Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Ideas for Singing and Giving Gifts at a Nursing Home for Christmas
susanpierce124 05:44 AM 11-14-2010
I just opened a new Daycare center in June.We have a Nursing home right next door and I would like to maybe teach our school age children some Christmas songs and maybe take the residents some gifts...I have thought about asking the community and parents to maybe donate things like candy dishes (for peppermints or some other candy) ,lotions Etc. Does anyone have any other ideas ??
Reply
AfterSchoolMom 07:22 AM 11-14-2010
Tissues, lotion, lip balm, and candy (peppermints, hard candies, candy canes), or just something as simple as homemade Christmas cards are great.
Reply
melskids 10:21 AM 11-14-2010
i used to work in the activities dept of a nursing home. seriously, just going and singing for them is enough. some residents have no one to visit them. that and they LOVE homemade cards/ornaments.

my father in law is currently in a nursing home temp., and i just mailed him a stack of veterans day cards the kids made. he kept my sons, but decided to pass out the rest. he said the gesture brought one veteran to tears, and that no one had thanked him in years....
Reply
QualiTcare 01:53 PM 11-14-2010
i used to pretty much hang out in a nursing home when i was a kid because my grandma visited my great grandma all the time and my grandma babysat me! the residents would be so happy just to see me, like melskids said. some of them would think i was their grandchild or something - i remember that being a little creepy as a kid.

i took plastic flowers and would give them out just for the heck of it, but i remember pretty much every resident having stuffed animals in their rooms. i don't know about anybody else, but i could probably fill a small lake with all the stuffed animals i have that my kids don't play with! maybe the parents could donate stuffed animals that are in good condition, but used.
Reply
Blackcat31 04:16 PM 11-14-2010
My daughter has worked in a nursing home for the last 7 years and she agrees with pp, a lot of residents have no visitors. Just singing and visiting would be a great gift. She also suggested that maybe you could set up a weekly visit and do a story hour there with the kids and residents. They have done that at the home where she works and she said some of the residents live for that weekly story time with their new little friends.
Spending time with someone who has nothing but time is a great way to instill empathy and caring in the children. Bring them drawings and home made trinkets and you will make their day! I wished we lived near a nursing home so we could do that. You are lucky to have the opportunity for such a great bonding experience for the kids and residents.
Reply
Unregistered 01:16 PM 11-15-2010
I worked in a skilled nursing facilty(nursing home)for about 8 years. We always had a lot of church groups, children's groups and such bring small gifts for each resident; we had 144 of them, I believe; so, they had to be kinda small gifts ya know? A pair of socks with a Christmas card(or a couple of quarters for the drink machine; many residents love to get soda but have no money at all) or something was always a really popular gift because so many of the residents don't have family who provide these basic things for them; so, a pair of socks was a really great & useful gift for them, and though most were not in an alert enough state of mind to realize what Christmas was anymore, they still had warm feet & us nurses were really greatful because they had socks for warm feet . Also, lotions, baby powder, shower powder, etc. make good gifts; hypo-allergenic or "Johnson's Baby" products are good. Candy is good as well....make sure to also include candy that is 'sugar-free' for the many diabetics you will encounter there. You might want to phone the nursing home and ask for the "Activities Director" who can probably tell you specific items needed becasue they know the individuals and their needs. God bless & thank you for doing such a wonderful thing!
Reply
Tags:christmas, gift ideas
Reply Up