With Easter just around the corner, now’s the perfect time to plan fun activities for your care home residents. Crafts, games and hobbies provide stimulation, boost mental wellbeing and make any celebration more interesting – especially in a care setting.
In this blog post, we'll share 10 awesome activity ideas to help you make this an Easter to remember.
1. Organise an Easter egg hunt
Egg hunts are an exciting reminder of childhood fun – plus they’re a great excuse to invite residents’ families in for the day. If the weather’s good, hide eggs outside as well as inside, and remember to make hiding places accessible so that less mobile residents can join in, too.
Foil-wrapped chocolate eggs work well and so do hollow plastic eggs, which you can fill with small treats of your choice.
If your residents enjoy a little mystery, use clues to guide them to hiding spots.
2. Bring in spring with a raffle
Got a fundraising goal at your care home? Kick off your campaign and keep the seasonal fun going with an Easter-themed raffle.
Why not reach out to some of your favourite local businesses, cafes and restaurants to see if they’re willing to donate prizes? In exchange, you can give them a little shout-out and publicity during your event. Then, you can sell raffle tickets and encourage the community to participate and have a chance to win some amazing prizes.
3. Make Easter bonnets
Easter bonnets are fun to make and even more fun to wear. Begin with a straw hat and add silk flowers, fluffy chicks, paper eggs, daffodils and other decorations to create bonnets as unique as your residents.
Residents’ family members and friends might like to join in with this activity – especially if they’re younger. At the end of the day, everyone gets to take home an artsy, crafty Easter souvenir.
4. Decorate eggs
Egg decorating is a traditional, low-cost Easter staple, and it’s an easy activity to organise. All you need for a basic crafting session are a few hard-boiled eggs, food colouring, vinegar, water and markers.
If you fancy something a little more elaborate, why not try making marbled eggs? For more inspiration, take a look at this article (then stock up on craft supplies before the big day).
To raise the stakes a little, make your egg decorating activity a competition for the best design!
5. Organise an Easter card-making activity
An Easter card-making activity can be a fun and engaging way for residents to get creative and express themselves. You’ll need cardstock, markers, stickers, and other decorative items, plus example cards and templates to provide inspiration.
Encourage residents to use their imaginations and create cards that are unique and personal to them. This activity is a great opportunity for residents to connect with each other: they can exchange cards or work on projects together.
6. Have an afternoon tea party
What better way to bring joy and comfort to your residents than an Easter tea party? Colourful decorations like bunting, flowers and balloons create a festive atmosphere, while delicious treats served on pastel-hued plates make the day that much yummier.
This is a great opportunity for staff to engage with residents on a more personal level, which can help build stronger relationships and a sense of community within the care home. You can make everyone feel included and valued by inviting residents’ families into your care home to join in, too.
7. Host an Easter baking day
Easter baking can bring residents together and give them a chance to show off their skills in the kitchen. You don’t have to be Mary Berry to decorate cupcakes: all you need is a little icing, a few sprinkles and maybe a couple of chocolate eggs.
The wonderful thing about baking is that you can adapt the activity to suit almost anyone – even your least mobile residents. Pick familiar recipes, like chocolate nests, Victoria sponge and Easter-shaped biscuits to make the day as fun as possible.
8. Have a singalong
Music doesn’t just bring people together – it can also help reduce stress and anxiety. Most experts agree that music is therapeutic in a care setting, especially if residents have memory loss.
To organise a nostalgic Easter singalong, ask your residents which songs they like the most. You can lead the singalong, or invite local musicians or volunteers to come along and perform.
9. Play Easter bingo
Nearly everyone loves bingo. It’s simple, fun and sociable – and it’s easy to set up. All you need are bingo cards, bingo markers and an enthusiastic caller.
To organise an Easter-themed bingo session, decorate your room with bunnies, Easter eggs and other seasonal trimmings. Prizes could include Easter eggs and small stuffed animals (like little rabbits and chicks).
10. Organise eggcellent entertainment
Travelling theatre companies, choirs, magicians and other entertainers are perfect options for care homes. If you have any local theatre groups, ask them if they’d like to come and perform a short play for your residents.
An Easter-themed quiz can be fun, too. Whatever form of entertainment you choose, make sure you create an inclusive and welcoming environment so that all residents can join in. With a little planning, this Easter might end up being the best one yet.
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