5 Valentine’s Day DIY Crafts for Seniors

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner – and it’s not just for teenagers and newlyweds! It’s the perfect opportunity to show your elderly loved ones just how much you appreciate them. 

Loneliness and social isolation are very real issues for seniors, especially during the colder months and the current pandemic. With that said, Valentine’s Day crafts are a great way to connect and have a little fun together, even if you have to send socially-distant hugs and kisses over Zoom.

#1 – Homemade Cards

Nothing says “Valentine’s Day” quite like a card! Gather plenty of goodies from the craft store, including card paper, markers, glue, glitter, ribbons, and heart-shaped stickers, and set up a crafting station at a large table. Set the tone with a playlist of love songs along with plenty of heart-shaped cookies and snacks. 

You can choose to make cards for everyone at the table, for senior neighbors, the local senior living community, or even the troops! 

If your senior loved ones are socially-distancing at a senior living community, you can send them a gift basket of crafting materials, set up a Zoom or Skype call and craft together. When the last heart has been glued on and the glitter settles, you can send your Valentine’s Day cards through to them in a lovely gift basket.

#2 – Heartfelt Picture Frames

Valentine’s Day is all about treasuring those you love and remembering great memories together, which is why this project is perfect. Select some photographs of your loved ones and your family, get a basic photo frame from the store, and spend the day decorating it with your senior loved one. When it’s fully transformed into a love-filled frame, all you have to do is find the perfect spot for this great new memory!

Again, if you have to do this remotely you need to get a little creative. Maybe you can pick your favorite photo memory of your loved one and they can pick theirs, then you can both surprise each other with a gift after a day of crafting together on Zoom or Skype.

#3 – Tasty Valentine’s Day Treats

Valentine’s Day is also a great day for crafting some tasty treats together! Luckily, there are plenty of delicious goodies you can easily make together as a family, including basic sugar cookies that you can paint and decorate, easy chocolate truffles that anyone can make, and the sweetest treat of all – chocolate-covered strawberries. Every time your loved one takes a bite, they’ll think of you and the lovely (and possibly messy!) day you spent together.

Because these recipes are so simple, they are easy to do remotely too. If your senior loved one struggles with baking and lives in a senior living community, try sending some sugar cookies and decorations over beforehand so that you can craft your Valentine’s Day cookies together over a video call. 

#4 – Decorations

The walls are probably looking a bit bland and boring after the Christmas decorations came down last month, but this project will change all that! Valentine’s Day decorations are cheerful, bright and easy to make, creating plenty of joy and love even while it’s so cold out. Here are a few great decorations you can make at home that are suitable for different abilities and ages:

• A Valentine’s Day garland
• A candy heart garland
• A vase of love
• Heartfelt hanging decorations
• Love letters
• Love blocks
• Candy heart flower centerpiece
• Valentine’s Day votives
• A Valentine’s Day wreath

#5 – Write a Poem

If you’d like to get creative in a different way, then it’s time to put pen to paper! Poems are traditional for Valentine’s Day and a fun way to spend time together as a family, even if it is remotely through a video chat.

Get some pens, craft paper and decorations together and get those creative juices flowing. You can have different rounds of poems to write, like funny limericks, Haikus, and even that age-old classic – roses are red. It’s a great way to share your love, make some memories and even share some laughs together. You can put a scrapbook of all your poems together at the end of the day to make a beautiful keepsake for your loved one.

Celebrating your loved one at our senior living community

Bristol Glen is part of the United Methodist Community network, a collection of senior living communities in New Jersey dedicated to supporting the most abundant senior lifestyle. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re not only working hard to keep your loved ones safe and healthy, we’re also doing our best to keep families connected. If you would like to treat your loved one this Valentine’s Day or would like to enquire further about our services, just give us a call and we’ll do everything we can to help! You can also find out more about Bristol Glen by visiting our website at https://umcommunities.org/bristolglen/services/