20 Outdoor Activities To Enjoy As Nursing Homes Reopen

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Isn’t it wonderful to see nursing homes opening up again? Yes, this will be a slow and careful process. But what a difference it will make in the lives of residents, families, and staff!

Guidelines vary in each community, but many of you can now do outdoor activities with small groups of residents. That’s why today I’m sharing 20 activities that I know your residents will enjoy.

1. Make ice cream. Check out this recipe and see how each resident can make their own ice cream in a plastic baggie.

2. Create tie-dyed T-shirts. Provide supplies so each resident can decorate a T-shirt for themselves or a family member. The mess doesn’t matter when you’re outdoors!

3. Enjoy the sky. Invite a small group of adventurous residents to watch the sunrise or sunset, look at the stars, or find shapes in the clouds.

4. Hold an outdoor painting class. Encourage residents to try their hand at landscape painting. While it’s just for fun, you might discover hidden talent among your residents.

5. Care for the garden. This could include weeding, watering, or harvesting your courtyard garden. Later in the season, residents may also enjoy raking the yard, garden clean-up, or planting bulbs to bloom in the spring.

6. Offer spiritual care.  Host a Bible study, prayer meeting, or other small religious services outdoors.

7. Enjoy a picnic. Pack a bag lunch for each resident, then enjoy eating outdoors. Be sure to get input from the residents on what they want in their bag.

8. Exercise together. A few options include tai chi, chair yoga, stretching, dance, or balance exercises. You could also move some of your restorative nursing programs outdoors.

9. Blow bubbles. Give each resident a bubble wand and prepare for lots of laughter!

10. Make bird feeders. Simply spread peanut butter on large pinecones, then roll them in birdseed.

11. Enjoy a sing-a-long. You could also invite a musically talented staff member to present a short concert for your residents.

12. Plant a flower. It might be too late in the season to plant flowers outdoors. But, you can still provide supplies so each resident can plant a flower in a pot to keep in their room.

13. Eat watermelon. Doesn’t watermelon taste so much better when it’s eaten outdoors on a warm summer day? And it doesn’t matter if you make a mess!

14. Host a book club. Invite residents to choose a book to read, then meet outdoors once or twice a week for a discussion.

15. Play lawn games. Consider corn hole, horseshoes, croquet, lawn bowling, or balloon volleyball using fly swatters. As long as you clean equipment between participants, you’re good to go!

16. Invite a guest speaker. Don’t feel comfortable having someone come in from the outside? I’ll bet you can find someone on your staff who will enjoy sharing a hobby or interest with your residents.

17. Drink lemonade. Enjoy a tall glass of lemonade while reminiscing. Use these questions to get the conversation started.

18. Do painting projects. Possibilities include birdhouses, fishing lures, or model cars.

19. Enjoy a BBQ supper. This works best when the residents can observe the cook grilling the food and offer suggestions. Be sure to involve residents in planning the menu, too.

20. Pretend you’re camping. Set up a portable fire pit, then help residents roast marshmallows and make s’mores.

Now it’s your turn. What outdoor activities are your residents enjoying as our nursing homes open back up?