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Self Organizing - Bingo Fun with Seniors

Self Organizing - Bingo Fun with Seniors

Overview
Senior centers are often looking for activities for their guests to participate in. Your family can visit a nursing home, assisted living facility or senior center and make the visit special by organizing Bingo Fun, an entertaining, enjoyable activity for all.  

Goals

  • To provide company and an enjoyable activity for seniors
  • To connect with agencies and organizations who serve the needs of seniors
  • To understand the needs of seniors in nursing homes and other institutions
  • To develop compassion for seniors

Supporting Organizations

  • Nursing home or assisted living facility
  • Senior center

Materials

  • Bingo game
  • Pens and paper
  • Prizes
  • Tissue paper and ribbon
  • CD and CD player

Instructions

  • Connect with an appropriate senior center, nursing home or assisted living facility. Ask if you can schedule a visit with your family to play Bingo with the residents. Find out how many residents are anticipated to participate.
  • Plan a Bingo Fun event for the seniors. Plan to bring a Bingo Game and lots of fun prizes.
  • Make the prizes with your family.  Use your imagination. Prizes could be necklaces, cupcakes, cookies, homemade books with big pictures, prize ribbons, knitted or crocheted toys, holiday items, toiletries and little knick-knacks found at dollar stores, like small decorative flower pots or calendars.
  • Wrap the gifts in colorful wrapping or tissue paper. Everyone should get something by the end of the event, even the ones who don’t win the game.
  • Take a break during the game for a little stretching and movement.  Pop a CD into a CD player and ask the seniors to clap their hands and stretch in place.
  • Optional: Provide a snack of homemade cookies or cupcakes after the game.  Check with the staff of the facility for food restrictions.

Additional Resources
Seniors Fact Sheet for Kids at www.HandsOnNetwork.org/FamilyVolunteering/ServiceLearning

The Sunshine Home by Eve Bunting
When Timmie and his parents go to visit his grandmother in the nursing home, he can't understand why everyone acts as though nothing is wrong. A warm, touching story of a family discovering how much they need and love one another.
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
Wilfrid likes to visit the residents of the nursing home next door. When he overhears how his favorite resident, Miss Nancy, is losing her memory, he starts out on a quest to find out what a memory is and how to bring back Miss Nancy's.

Reflection
After your volunteer project, it is important for families to reflect on their experiences.  Choose one of the Reflection Activities from the list below.

Magic Wand – This activity uses the concept of a magic wand to help children talk about and reflect on their volunteer experience.  Have your family sit in a circle.  Tell everyone that you have just found a magic wand that allows you to grant wishes, and pose the questions, "If you could grant a wish to one person, who would it be, and what do you think he or she would wish for?"  "How do you think what we did today will make someone feel, and how do you think that is similar to granting a wish?"

Family Pictionary – Have each member of the family take turns drawing something about their volunteer experience and how they felt about it.  While each person is drawing, have everyone else try to guess what the picture represents.  After each picture is drawn, the artist should talk about the picture and why they chose to draw it.