Usually, New Year’s Eve is coupled with staying up all night and going to big, raucous events, which aren’t ideal New Year’s activities for seniors. Besides, the holidays are a bit different this year, so our holiday activities need to change as well.

So, in this post, we’re highlighting a variety of different New Year’s activities that you can try. Some of the activities might sound familiar, but we’ve also focused on some creative ones.

Of course, the best options are going to depend on your situation.

Some seniors will be spending holidays with their family, especially if they already lived with family before the COVID-19 crisis began. Other seniors may be more isolated. These seniors may need to do holiday activities on their own or use technology to tune in with their family.

Thankfully, technology does let us bridge many gaps. There’s no need for seniors to miss out this New Year’s, even if they are distant from their family. The trick is to find activities that are fun and work well for your situation.

Also, when you’re planning New Year’s activities for seniors, think about the timing. You’ll often need to focus on the late morning or early afternoon, so that the whole family has plenty of energy. Planning festivities at midnight mightn’t work too well, as the young and the old may run out of energy.

Our Top New Year’s Activities for Seniors

Create Your Own Customized Photo Booth

There is no better way to remember a fun event than pictures! To have more fun, you can create your own little photo booth at home.

What is even better is that you can get lots of help from your family, including your parents. You can buy New Year’s Eve decorations at most party shops or you and your loved one can create decorations for the photo booth. If shopping isn’t an option, get creative with what you have at home.

Or, if you’re going to have a Zoom conference in place of a traditional party, why not put some effort into the background. Create something truly memorable and have some fun. After all, you can take screen captures through video conference apps.

Across the year, your parents and grandparents will reflect back at the pictures and remember all the fun experiences the night made, which will improve their emotional and mental health.

Guess the Resolution

Here’s a fun game to try in-person or remotely. For this game, each person writes down one New Year’s resolution, and all the goals go into a bowl or jar (or a file, if you’re taking the digital approach). Everyone has to read out loud each resolution to allow participants an opportunity to identify who penned the resolution.

This activity will activate the minds of seniors, allow them to socialize with others, and gradually improve overall quality of life.

Create Crafts for New Year’s

Crafts are always fun. Making Christmas ornaments might be the traditional approach, but there are plenty of things that you can make for the new year too. Think about paper clocks, caps, flutes, and party hats, with fabric and things that complement the holiday.

The paper decorations could be cut out and added to the fabric by your loved one.

Focusing on crafts can help improve mental fitness and agility, while also providing a talking point.

Why not create extra jewelry for each guest to wear if you are going to hold a New Year’s party.

For adults who have more independent skills, how about a New Year’s Eve art project? There are many interesting approaches that you could try. You might even get seniors involved in craft of the month clubs, as these often provide materials and instructions.

Play the Happy New Year Matching Game

In order to understand how other nations say “Happy New Year,” you and your loved one should look online and then practice saying the phrase.

You could even create a competition out of the idea by having guests try to work out which words and phrases are linked to which part of the world.

This is a fun way to keep everyone’s mind active and engaged. Plus, it’s a game that works well with a large group or a small one.

Arrange a Treasure Hunt Game

Carve out time for a friendly treasure hunt that your loved one will experience with you, the kids, and whoever else is around.

The treasure hunt could be inside or outside of the house, depending on the weather. Plastic bottles, noisemakers, streamers, clocks, candy coins, and bells are some of the things, which can be included in the search. This game is not only for fun. It may strengthen your loved one’s critical thinking as well!

Cook their Favorite Recipes!

Will your loved ones enjoy pizza, sweets, or cookies based on your family’s secret recipe? Think about doing some baking or cooking their favorite meal, and then relaxing and enjoying the meal together!

After all, who does not enjoy fantastic food and even nicer company?

Cooking at home is a healthy activity and gives you time to connect with your grandparents, even if you’re just making sandwiches. The process helps develop a sense of pride in your elder relatives and a sense of gratitude and admiration.

If the seniors have a family recipe, this is the time for them to share it.

If you’re taking the long-distance approach, why not have the senior write the recipe out for each person in the family and mail it? Then, individual family members can prepare the recipe and the senior can judge how well it all turned out.

Talk to Elders! 

Often, simply having moments with your family members and offering them your complete attention is the best thing you can do. We recommend preparing tea or coffee and settling down with your loved ones to speak with them, or even be just a good listener! 

Doing this via technology might not feel quite the same, but the process is still important.

While assisted living facilities tend to be strict with visitors right now, there may still be ways for you to see and spend time with your family member, even if you have to do so from a distance.

Getting your family member to share their stories is important. They’ve lived a long and full life. The value of their experiences often gets lost. You might even record some of their recollections for a later date or look at some type of memory journal.

Telling stories like this is helpful for the senior too. It helps to create a sense of satisfaction and achievement, while also triggering positive memories. Caregivers and grandkids get the chance to learn more about their family members, which can lead to better relationships and more empathy.

Movies

Watch their favorite movie! What could be easier than that?

Nuzzling up with a soft comfortable blanket and enjoying a decent film is exactly what’s called for during the chilly winter months. Try asking your loved ones what their dream film is, then complete it with snacks and soft blankets, to create the ultimate home theater!

This is one of the best ways of spending New Year’s Eve! You could use your DVD player, see what’s on TV, or turn to an online service.

The grandkids might even be able to help seniors in setting up a movie projector! The nicest thing about watching films is that you can watch movies anytime, anywhere! Even just watching them in bed off a laptop can be appealing.

Classics are an excellent choice. These let seniors relive many positive experiences from their youth.

Make the Countdown Inclusive!

Your loved one might not be able to wait up past midnight to witness the countdown or celebrate the New Year. If they’re low in energy, trying to stay up can be more stressful than it is worth.

Try holding a breakfast party and counting down to 12 noon instead. They still get the chance to celebrate and have fun, but there’s no struggle to stay awake.

Countdown Gift Bags Bring Together

Making gift bags can be a fun tasks that brings people together. The bags can include various party favors like blowers, caps, glasses, and confetti.

If in-person celebrations aren’t an option, how about making New Year’s gift bags and then shipping them out to family? That way everyone can open the bags once New Year’s hits.

Build a Time Capsule or a Memory Box

Time capsules and memory boxes are excellent ways to remember the good parts of the year that has been. Doing so is more important this year than ever before.

Possible items include a picture, writing samples, footprint impressions, favorite tracks, and other details or personal attributes that are sure to alter over the years.

You could make time capsules a regular custom and then periodically open them.

Or, simply work on a scrapbook. Scrapbooks are a fun way to pull together good memories and you end up with something that you can look back on.

Themed Parties

Giving your party a theme is a fun idea. You can do this even if your party is entirely remote.

The event could be as stylish or as casual as you would like. Think about a disco party, for example, which would give seniors great memories of their past. How about a costume party?

If you’re having a Zoom conference for New Year’s instead, why not get everyone to dress up?

Paintings

Painting is a fantastic chance to be creative. Supplies are easy to find or order online and there are many places to find instructions.

You could even look for beginner’s painting kids or painting clubs, where the user doesn’t need any previous experience. The painting could be themed for the New Year, but this isn’t essential. Simply look for an angle that your family is likely to enjoy.

Singing Songs

Catch the seasonal music, especially New Year celebration songs, and arrange a sing-along that your whole family can appreciate.

Finding the music is easy. Boom boxes, karoke machines, streaming services, DVDs, or even videos are all options. Music is always powerful, helping people to lift people’s spirits. Some songs may help them relive positive memories.

Singing together can be fun too. Pick songs that most family members are familiar with and let it rip.

Signing or listening to music can help improve focus and quality of sleep. Your family might even make sing-alongs a regular thing.

Final Thoughts

New Year’s Eve is a special occasion for everyone, including seniors.

While New Year’s activities for seniors are more difficult this year than normal, there are still plenty of options. The ideas on this list can all be perfect as starting points.

But, don’t stop there. Get creative and see what other ideas you can come up with.