This is the perfect sensory kit for the season of little goblins.

The goal of this sensory kit is to provide a variety of interesting, theme-oriented stimuli (for a variety of ability levels) that will enhance the sensory environment and encourage a memory tie-in to the sensory experience.

To put together the kit, you will need:

• Trick-or-treat bag, plastic pumpkin, or pillowcase to hold all of your “goodies”
• Halloween masks. Simple ones on a stick are easy to hold up in front of your eyes.
• Other items that might be part of a Halloween costume, such as a cowboy hat, witch hat, fairy wand, pirate sword, white sheet with holes for eyes (ghost), etc. Select items with different textures and colors.
• Halloween decorations—fake cobwebs, plastic spiders, black cat, black crepe paper streamers, etc.
• Halloween stationary and cards
• Pumpkin-scented candles
• A jack-o’-lantern (preferably a real one with battery-operated tealight inside)
• Recordings of Halloween music, such as “The Monster Mash,” “The Addams Family Theme Song,” and “The Funeral March of the Marionettes”
• Candy corn and other Halloween candy
• Other treats associated with Halloween—fresh popcorn, apples, apple cider, candied apples, pumpkin seeds, etc.
• Halloween napkins, plates, and cups
• Pictures of children dressed in costumes

Activity Ideas and Suggestions

1. Always begin by introducing the topic and explaining briefly the purpose of

the activity. “Halloween is just around the corner, so I thought we might talk

about Halloween and enjoy a Halloween treat.”

2. As facilitator, come dressed in a costume if you want.

3. Pass around one item at a time so that everyone can enjoy an appropriate

sensory relationship with the object.

4. Encourage participants to examine the object. If appropriate, ask people to

describe how the object looks, feels, and smells.

5. Discuss each item. Ask non-threatening questions, such as:

• Did you dress up for Halloween when you were a child? Did you make costumes for your children?
• Do you prefer “pretty” costumes (like a princess) or “scary” ones (like a witch or warlock)?
• If you were wearing this hat (cowboy hat), what might you be?
• What would you use to scoop out the inside of a pumpkin?

6. Allow people to try on the various items of the Halloween costumes if they want.

7. Play the familiar Halloween music and ask people to hum along. Ask if it sounds spooky or scary.

8. Hand out the food items and ask people to smell and taste each one. Note: Always check for any dietary restrictions.

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This drama exercise stimulates the imagination and encourages thinking outside the box.

To do the exercise:

1. Participants sit in a circle. The leader shows a prop to

the participants, saying, “What could this prop be? We’re going to pass it around the circle, and each of you will show us something that it could become.”

2. The leader then demonstrates, turning the prop into something and stating what it is. For example, a plastic mixing bowl could be a hat, a basin for washing your hands, a drum, a flowerpot, etc. A scarf could be a lasso, a jump rope, a belt, a sling, a bandage, etc. Tip: Come up with a list of possibilities for each of your props prior to the activity.

3. The prop is passed from person to person, with each participant sharing an idea. If an idea is repeated, such as “a hat,” the leader asks the participant to be more specific (a turban, a bonnet), thereby making the participant come up with their own idea.

4. If the number of participants is small enough, the prop can travel around the circle twice.

5. Begin the next round with the last person of the previous round. (It is easier to think of something if you are the first person as opposed to the last person.)

In this simple but fun game, you hide paper acorns around the community and have participants search for them.

Instructions: 

1. Print some paper acorns (see attached pdf for a sheet of acorns) and hide them around the building.
2. Ask everyone to search throughout the day and “squirrel away” as many acorns as they can.
3. Award one point for each acorn, or write different point values on the back of each acorn.
4. At the end of the day, give a prize to the person with the most points.

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Where Is Rudolph? is a fun and simple activity to do during the Christmas season. Community members can assist with making the stick Rudolphs and then take part in searching for them.

Make a simple stick Rudolph like the one in the photo.

• Take a small branch and add a red pom-pom nose and craft eyes.
• Move Rudolph around every morning for everyone to find, just like the popular Elf on the Shelf. The first person to find it gets a prize.
• If you want, make several reindeer for people to find.

For assembling the stick Rudolph:

• Chair and table
• A small branch
• Red pom poms
• Craft eyes
• Glue

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Liven up any season by turning an adult coloring page into a colorful, hanging ornament.

1. Color an adult coloring page of choice using pencils or markers.
2. Draw 9 vertical lines that are about 3/4" apart going down the sheet of paper. In the middle of each line use the hole punch to make a hole on both the top and bottom of the page.
3. Follow your guidelines and cut the page into 10 strips of paper.
4. Stack the strips and put paper fasteners through the holes on the top and bottom.
5. Fan out the strips and add string on top for hanging.

Supplies Needed: 

• Adult coloring page
• Colored pencils or markers
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Two 3/4" paper fasteners
• String

Nothing says the holidays like Gingerbread. And the best part, it’s just so darn tasty. Get your residents together and bake some gingerbread cookies together. Purchase some supplies to decorate Gingerbread Men: mints, sprinkles, icing! This will be a great activity to bring people together and enjoy something delicious at the end. Here’s a recipe to help you get started.

If your community has access to a bus or van, take your residents on a tour of local homes that are decorated for the holidays. Residents will enjoy taking a short trip to enjoy the decorations and the beautiful twinkling lights. Make it cozier by offering some hot chocolate and baked goodies.

Gift-giving is an important holiday tradition for many seniors and sometimes they need a little help – and extra supplies like tape, ribbon, and wrapping paper. Get your residents and staff together for an afternoon and help your residents wrap their gifts and write their holiday cards. As everyone wraps together, residents and staff can bond over favorite holiday stories.

Seniors like to know they can still make a difference. Empower them by setting up a giving tree in your lobby. Residents and visitors can decorate the tree with (new) hats and gloves to be donated to a local homeless shelter or add gifts under the tree to donate to The Salvation Army.

Santa can still bring us so much joy. So why not invite Santa into your residence! You can serve hot chocolate, play carols and take photos. If your senior residence allows pets, let Santa pose for photos with their beloved companion.