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September 26, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Christmas Countdown Activity List Grandma will Love

Alzheimer's Activities

24 Days of Christmas themed activities for seniors living with Alzheimer’s. This Christmas countdown is fun for the whole family and easy enough for grandparents with early to mid-stage dementia to participate. 

List of 24 dementia-friendly Christmas activities

Get your loved one with dementia in the holiday spirit!  I created this Christmas countdown with activities my mom, who is mid-stage Alzheimer’s, enjoys. There’s a mix of activities that can be done independently, as well as those the whole family will enjoy. 

This page contains affiliate links (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more). I only share things I love and would recommend to my best friend.  Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

1  Send Christmas cards – You can go all out for this one and turn it into a craft project of homemade cards. (My Holiday Dementia Activity Bundle has DONE FOR YOU printable holiday cards created especially for seniors with dementia!) For seniors who have fine motor issues, stuffing the envelope and adding a holiday sticker or wax seal makes a great holiday card activity.

2  Decorate a holiday wreath – Buy a wreath (real or artificial) and some simple decorating supplies like berries, ribbon, and pinecones.

Senior making a Christmas Wreath

3  Hang mistletoe – We always had mistletoe by our front door when I was a child, so I keep this tradition alive for Mom to enjoy. We like making a mistletoe ball. 

4  String popcorn and cranberries – Some fine motor skills are necessary for this one, but large plastic needles help!  We use needles like these.

5  Decorate a Christmas tree – Just because a senior may not be able to actually hang ornaments on the tree doesn’t mean they can’t participate in tree decorating. Mom doesn’t hang ornaments anymore but loves to sit next to the ornament box and hand them to the kids. Luckily I still have some of the same decorations Mom put on our tree when I was a kid. She remembers these!

Box of Christmas ornaments for tree decorating dementia activity

6  Make gourmet hot chocolate – Stir with a chocolate-dipped spoon or candy cane and add toppings like marshmallows, peppermint candies, white chocolate chips, and whipped cream. Yum!

Cup of hot chocolate at Christmas for seniors with dementia

7  Work an easy, yet adult, holiday-themed jigsaw puzzle – (Like this one. Only 35 pieces, but not juvenile at all.)

8  Solve a Christmas crossword puzzle – (Here’s how I created an easy, dementia-friendly one for my mom.)

9  Go see Christmas lights – Our little town has a small park that comes to life with light every holiday season. Luckily it’s closeby and we’re able to take Mom several times each season. 

Christmas Forest of Light Display

10  Watch Christmas movies – It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas in Connecticut, Meet Me in St. Louis, and A Christmas Carol are family favorites seniors love.

11  Wear Christmas socks – (Oh my, these are so cute!)

12  Bake holiday goodies for the neighbors

13  Play the Christmas Carol Matching Game   – The updated and expanded version of this game is available in my DONE FOR YOU printable Holiday Dementia Activity Bundle!

14  Do a random act of kindness – This can be super simple like paying for the person’s order behind you in the drive-through. It always makes Mom giggle. 

15  Make handmade gifts (Like dementia-friendly Sharpie Mugs or Fridge Magnets!)

16  Color easy adult Christmas coloring pages  – Simple adult designs with thick stroke lines for the win here. My Holiday Dementia Activity Bundle includes DONE FOR YOU artist created coloring pages created especially for seniors living with dementia!My Holiday Dementia Activity Bundle includes DONE FOR YOU artist created coloring pages created especially for seniors living with dementia! They even come in 2 difficulty levels!

Easy and really easy dementia coloring designs

17  Wrap gifts – If paper and tape are too much for your person, use gift bags with tissue paper.

18  Reminisce about past Christmases – Pull out old photo albums or run a slide show app on your computer screen. 

19  Make Christmas ornaments

20  Bake Christmas cookies – If cookie cutters and decorating individual cookies are too tough for your senior, try a batch of simple sugar cookies with peppermint candy topping. 

21  Work a Christmas word search (Here’s one I created for mom with large print and easy to find words.)

Senior Friendly Christmas Word Search Printable

22  Listen to Christmas music

Christmas sheet music for dementia activity

23  Take a family photo – We like doing this just a few days before Christmas when the house is all decorated and everyone is full of holiday excitement. 

24  Fill the stockings – Even though my kids are past the Santa years, we still fill the stockings and put out presents after they are in bed on Christmas Eve. Mom loves feeling like she’s part of the secret.

Christmas stocking ready for filling dementia activity

My dementia-friendly Christmas Activity Countdown is available for download to my email subscribers in my Resource Library of senior-friendly printables and activities. If you would like to become a subscriber, click the link below and fill out the form. You will instantly receive an email with the Resource Library password. The download for the Christmas Activity Countdown contains 2 versions of the countdown. The first version is as you see in this post. The 2nd version has the words “dementia-friendly” and my website at the bottom replaced with my printables site – doneforyouprintables.com. This way you don’t have to hesitate to post the countdown for your senior to see. 


 

Want to remember this? 

Save the Senior Christmas Countdown to your favorite Pinterest board.

Christmas Activity Countdown Senior-Friendly

Thank you for sharing!

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Welcome

Hi, I'm Anne. Are you caring for someone with dementia? Me, too. Read More…

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Disclaimer

Adventuresofacaregiver.com is a personal blog that contains my personal opinions and experiences. It does not reflect the opinions of any organizations I may be affiliated with. Any information provided on my blog is accurate and true to the best of my knowledge, but there may be omissions, errors, and mistakes. The information on my blog is for informational purposes only and should not be seen as any kind of advice including but not limited to medical, legal, tax, or emotional advice. Relying on any information on this blog is done entirely at the reader’s own risk. I am not a doctor or medical professional. Nothing on this blog should be seen as medical or professional advice. 

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adventuresofacaregiver

❤️Alzheimer's Caregiver, Blogger
💌anne@adventuresofacaregiver.com
Visit my blog for Alzheimer's activities and caregiver resources!

adventuresofacaregiver
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Tim It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Time to break out the Christmas Carol Matching Game for Mom.  It’s her favorite!  Printable game available on my blog. Link in bio. #dementiacaregiver #dementiaactivities #alzheimerscaregiversupport
Created an easy coloring page for Mom today. #dem Created an easy coloring page for Mom today.  #dementia #alzheimersactivities #dementiacare #caregivertips
Summer word search made easy for seniors with earl Summer word search made easy for seniors with early to mid stage dementia. Super large print and all the words run in readable direction! Nothing going backward! Mom loves word searches, but the store bought books have gotten too difficult for her.  This summer word search was perfect! She completed it independently. This word search and others available for printing on my blog at adventuresofacaregiver.com. #alzheimers #alzheimersactivity #alzheimerscaregiver #dementia #dementiacaregiver #dementiaactivity
DIY Sharpie Mug Craft made easy for seniors with e DIY Sharpie Mug Craft made easy for seniors with early to early-mid stage dementia.  My mom had a blast with this project and made several for gifts! She was successful and her project had purpose which is still really important to her.  See all the pics and printable materials list and instructions on my blog at adventuresofacaregiver.com. #alzheimers #alzheimersactivity #alzheimerstips #alzheimerscaregiver #alzheimerscaregiversupport #dementia
So glad my mom still enjoys coloring. ❤️ I cre So glad my mom still enjoys coloring. ❤️ I created these monogram pages with thick stroke lines to help her feel successful. She gets frustrated when she can’t stay inside the lines.  She did pretty well with these today and was happy with the result.  #alzheimers #alzheimersactivity #caregiverhack #caregiver #dementia
Preparing a craft for Mom. My family gave me a Cri Preparing a craft for Mom. My family gave me a Cricut Marker for Christmas, and I LOVE it! ❤️ it allows me to create detailed crafts for Mom that I would otherwise never taken the time to do. Mom is always proud of her results when she starts with Cricut cut pieces!  #alzheimers #cricutmaker #alzheimersactivity #caregiver #caregiverhack
Famous Duos game created for seniors with Alzheime Famous Duos game created for seniors with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia! I customized this one with famous people my mom knew to ensure her success. She loves it! The printable game cards for this activity are available free on my blog at adventuresofacaregiver.com. #alzheimerscaregiver #alzheimersactivities #alzheimerstips #dementia #alzheimers #caregiversupport
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