Senior Community Activity Ideas During COVID-19 Quarantines: Valentine's Day Edition!

Roses are red, violets are blue, here are some activity ideas for you

As Valentine's Day approaches, let's spread the love while limiting the spread of COVID-19. Get your community into the loving spirit with these 10 Valentine's Day themed activities.

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1. Making Wool Heart Wreaths 
   

These ornaments invite your residents to get creative and help decorate your community! They are a low-cost activity since they use mainly scrap material and material found around your community. Crafts can be done in residents' rooms or socially distanced to make this a COVID-19 friendly activity.

Hearts are cut out of scrap cardboard and wrapped with pink, red, and white yarn to create these simple and easy to make decorations. To spice it up, Residents can wrap different colour yarn, add braids or twists, or add sequins and beads. 

Check out the original idea here.

2. Host a Valentine's Day Card Exchange
   

With social distancing in place, residents might not be able to see their friends in person. Help them spread the love through Valentine’s day cards. A few days before Valentine’s day, provide each resident with craft supplies to create their own unique cards. Have them address them to their friends in the community as well as their families. 

Set up a delivery system to ensure each resident receives cards on Valentine's Day. Residents will be able to feel the love even during lockdowns from all the sweet handwritten messages!

Find fun handmade card ideas here.

3. Play Valentine's Day Bingo
   

Bingo is an all-time favourite of residents’. Change things up with a Valentine's Day-themed bingo card! Bingo can be hosted as a social-distanced live event, in person but with residents in their rooms, or online through computers and tablets! 

Get the printables here.

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4. Sing Love Songs
   

Music has the ability to lift spirits and bring back memories. Gather a list of your residents' favourite love songs and print out copies of the lyrics. Ask residents to sing the songs into a smartphone to record them. Share the recording with their loved ones for an extra special Valentine's day gift! 

Check out this playlist featuring love songs from the 50s and 60s for song ideas.

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5. Cupcake or Cookie Decorating
   

Get the creativity flowing and help residents practice their hand, eye coordination by decorating Valentine's day cupcakes and cookies! Deliver plain cupcakes and cookies to residents' doors along with coloured frosting and v-day candies and sprinkles. 

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6. Host a Poem Workshop
   

February is National Haiku Month! Teach residents this traditional Japanese poem style and have them write their own Valentine's day poems to share with their loved ones. Consider making an activity out of the framing and decorating the poems as well.

While haiku don’t rhyme, the poems follow this format:

• Line 1 – 5 syllables
• Line 2 – 7 syllables
• Line 3 – 5 syllables

Learn how to write a haiku here.

7. Host a Knitting Party
   

If your residents enjoy knitting, team up with a local homeless shelter and invite your residents to knit a hat or pair of mittens. They will feel fulfilled knowing that they are helping out those in need, especially during COVID-19. Knitting is a great socially distanced activity that also has some of the same benefits as meditation!

Original idea found here.

8. Valentine’s Themed Colouring
   

Colouring is such a relaxing activity and great to calm the mind. Check out these fun free printable colouring pages fun free printable colouring pages. Deliver colouring pages, pencils, and markers to your residents’ doors.

9. Hot Chocolate Bomb Bar
   

Hot chocolate bombs have been all the rage this winter. Set up a cart with red and pink mugs, v-day themed hot chocolate bombs, and fun coasters. Add some other sweet treats such as cinnamon hearts, whipped cream and other fun toppings for residents to dress up their hot cocoa.

Original idea sourced here.

10. Love You to Pieces Wreaths
    

This Valentine wreath is an easy and thrifty craft to make with your residents. Grab some puzzles at the dollar store, some cardboard boxes, craft paint, and some ribbon to put these together. Hang them on residents' doors after to remind them that they are so loved!

Check out the full tutorial here.

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We hope you found some inspiring Valentine’s Day ideas to try out with residents in your senior living communities. Everybody deserves to be celebrated for continuing to meet the challenge of keeping our seniors and loved ones safe and healthy, but also active and engaged this year. Hopefully you found a few fun filled activity ideas for your community. Every resident’s well-being is at the heart of what we do.

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