patriotic holidays and observances throughout the year that you can celebrate and recongize at your senior facility. Below are 6 patriotic symbols with activity ideas from notjustbingo.com for each.

Patriotic Holidays, Observances, & Days of Honor

• Armed Forces Day –  May 16th
• Memorial Day – May 25th
• D-Day – June 6th
• Flag Day – June 14th
• Independence Day – July 4th
• Labor Day – September 7th
• Veterans Day – November 11th

1. Uncle Sam

• Host an Uncle Sam Contest in which residents wear their red, white, and blue to dress like Uncle Sam. In fact, inspire your Activity Staff to wear their Uncle Sam attire for the event as well.
• Print out and pass around pictures of military recruitment posters for World War II.
• Reminisce about World War II rations and victory gardens that were implemented to help Uncle Sam win the war.

2. American Flag

• Organize a Red, White and Blue Fashion Show.
• Color American flags that can be given out as party favors.
• Decorate patriotic puzzles that can be given as gifts to the grandkids.

3. Stars and Stripes

• Decorate and fly patriotic kites outdoors.
• Make colorful tissue paper stars to use as decoration on each of your residents’ room doors.
• Sing Yankee Doodle Dandy and other patriotic songs for a Patriotic Sing Along.

4. Betsy Ross

• Assist a bedridden resident with sewing her own latch-hook flag.
• Assemble patriotic necklaces using flag beads.
• Teach residents how to stitch red ornaments that can be given out as party favors.

5. Liberty Bell

• Provide air-dry clay for residents to make their own Liberty Bell.
• Play a tossing game using bell balls.
• Organize a Handbell Choir to play handbells to patriotic music.

6. American Eagle

• During a one-on-one activity, assist a resident with completing an American eagle jigsaw puzzle or paint by number craft.
• Decorate bird sun catchers using patriotic glass stain.
• Make bird feeders to hang outdoors to feed your local American birds.

7. Statue of Liberty

• Assemble Statue of Liberty wood models with residents
• Host an Armchair Travel and take residents on a visit to the Statue of Liberty 
• Invite residents to play a fun table game of America-Opoly with the grandchildren

8. White House

• Host a presidential word search contest and see which resident will be first to find all the names
• Invite a resident to assist you with finishing a presidential jigsaw puzzle 
• Challenge residents to correctly answer trivia questions about American presidents

Additional Articles for Patriotic Holidays

• Memorial Day Activities for Senior Residents
• Remembering D-Day – Nursing Facility Activities
• Flag Day Activities for Senior Residents
• How to Celebrate Armed Forces Day – Nursing Facility
• 4th of July Activities for Senior Residents
• 10 Patriotic Clubs for Seniors on Independence Day
• Labor Day Activities for Your Residents and Their Grandkids
• Activities to Honor our Veteran VIPs

Find more ideas from Notjustbingo on the S&S blog here.

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About Not Just Bingo:

Not Just Bingo is an online resource of fun, senior activity ideas for activity professionals of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. They have been providing fun activity ideas online since 2009, and continue to assist activity professionals across the country by creating meaningful and engaging activity ideas for their residents that go “beyond bingo.” Not Just Bingo feels privileged to help activity directors better the living experiences of their residents while demonstrating that a senior’s quality of life can actually improve when they move to a nursing facility!

Want even more ideas each month? Visit www.notjustbingo.com for how-to activity ideas, monthly newsletters, and daily holiday ideas. You can also sign up for the Notjustbingo Membership to receive specialized activity ideas to keep your residents and staff engaged, active, and having fun!