Summer is in full swing! For this month, we’re sharing activities based on quirky holidays and celebrations that take place in the month of July, to help you get an early start on your July calendar and celebrate those fun summer holidays.
Oh, Canada! Our home and native land. Celebrate all things Canada on July 1st with your residents. Here are some ideas to consider:
What’s another great way to celebrate the first of July? With laughter of course! It’s International Joke Day and what a great excuse to laugh more. Host an Amateur Comedy Night in your community and encourage residents to sign up for a five minute time slot to deliver their best punches and one-liners. It might also be a good opportunity to pop some old comedy shows on throughout the day.
Who knew that the first of July was so hoppin’?! It’s also International Chicken Wing Day, a fun and messy way to celebrate one of our most popular finger foods. Not only could you have your meal plan covered, but you could do taste testing with various wing sauces: mild, hot, honey garlic, and sweet chili Thai. Maybe encourage some friendly competition with your dining staff and get them to submit their best chicken wings and sauce for residents to try and rate.
What a great reason to come together on a warm summer night and think about our world and whether we think there’s something out there bigger than the humans here on Earth. There are plenty of documentaries or movies you could put on for your residents: Bob Lazar, Close Encounters of a Third Kind, E.T., and Signs.
You could also head outdoors and do some stargazing and sky-gazing and have discussions about who believes in aliens, UFOs, and life beyond our planet.
For our U.S. communities, no doubt you’ll be wanting to celebrate the fourth of July with your residents! Get those red, white, and blue outfits out and consider celebrating with the following activities:
Do you have some chocoholics in your community? Well, this is the day for them! And really, who doesn’t love to have a reason to indulge in this favourite sweet treat. There are so many ways you could celebrate this day with your residents:
A moment in history where France saw the beginning of the French Revolution. On Bastille Day, folks enjoy family activities, celebrations, as well as in Paris, there’s a military parade on the Champs-Elysees, followed by fireworks and dancing. You can mark this occasion by doing an Armchair Travel or Travelogue with your residents to France or by doing a “Guess that France Landmark” game, showing photos of The Eiffel Tower or the Palace of Versailles. Encourage your culinary team to serve French food for dinner, a wine and cheese board, or even french fries with a glass of french champagne as your residents listen to french music.
A day for those chess enthusiasts in your community! A game of great skill, this might be a great opportunity to organize an intergenerational program where some of your chess masters teach the younger generation how to play chess. You could also host a chess marathon during the day to see who will come out on top. For those who may not play, but have an interest, you could play some chess movies, such as Queen of Katwe or the Queen’s Gambit.
Self-Care is important at any age so that we stay healthy, both mentally and physically. Along with eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, avoiding smoking and taking care of mental health, there are ways you can mark this day to help your residents actively participate in self-care: doing an outdoor walk as a group, hosting a yoga or stretching class, offering a meditation “how-to” class, and maybe even a trip to the spa (either by bus or in your activity room with some nail polish). Give your residents an opportunity to rest and recharge.
We know there are some very special bonds between residents at your communities. Why not celebrate these beautiful friendships at the end of July on International Day of Friendship with a High Tea Party. Teas, sandwiches, scones, jams, cakes, sweets- the options are endless. You can seat close friends together and/or encourage residents to invite their closest friend to attend the event and find ways to showcase their friendship: writing a poem, sharing their favourite thing about the other person, taking photos of friends together in a fun photo booth. There’s lots of ways to celebrate the important connections between people.
Did these activity ideas spark your creativity? Get more inspiration with these Senior Community Activity Ideas to Kick Off the Summer or plan ahead for next month with 10 Senior Community Activity Ideas: August Edition!
Katie Stewart
Katie is a member of Welbi’s Customer Experience team! She has a background in communications and recreation and is passionate about older adults, exercise, coffee and people.
Holly Mathias
Holly is a member of Welbi’s Marketing team! She has a background in communications and marketing, and is a compassionate individual who loves team work, story telling, and wellness.
Wendy Riopelle
Wendy is a student in the Honours BA in English program at the University of Ottawa, where she has won numerous awards for her writing.
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