Music
Music can trigger long forgotten memories and reduce anxiety. Music has been proven to promote better health and a higher level of functioning.
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Oh Soldier Soldier Song Reenactment
Print out the words to 'Oh soldier won't you marry me'. Put out clothing according to the song, coat, boots hat, gloves and the volunteer puts these on as the song is sung.
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Christmas Songs - Sing the Next Line Quiz
Get into the Christmas spirit with this music quiz featuring over 20 well known Christmas carols, hymns and songs.
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Baby Boomers Song Quiz 3
These songs were famous in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Get acquainted with the songs to give clues and help out with the singing!
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Match Songs with Artists Quiz 4: 1950s
1950s! Match the song titles with the artist or band that performed them.
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Nursery Rhyme Quiz III
Depending on the age group, and of course personality traits, few have said they find them quite juvenile, and others love it and try to complete them... and are pleasantly surprised at , after all these years, how much they have retained!
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Songs for Seniors Quiz
Here is an over 80s song list. It includes lyrics to over 80 popular songs from yesteryear to enjoy in a sing-along. Sing the first line, and then ask residents to sing the next line!
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Red Hat ladies
I have found a booklet I put together of Red Hat songs and Christmas Carols...feel free to use, I gleaned these from the internet many years ago.
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Independence Day Sing-along
Celebrate Independence Day as a theme day, focusing on food, desserts, music, movies, and more!
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Karaoke Happy Hour
I put a karaoke video on a big tv screen and gave some of the residents microphones. They sang songs that they knew. Some just watched and enjoy the activity.
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Weather Song Titles Quiz
Here is a fun music quiz of 20+ popular songs with weather conditions mentioned in the song titles.
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Poetry in Popular Songs
Read poetic lines from popular songs and ask your audience to guess the songs they belong to. Then listen to the songs on You Tube!
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Christmas Carols Quiz
A fun Christmas carols themed quiz to enjoy!
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Thanksgiving Song
Here is another fun songwriting activity you can do with your groups for Thanksgiving. My Thanksgiving Foods (to tune of "My Favorite Things")
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Halloween Carols
My groups love to do songwriting activities. A favorite thing to do is rewrite lyrics to a familiar song. Here are some examples. O Pumpkin Pie (to the tune of O Christmas Tree)...
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Rhythm game - Name That Tune
Pass out rhythm instruments. Leader has a drum and leads group with game. The game is a variation of "Name that Tune" using rhythms only.
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Teaching Songwriting Ingredients
Hi! I thought I’d share a fun musical activity to use with songwriting.
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Match Songs with Artists Quiz 6
Baby-boomers will love this one! Reminisce about boyfriends or husbands at the time, fashion, hair styles, popular movies and food.
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Puppetry for the Elderly
Joyous interaction with self and others is vital to health. I do not believe that puppetry is too childish for the aged.
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Sundownder Music
Between 5pm and 6 pm in the Dementia-Specific House, Residents are agitated and restless. To help calm them down, I get out an iPad and get onto Youtube.
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Match the Songs with The Movies
Match these well-known songs to the movies in which they featured!
A wonderful reminiscing quiz for seniors.2 Comments
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Prize Walk
I placed numbers on the floor 1-20 in a circle (just like a cake-walk). I played music as the residents danced and walked the circle.
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Finish the Melodies
Here's a fun finish the melodies quiz with songs from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. If clients cannot guess them, reveal the names of songs and singers. A lovely reminiscing activity for seniors.
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Drum Circle Activity for the Elderly
A Drum Circle, as the name suggests, is a circle of people, each with a drum or another percussion instrument and one facilitator.
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How to Celebrate International Music Day
Listening to music is a wonderful activity to enjoy with seniors in nursing homes. It leads to reminiscing and can significantly improve the well-being of individuals. Here are some ideas to help appreciate the significance that music has on our lives.
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Match Songs with Movies
Match these well known songs to the films they were featured in. A fun reminiscing activity for seniors who will remember many of these much loved movies.
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Match Songs with Artists Quiz 3: Baby Boomers
The next installment in our baby boomer song quiz! A lovely reminiscing activity.
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Musical Masterpieces
This game is like musical chairs, but creative. It can be adapted for all fitness levels. Tell each participant to start drawing and when the music stops they give the picture to the person next to them. Continue to play music, change and draw until everyone has their original drawing back. Admire the strange masterpieces you have all created together. It makes for a lot of laughter.
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Match Songs with Artists Quiz 5: 1960s
1960s! Match the song titles with the artist or band that performed them.
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How to Plan Music Activities for Dementia Care
Everyone responds instinctively to music. A person’s ability to engage in music often remains intact far into the advanced stages of dementia. Music triggers certain networks of the brain that benefit people suffering from difficulties with language, cognition, or motor control.
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Reminiscence - Childhood Nursery Rhymes
Nursery Rhymes from the 1930s to Sing, Discuss & Reminisce about.
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Nursery Rhyme Quiz II
Nursery Rhymes are a good topic for conversation and reminiscing for people with dementia. Take your time when doing this quiz and encourage clients to sing and share memories.
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Free Music Playlists for the Elderly
Music has been proven to be very beneficial for the elderly in long term care, particularly those living with dementia or Alzheimer's Disease. Here are some wonderful free playlists of famous songs from the 40s, 50s & 60s!
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Mulitcultural Songs
Here is a list of songs I have started to compile for the Olympics....feel free to add more for me.
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Listening to Mozart
Music is an activity intrinsic to most cultures of the world. The benefits of listening to music can include improving memory, relaxing the mind, focusing attention, and healing the body.
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Name a song with a girls name in the lyrics
Name a song with a girls name in the lyrics
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Yesteryear Song Quiz
Sing the next line of these songs... This quiz includes prompts for a reminiscing session.
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Match Songs with Artists Quiz 2
Match the song titles with the artist or band that performed them.
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Engaging through discussion and music
In the United States, there have been some events and happenings that are etched in people's long term memory.
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Musical Bingo
Musical Bingo improves recall and provides opportunities to reminisce. It is also an enjoyable and sociable game. This game was created by a Music Therapist I worked with and it was very popular in our Dementia Care Unit. If you don't have time to put the game together, ask a volunteer to help you. All you need is a computer, a printer and a laminator. This activity includes downloadable song cards and calling cards.
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Ukulele fun
Last month I began this course on the net, now I have a repertoire of 20 songs that we have fun singing!
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Birthday Celebration Song
At our Day Centre we recently celebrated a milestone birthday of 90 years young. I came across this version of 'MY FAVOURITE THINGS' that Julie Andrews sang when she turned 70 years old.
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Match Songs with Artists Quiz 1
Match these famous songs of yesteryear with the correct singers!
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Musical Games
This idea is a great sing-along game to use any time of the year and a good Happy Hour activity. Thank you Joanne!
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Sing-Along with Picture Cards
Singing is a favourite activity for many people and if movements are added with the hands and arms then singing can also become a gentle exercise actitvity.
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Multicultural Sing-Along
If you have participants from the referred countries, encourage them to help out and perhaps to sing one verse in their native language.
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Themed Sing-along - Songs starting with: I'm
This activity is suitable for almost anybody and is lots of fun!
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Multicultural Radio Guide
For facilities that have people from a cultural and linguistic diverse background (CALD) it is a good idea to make a 'Radio Guide' with musical and talk-shows programs to suit each individual.
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Recycled Percussion Instruments
These easy percussion instruments will reward you with a happy and very noisy sing-a-long! Remind participants how important percussion instruments are for mankind; indeed every culture has some sort of percussion instrument.
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Sing a Song Backwards
Have fun singing this well known song backwards!
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Nursery Rhyme Game
Memory recall and reminiscing
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Group singing
Promote alertness and sensory stimulation
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I just recently joined this site also and let me tell you it is WONDERFUL!!!! I am an activity director at a senior center and not only do our older seniors enjoy it but we also have a group respite program geared towards participants with dementia and Alzheimer's, that respond really well to the trivia/quizzes that the website offers. I am so thankful to have this site as a resource to assist with enhancing their quality of life!
Ellen Hargett
Community Social Services Asst
United States
