No matter how much we love them, holidays can sneak up on us. All of a sudden, the day’s approaching, and you need quick festive ideas you can fit into your busy schedule. After rightsizing, many seniors don’t have as many of the go-to decorations, cookie cutters and party paraphernalia they used to keep in the basement or the attic. But that doesn’t stop them from joining in the fun. We’ve got some great ideas for creative decorations, tasty treats and fun Halloween activities for seniors who want to celebrate without extra work.
Halloween Activities for Seniors on the Go
Cute Decorations
Decorate your space or a shared space. We’ve got some suggestions that can make a big statement without having to invest too much time.
Fun with Pumpkins
Of course pumpkin decorating is a classic Halloween activity. If you have arthritis and pumpkin carving isn’t as appealing, try pumpkin painting. Other adornment options include ribbons or stickers. Some theme ideas for your pumpkins:
- Owl
- Witch
- Headstones
- Baseball
- Scarecrow
- Spider and/or spiderweb
Ghost Balloons
Blow up white balloons and draw some spooky faces on them. You can glue some white streamers at the base of the balloon if you want to add some more ghostly movement. The more balloons you add, the greater the effect.
Spooky Village
Find some simple birdhouses — look for a variety of shapes and sizes — and spray paint them in various dark hues, like black, grey and purple. Place them on a bookshelf or table to make them look like a village. Add some spindly twigs to look like creepy trees.
Tasty Treats
Besides the ubiquitous candy, there are some delicious Halloween-themed treats you could make to celebrate October 31. You can share with grandkids, neighbors or friends to brighten up their holiday as well.
- Caramel Apples: The only ingredients you’ll need are apples (We’d recommend Granny Smiths), caramels and heavy cream. Make sure you have sticks to spear through the apples. You can add extra toppings, like chopped nuts, crushed pretzels, sprinkles or flaky sea salt, if you want.
- Graveyard Cake: Make a chocolate cake, pipe “RIP” on Milano cookies and Bordeaux cookies with frosting, and place them in the cake like gravestones. Crumble chocolate wafers to place in front of the “graves” to look like freshly dug dirt.
- Strawberry Ghosts: Dip strawberries in white chocolate and add icing dots for eyes. Adorable and scrumptious.
Festive Activities
Whether your loved ones are close by or across the country, there are fun activity ideas you can try that can be easily modified for a Zoom call.
Spooky Charades
Charades is a fun game at any age, and you can make it seasonal by making the clues Halloween-themed. Here are some clue ideas to get you started. Who do you know who could evoke the best vampire?
- Spiderweb
- Monster Mash
- Witch
- Curse
- Vampire
- Full Moon
- Bat
- Spider
Halloween Trivia
Discover which of your loved ones has a deep knowledge of Halloween with a themed trivia contest. You could type up a questionnaire, but it might be more fun to ask the questions in real time.
- Which Hungarian-American played Dracula in 1931? (Answer: Bela Lugosi)
- Which American short story writer wrote “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”? (Answer: Washington Irving)
- In the film “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” which character still believes in the Great Pumpkin? (Answer: Linus)
- Three witch sisters appear in which Shakespeare play? (Answer: MacBeth)
- What’s the name of the roadside motel in Hitchcock’s “Psycho”? (Answer: The Bates Motel)
Share Ghost Stories
You can write a story and send it to loved ones or have a fun in-person recital. If you can swing it, sitting around an outdoor fireplace can add just the right ambiance. Another fun adaptation is team storytelling. One person starts the story and each person subsequently adds to the tale. It can get pretty silly, which can be a nice break from the spookiness of the holiday.
We love to celebrate holidays at Sedgebrook. Many of our residents really get in the spirit and create a festive atmosphere all around the campus. If you’d like to know more about our vibrant lifestyle or see any of the inventive decorations our residents put out, contact us. A member of the team would be happy to provide more details.
