Here is a huge list of Christmas holiday activities that you and your loved one with dementia can do together. Adaptations may be necessary to ensure your loved one has success. 

tray of decorated Christmas cookies with words 74+ Christmas activities for loved ones with dementia

Are you looking for activities that you and your loved one with dementia can do during the Christmas holiday season? I have gathered over 74 activities that you can do together during the holidays. I bet you’ll be able to find something to do from this list.

Yes, some of these may indicate they are activities for preschoolers. If you’re a caregiver of your loved one with memory issues, a preschool activity may be just the right skill level. For others it may be too easy. You can always adapt them to fit the skill level of your loved one. There are a lot of activities that involve hot glue guns so supervision will be needed.

what christmas activities are good for seniors with dementia?

Think about your loved one. What era did they grow up in? What activities did they do at that time in their life? That may help direct you towards what they might enjoy.

There’s always these old standbys:

  • Cut out paper snowflakes

  • Paper chain garlands

  • String popcorn

  • Decorate cookies with sprinkles and icing

Check out Michaels, Amazon or your local craft store for wooden items that can be painted such as bird houses or little chests like these from Hobby Lobby.

Wood birdhouse
small wood chest

But let’s go beyond those ideas……

Check out this cute Christmas card activity in this post. I think this would look great with either buttons or small pom poms.

Washi Tape

Cookie Cutter Ornaments

Credit: A Night Owl Blog

Mitten Ornaments

Credit: The Chaos and the Clutter Blog

Wooden Tags

Credit: Cherished Bliss Blog

Who knew that adding colorful, fun tape to something could be so satisfying! Check out these colorful choices for Washi Tape below and check your local dollar stores as well. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Monogrammed Ornaments

Credit: Happiness is Homemade Blog

Christmas Tree

Credit: Keeping It Simple Blog

Ball Ornaments

For these, I would stick with plastic ball ornaments rather than using glass ones. 

Colour Themed

Credit: Happy Hooligans Blog

Snowman Ornaments

Credit: The Joys of Boys Blog

Marble Paint

Credit: Teach Preschool Blog

Pom Poms

Credit: Feels Like Home Blog

Neon Puffy Paint

Credit: I Love to Create Blog

Personalized

Credit: Pizzazzerie Blog

Melted Crayon

Credit: Heathered Nest Blog

Reindeer

Credit: Reading Confetti Blog

Fabric

Additional ideas – stuff the ball ornaments with narrow strips of fabric ribbon or colored tinsel.

Nail Polish

Marbled look

Credit: Clumsy Crafter Blog

Marbled variation

Credit: Capturing Parenthood Blog

Doily

Hoop

Credit: Down Redbud Drive Blog

Decorated

Credit: Buggy and Buddy Blog

Terra Cotta Pots

Polka Dot

Credit: The How to Home Blog

Variety

OMG! This round-up has a bunch of pots that are so stinkin’ cute. Such variety but especially check out #6 and #16.

Credit: Home and Garden Digest Blog

A Few More

Credit: Home Depot

Christmas Tree

Credit: Projects with Kids Blog

felt ornaments

Santa

Credit: The Long Thread Blog

Christmas Tree

Credit: This Heart of Mine Blog

Vintage Baubles

Credit: Bugs and Fishes Blog

Snowman

Credit: Bugs and Fishes Blog

Variety

Check out this post, DIY Festive Felt Ornaments from The Spruce Crafts for a variety of felt ornaments. Take a look at #5, the intricately twisting ornament.

toilet paper tubes

How about making a cute Santa using toilet paper rolls!

Twig/stick ornaments

Not only do you have an activity your loved one can create but you can also get them outside for some exercise when you go out picking up sticks! A 2-for-1 deal!

Credit: Simple as That Blog
Credit: The DIY Dreamer Blog

Clay Ornaments

One note of caution with this type of ornament –> make sure your loved one doesn’t try to eat the dough/clay.  

Credit: Making it in the Mountains Blog
Credit: 2 Bees in a Pod Blog
Credit: First Day of Home Blog

popsicle stick ornaments

Rustic Planked

Credit: Table and Hearth Blog

Snowman Hat

Credit: Fireflies and Mudpies Blog

Mini Pallet Signs

Credit: The Crafted Sparrow Blog
Credit: The Crafted Sparrow Blog

Sled

Credit: The Craft Patch Blog

Santa

Credit: One Little Project Blog

Wood Ornaments

Not to be confused with popsicle sticks or twigs, this category refers mainly to the round slices of wood you can purchase or cut yourself and wood beads.

Rustic Wood

Credit: Farmhouse Made Blog

Painted

Credit: First Grade Blue Skies Blog

Wood House

Credit: Houseful of Handmade Blog

Small Wood Balls

Credit: The Cards We Drew Blog

Wood Blocks

Credit: A Pretty Happy Home Blog

Ideas for men

In my opinion, most of these activities seem to be more feminine things. Most “manly” DIY projects seem to involve nailing, sawing and building.

It was hard to find activities that I thought men would like that didn’t involve nails and tools. Some of these are more gift ideas rather than creating Christmas decorations.

Make a Clock from a Book

Credit: Art of Manliness Blog

Comic Book Coasters

Credit: Drug Store Divas Blog

Doormat

Credit: Simply Self Storage Blog

Square Pots

Credit: Craft Invaders Blog

Yarn Wrapped Flower Pot

Credit: Craftsy Hacks Blog

Flannel Trees

Credit: Down Redbud Drive Blog

Yard Dice

Credit: Sometimes Homemade Blog

Stacked Wood Pieces

Credit: 2 Bees in a Pod Blog

Yarn ornaments

Yarn Wrapped

Credit: One Little Project Blog

Wrapped Cardboard

Credit: Easy Peasy and Fun Blog

Wrapped Reindeer

Credit: I Heart Crafty Things Blog

Yarn Ball Ornaments

Credit: Home Talk Blog

Yarn Wrapped Cardboard Initials

Credit: Happy Hooligans Blog

clothespins

Snowflake

Credit: Crafty Morning Blog

Reindeer

Credit: Crafty Morning Blog

Snowman

Rudolph Variation

Credit: Dandelions on the Wall Blog

odds and ends

Beads

Credit: Fireflies and Mudpies Blog

Large Metal Can

Credit: Sew Many Ways Blog

Bells

Credit: A Pretty Life in the Suburbs Blog

So….are the ideas running wild in your head now that you’ve seen a few of these? I’ve included a few links to some craft items below from Amazon.  (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

wire

Personalized

Credit: Tried and True Blog

Star

Credit: Alyssa and Carla Blog

paper

Hanging Ornament with Tassel

Credit: Brit + Co Blog

Cone Tree

Credit: A Girl and a Glue Gun Blog

Stars

Credit: Kates Creative Space Blog

A Bunch of Other Paper Ideas

Credit: Better Homes and Gardens Blog

burlap

Frames

Credit: Simply Country Life Blog

Ornament

More Burlap Projects

Credit: Woo Home Blog

I-Spy ornaments

Credit: U Create with Kids Blog

Let your imagination run wild with this group when thinking of things to put in the ornament to search for. If your loved one with dementia loved gardening, look for some garden tool miniatures. Sports lover? Look for those miniatures. Look for dollhouse miniatures. Hobby Lobby is a good place to look for these items. Also check out buttons. 

Credit: Busy Kids Happy Mom Blog

And there you have it. Surely you’ll be able to find something in this list that your loved one might like to do during the Christmas holiday season.

I chose these activities by thinking about my mom (more on her here) and what she would have been capable of. Early on in her dementia journey some of these would have been too easy and she probably would have pooh poohed them. For someone who was so creative and could sit and draw things, towards the end I couldn’t even get her to color a simple picture. There were too many cognitive steps involved and she just couldn’t do it.

You be the judge. If there’s an activity you think your loved one might like, go for it, just adapt it as needed.