Try entertaining the men in your senior facility this season with fun themed activities that allow them to bond with one another while doing the things that they enjoy. For instance, host themes that relate to activities that they used to participate in, like a Woodshop theme, Hunting Lodge theme, a Pub Night theme, a Casino Night theme.

Woodshop Theme

Get the men tinkering with their hands again by organizing fun woodworking projects for the men to complete each week. For instance, have the men assemble antique clocks, antique cars, or even the Eiffel Tower.

Residents with Dementia 

Some of the men in your facility may need less hands-on activities and more reminiscing activities that still relate to woodworking or using tools to create something. Consider this new concept from Active Minds, which allows residents with denemtia to still gain a sense of achievement, without the limitation of putting pieces in the wrong place.

With this tool shed themed activity, residents create their own tool shed using a set of magnetic pieces, that can be picked up and placed on a background they choose. This activity encourages conversation, promotes dexterity and motor skills. You can also use smelling jars that feature recognizable scents from a tool shed, like engine oil or car polish.

Hunting Lodge Theme

Turn your Activity Room into a fun hunting lodge, where you can host a “Lodge Meeting” every Friday evening for the men, featuring fun activities that relate to the hunting theme. First, consider recruiting the men to help you decorate your “lodge” by assembling wooden moose heads that be used as decoration each Friday night for the meeting.

Then each week, host a different hunting theme activity. For example, organize a target shooting contest for the men, using an inflatable bear target or an inflatable deer target. Encourage the men to practice their target shooting with a crossbow that has foam darts that the men can easily maneuver indoors.

During another week, host a fishing tournament, in which the men compete to reel in the most fish. To play, simply divide the men into teams and give a member of each team several minutes to try to catch as many fish as he can using a fishing pole from a magnetic fishing game.

Pub Night Theme

Play pub music as you invite the men to socialize and have fun with one another while playing fun pub games in your Activity Room. Each week, teach the men a new game, like coin hole (a smaller version of the backyard cornhole tossing game) that can be played at the table using coins, a dice game, or even a mancala game.

In fact, consider hosting tournaments during your pub nights. For instance, host a Dominoes Tournament, and have the men work in teams or as individuals playing dominoes. Another option is to make use of all your facility’s jigsaw puzzles for a Jigsaw Puzzle Tournament. To play, just divide the men into teams and have each team work on a different jigsaw puzzle to see which team can finish first. Try to use puzzles that have pictures that are of interest to the men, like a canoe jigsaw puzzle or a lakeside cabin jigsaw puzzle. Use puzzle storage cases to help with sorting, assembling, and storing your jigsaw puzzles.

Casino Night Theme

Take the men to Vegas with fun casino themed activities. Each week, teach the men how to win at a different casino game, like Blackjack, Craps or Roulette. Be sure to recruit volunteers to help administer the game, just in case you have so many participants that you need multiple Craps games or Blackjack games at other tables.

Finally, you can always host a Poker game, where you can use poker chips to teach the men how to play Texas Hold ‘Em or Seven-Card Stud.

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!