Most elderly people absolutely adore children, so this fun event involves senior citizens along with children up to 10 years of age! The idea is to have a reading session and some craft activities – such as scrapbooking or card making – to involve both senior residents and little children in your community.

Sometimes, in old age, seniors can feel lonely, left out, and purposeless as their friends and family members pass away and they become increasingly immobile. Feelings of loneliness and purposelessness can cause sadness and depression among older individuals. Planning such activities occasionally will help them feel fresh and joyful.

Finding Seniors (or Kids)

Depending on your community’s demographics, you may need to hunt down a fun group of seniors (or kids) for a successful event. Consider partnering with local preschools, private schools, and retirement communities as needed to make the event possible!

Storytelling and Reading Activity

Reading and storytelling are activities which older people love to do while small children love to listen! Kids can be asked to bring along their favorite storybooks.

To make it even more fun, seniors can be asked to bring the storybook characters to life. Ask a group of senior members to enact the characters with simple costumes or props to make the event more fun for both children and elders.

***TIP*** Host this event at a community library or a local retirement community. You can even make it part of your regular monthly routine!

Scrapbooking with Seniors

Image Source: A Vegas Girl at Heart

Another fun activity involves making abstract art and preserving memories through scrapbooking. This allows the seniors and children to indulge in their creative spirit and enjoy the art-making process.

For this activity, provide the residents and other attendees with:

·         Colorful papers

·         Stamps

·         Paint, markers, and crayons

·         Scissors

·         Glue

You can encourage youngsters and elders to bring pictures for scrapbooking, or just let the participants create anything they wish. The process itself will be carefree and therapeutic for both the children as well as the older participants. The seniors can be asked to assist the children and teach them how to work through the crafts, but do also have other adults on hand to help!

***TIP*** Ask the senior members to assist children with cutting, since they may not have a good grip with scissors.

This video shows how little children and older adults can mutually benefit and help each other by doing fun activities together:

The children and seniors in your community will surely all benefit from each other’s skills, experience, and perspectives on life. Have a fantastic gathering!