December! I CANNOT believe the end of the year is here. Twinkling lights, holiday cheer, and the perfect time to make therapy sessions in our skilled nursing facilities a little extra magical! Christmas-themed activities are not just festive, they are a great way to engage your residents, spark some holiday memories and spread a little joy during the holidays. I've got some ideas for you to bring the holiday spirit to your sessions!
First, let's look at my bundle of ready made resources that I'll be using ALL month long.
There are five different tasks in the bundle and the first one focuses on problem solving and safety awareness. You know those little holiday hiccups that come up every year? Like "What do you do when the Christmas tree lights won't turn on?" or "How do you navigate crowded family functions with a walker?" Turn those into therapy activities by helping your residents to problem-solve while reminiscing about their own holiday traditions. It comes with 24 problem-solving cards perfect for this kind of brainwork.
The next task is one of my favorites that I use in therapy almost everyday. It's a sequencing task that I have adapted for a lot of different ADL's but these are holiday themed. What's the best way to decorate a tree? Or bake Christmas cookies? Sequencing these holiday activities is not only fun but great for memory and organization. With seven sequencing tasks included in the bundle, your residents can organize their favorite traditions-and maybe debate the best place to hang a wreath.
What would a cognitive bundle be without a memory task? Take memory games and add in a holiday theme and you have an instant win! For this activity you show a card with a few Christmas items (beautiful VINTAGE Christmas items, mind you!), give your resident a moment to study it, and then challenge them to recall the items. It's simple, effective, and festive.
There is also Reminiscence therapy activity that I LOVE because the conversations it sparks about Christmas past are golden. Dive into holiday nostalgia with 80 different questions covering topics like holiday traditions, holiday movies, and big Christmas dinners. These questions are a great way to foster social interaction, connection, and memory!
The last activity in my bundle is my FAVORITE! It's similar to my ADL matchup tasks but focused on holiday items. You take the BEAUTIFUL holiday object cards and form a grid of them depending on the difficulty that is appropriate for your patient. I sometimes use ALL of the cards in a giant grid but you can use as little as two to make adapt it to the cognitive abilities of the person playing. Next, you draw a description card and match it to the corresponding image card. It's such a simple concept but SUCH a hit with my residents.
Now that we've covered the activities I'll be using out of my
Christmas Cognition Bundle let's look at some more ideas for Christmas themed therapy activities:
1. Holiday Music Sing Along/Karaoke: Organize a karaoke party where patients sing classic holiday songs, promoting memory recall and social interaction.
2. A festive bake-off! Involve your patients in baking traditional treats, stimulating the senses and encouraging reminiscence. Bonus: make it a competition by competing with OT and their patients.
3. Enlist help with decorating your therapy space! Do simple crafts like make an ornament or put up a Christmas tree together...another great way to collaborate with OT.
4. Make some holiday cards! Get in some reading comprehension and written expression practice by designing, addressing, and even actually mailing cards to their loved ones if possible.
5. Seasonal puzzles and games: Provide holiday-themed puzzles or bingo games to stimulate cognitive functions in an enjoyable manner.
No matter what therapy materials or activities you decide to utilize this December, let's make therapy sessions something our residents look forward to! This is a special time of year for them and we can help make their Christmas season merry, bright, and full of meaningful engagement. Happy holidays!
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