6 Festive Fall Activities For the Elderly

Fall is here, the leaves are changing color

After a hot summer, it’s refreshing to feel the crisp fall air and watch the leaves change color. To celebrate the new season, we’ve rounded up 6 festive activity ideas that you can enjoy with your older adult. They’re all simple, inexpensive, and fun!

6 festive fall activities for seniors

1. Enjoy fall-themed coloring pages
Coloring is an activity that everyone can enjoy, from the very young to the very old, both in groups or as a solo activity.

As an added bonus, psychologists say that coloring has stress-busting abilities similar to meditating.

There are hundreds of free, fall-themed coloring pages available online, here are some of our favorites:

Autumn scenes with people, trees/leaves, pumpkins, scarecrows, and squirrels
More fall scenes, especially apples, pumpkins, leaves, and scarecrows
24 fun Halloween designs including a few classic Disney characters

2. Make decorations
Making and putting up fun decorations is a nice way to mark the change of seasons and get in the mood for fall holidays.

It’s also a good opportunity to display some of those finished coloring pages!

Simple and fun DIY ideas:

Fall leaf garland – bring some gorgeous autumn color inside
Clove-studded orange pomanders – delicious-smelling and beautiful
Ribboned pumpkins – a few ribbons transform pumpkins into lovely decor

3. Work on a fall-themed jigsaw puzzle
Sitting at the table with a warm beverage and a festive puzzle is a great way to celebrate the season.

Here are some of our favorites:

Birds of a Feather 36-piece puzzle – a dozen beautiful birds and extra-large puzzle pieces designed for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia
Sunset Retreat 100-piece puzzle – a lovely fall landscape complete with a cozy cottage
Harvest Festival Autumn Scene 300-piece puzzle – a big red barn, beautiful leaves, and plenty of pumpkins
Covered Bridge in Fall 500-piece puzzle – a peaceful stream, quaint covered bridge, and trees with changing leaves in beautiful autumn sunlight

4. Prepare festive (and easy!) homemade treats
Baking, mixing, and assembly are fun activities that many older adults will enjoy.

Mmmm! Try these delicious and easy-to-make treats:

Baked apple roses – easy to make and they truly look like gorgeous roses
Baked apples with oatmeal streusel topping – SO simple, healthy, and delicious
No bake pumpkin cheesecake – cheesecake, pumpkin, no baking…what could be better?
Soft glazed pumpkin sugar cookies – add some pumpkin spice to a classic cookie

5. Prepare for Halloween trick-or-treaters
If you’re planning to hand out treats to children in the family or neighborhood kids, your older adult might enjoy helping with the preparations.

Some ideas:

Prepare fun little pumpkin pouch goody bags
Use the completed coloring sheets and other decorations to make the front door more festive
Someone with dementia might enjoy sorting a mixed bag of candy into different containers. It’s a great no-fail activity that helps them feel included – even if you don’t really need the candy to be sorted.

6. Enjoy the natural scenery and fresh air
Fall is a wonderful time to enjoy nature with your older adult.

Bundle up and breathe the fresh air, admire the beautiful colors on display, and hear the crunch of fallen leaves as you walk.

Adapt activities to suit different mobility levels: