• Notify seniors in advance of plans to allow for acceptance of ideas.senior with glasses image by Dumitrescu Ciprian from Fotolia.com
  
  Just because people age doesn't mean that they lose their appreciation for spontaneity, creativity and good times. Encourage seniors to socialize with their peers to avoid negative emotional issues such as depression or moodiness. Including food at community events will entice participants into the main room. Make sure to explain all directions and ideas related to activities slowly and thoroughly to accommodate all levels of hearing and understanding. Play various activities to appeal to all seniors.
  
  

Name That Musical Number

• If you're searching for a group activity that will enable seniors to socialize, strengthen memory skills and relax for a few hours, search through various types of music, their songs and artists, and prepare several short recordings of numerous findings. Play this as a contest, and award prizes at the end to the person who guesses the most correct names of titles or singers. To prevent seniors from getting discouraged or frustrated due to memory issues, craft visual clues on poster board for reference during play. Also, select different styles of music to appease all participants. Big Band, jazz, country, ballad and church songs all apply. This activity offers an afternoon of safe, physically low-impact interaction. Simply help seniors get seated, make sure the speakers are not set too loudly, state instructions and hit the "Play" button.
  
  

Craft a Collective Story

• Whether you're attempting to entertain and inspire a small or large group of seniors, rounding everybody up and forming a circle and then crafting stories is cheap, fun and easy. This activity suits seniors of all physical capabilities given the fact that even individuals in wheelchairs sit in the circle and contribute. This is a low-impact activity requiring little to no physical exertion to complete, making it safe for everyone. If concerned about participants' ability to think quick on their feet, offer a few starting sentences to begin. This can be from a book they all love, and then you can instruct them to deviate from the original story and make it their own. Or, you can provide a completely original sentence to move things along. Allow each person a few minutes to add details, characters, actions, location or motives to the story. Intervene every few players, and weave in another part of the story from your perspective to keep things on a manageable track. Use quiet, subtle sound effects for variety if desired.
  
  

Paint Pottery

• Enjoy an outing to a local ceramic studio, and spend the afternoon socializing and reliving arts and crafts time as a youngster. Several establishments nationwide offer all materials necessary to complete one-of-a-kind pottery. Communal tables and chairs, as well as walls lined with finished products are offered. Guests choose an item they'd like to paint and decorate off the shelf and then take their time finishing it. Coffee mugs, bowls, plates, utensil holders, photo frames and flower vases all apply. Leave all items at the store and the employees place them in a kiln and return them to you a week later, glazed. Staff at these businesses excel at assisting patrons with selecting items for decoration, pulling them off the shelves and bringing materials to the workspace if need be, making this activity safe for the elderly. Simply help the seniors find a desirable seat, encourage them to use their imagination and allow staff to assist you further.