10 Senior Community Activity Ideas: Fall Edition

How is it Fall already? We still have some of that summer sun while we start to see the leaves turn those beautiful reds, yellows and oranges. For this month, we’re sharing activities based on quirky holidays and celebrations that take place in the month of October to help you get an early start on your October calendar and celebrate those fun and spooky holidays. 

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1. October – International Drum Month Weekly DrumFit

Encourage your residents to channel their inner Ringo Starr by celebrating International Drum Month with weekly DrumFit programs. DrumFit is a cardio based program that combines physical activity with brain fitness. It’s a full body workout and it’s really fun! Get those drumsticks out and rock out while socializing and laughing.

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2. October 1st – International Coffee Day Coffee Tasting

For all those coffee lovers in your community, this program will be just for them. To celebrate International Coffee Day, invite a seasoned barista from your local coffee shop to come in and run a coffee tasting with your residents. They’ll take you through the origins of coffee, what flavours, body and acidity each type has and they may even pair them with some delicious chocolate or fruit. This is also a great alternative for residents in your community who don’t drink alcohol, but still want to participate in a tasting program.

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3. October 1st (First Saturday of the Month) – World Card Making Day Program

Who doesn’t love getting a handmade, handwritten card? Why not celebrate World Card Making Day with a program for your residents that gets them creative and sentimental? Invite your residents to an arts program with various supplies they can use to create cards to share with family, friends or other residents. Not only is it a way to explore their creativity, but they’ll also be able to share with others how much they mean to them and bring a smile to their faces. 

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4. October 5th – World Teacher’s Day Intergenerational Program  

What a great opportunity to use that Education Profile question in Welbi! Look at all the residents in your community who used to be teachers and get them together to celebrate all that they’ve done for educating youth over their years. Start the day by honouring this amazing profession, and then invite a local school to come in so your teachers can read to the students. It will help your residents connect back with their career and reminisce about that time. 

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5. October 10th (Second Monday in October) – Canadian Thanksgiving Feast & Fun

Thanksgiving gives us an amazing opportunity to spend time with our loved ones and share in a delicious meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and our personal favourite, stuffing. Did we mention that dinner is topped off with pumpkin pie and whipped cream for dessert?

Get your dining team involved in hosting a feast for your residents. While they take care of the food, you and your team can take care of adding a few Thanksgiving themed decorations for a nice touch: pumpkins, gourd centrepieces, and leaf wreaths.

To add a special touch, create a tree trunk and branches on a large piece of butcher paper and hang it on your wall. Provide your residents with pre-cut paper leaves and ask them to write what they’re thankful for on their leaves. Attach the leaves to the tree branches with tape or glue.

And just so you know, this year, we at Welbi are thankful for all of you!

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6. October 20th – International Chefs Day “Iron Chef” Competition 

What an excellent chance to encourage a little friendly competition at your community where your residents can be the judge! Schedule a pseudo “Iron Chef” competition where all the chefs and cooking staff in your community compete for the title. Choose a theme or a specific ingredient and give your culinary teams time to whip them up (make sure you watch that clock). Once they’re done, a panel of resident judges (maybe find former chefs in your community) will do the ultimate taste test and crown the winning Iron Chef. Ideally, the competitors will do some preparation for your residents to see so they can cheer them on and get really into it. 

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7. October 25th – International Artists Day Mural

There’s a saying: everyone’s an artist. And on International Artists Day, that means all of your residents can participate. From paint, to coloured pencils, to stickers, to photos, there’s really no limit to the art they can produce. Maybe you can make all of your programs on October 25th art focused. Maybe you cover a whole wall with brown butcher paper and put out supplies for residents to decorate. The bottom line is to celebrate the inner artist that exists in all of us.

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8. October 25th – World Opera Day Concert

There is no better time to recognize the beauty of opera than World Opera Day. And if you have residents who have yet to develop a passion for it, then it’s the perfect day to begin. If you live in a bigger city with access to a theatre or opera, see if there’s a performance you and some residents can attend. If that’s not an option, see if you can hire an opera singer as your pre dinner entertainment. Renowned for their powerful voices, you won’t need a microphone to fill your community with their song.

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9. October 25th – World Pasta Day Pasta Making Class

Pasta might just be the greatest comfort food there is. And there’s nothing quite like freshly made pasta. So, invite one of your community’s chefs or one from the wider community to come in to teach your residents how to make pasta. Types, lengths, and shapes are endless, and the best part will be that they can eat the fruits of their labour with each other. 

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10. October 31st – Spooky Scary Halloween Party 

Ghosts? Check. Goblins? Check. Ghouls? Check.
Invite your residents to dress up in costumes or black and orange, play some Monster Mash and get residents in the Halloween spirit as you serve some Magic Potion Punch or Witch’s Brew. Decorate your community with Halloween decorations and organize some activities: pumpkin carving, door-to-door trick or treating, and costume competitions. There’s lots to deliver a fun and spooktacular ghostly affair. 

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Did these activity ideas spark your creativity? Get more inspiration with 6 Thanksgiving Activity Ideas for Your Senior Living Community or plan ahead for next month with 10 Senior Community Activity Ideas: November Edition!