With the holiday season approaching, introducing some holiday-themed activities into your elderly loved one's day is a great way to enjoy this time of year. At adult day care centers, such as Independent Days Adult Care Center, Inc., there is often a list of activities that they can participate in. With some help from you, they can create a number of great things for the holidays. Here are some examples:

Create a Family Scrapbook

One great activity for your loved one is to create a family scrapbook of pictures and other family mementos. They will need a scrapbook, scrapbook paper, stickers, and decals. Help your family member find some meaningful pictures, newspaper clippings, and anything else they'd like to add to the book and bring it to the center. If you want to keep to a holiday theme, look for pictures of holidays past that you can add. This is an especially great activity if your loved one is having some memory loss. This can help jog their memory on past family events. Building these scrapbooks is also great for hand dexterity, and allows them to express their creativity at the same time.

Make a Holiday Themed Mosaic

Another fun activity for clients is making a holiday themed mosaic. This is a fun activity that gives them something to place in their home as a holiday decoration. It is also a very simple activity, especially when using ready-made mosaic kits from the craft store. They can choose holiday-themed mosaics, such as poinsettias, Christmas trees, snowflakes, or anything you think your loved one would enjoy.

Make a Holiday Wreath

Making a wreath is a wonderful activity for the elderly. This gives them a way to exercise creativity while building up some hand strength through cutting embellishments and tying bows to the wreath. It is important that all of the materials are pre-cut and ready to go--not only to save time, but also to keep them from having to work their hands too hard. Cutting floral wire can be difficult for anyone, so it is important that be done ahead of time.

Create a Family Cookbook

A wonderful activity to do during the holidays is creating a cookbook with all of the family recipes. This can be used as a gift for a family member or a keepsake for themselves. Help your family member locate all of their special recipes to include in the book. At the day care center, the staff can help place them into a neat book with some extra embellishments. They can then be set and bound like a real book at any office supply store.

Creating fun activities for your loved one is a great way to keep them happy, healthy, and energized. If you have some suggestions for activities that your family member would enjoy, be sure to notify the center director.