Simon Says ideas!

With all the restrictions that apply around the Covid rules, elderly activities have also changed enormously. We hear that residents for safety reasons often stay alone in their room or that external visits in particular are excluded. A big challenge for the coordinator of the elderly activities!

To give you some inspiration, we like to share some elderly activities that can be executed safely. For example Simon Says. It keeps residents active, if necessary from the doorway of their room, and offers them the opportunity to socialize. Keep the residents 6 feet apart and let them carry out the assignments in their own place. It’s a gentle exercise that can be done from a chair and is a great opportunity to socialize from a safe distance.

In short: a great game for the elderly which is also suitable for people living with dementia.

How do these elderly activities work?

“Simon says” is a classic; but if you’re one of the few people who hasn’t heard of it or someone who just needs a refresher, here’s how you play: One person is picked as Simon, and the others are the players. Simon’s role is to tell the players what to do, but there’s a catch: the players must only obey commands that begin with the words “Simon says”.

Here’s an example of how the game is played:

1. “Simon says touch your nose”.
2. “Simon says stand on one foot”.
3. “Simon says jump on one foot”.
4. “Stop”.
   Those who stop are out! Because the instruction was not preceded by “Simon says”.
5. “ Simon says stop”.

Now they can stop.

And the game goes on… until there’s just one player standing.

Some Simon Says ideas:

• Simon says swing a wand.
• Simon says jump like a monkey.
• Simon says laugh like Santa.
• Simon says cry like a baby.
• Simon says moo like a cow.
• Simon says walk like a duck.
• Simon says roar like a lion.
• Simon says clap.
• Simon says wave.
• Simon says swim.
• Simon says rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time.
• Simon says hop like a frog.
• Simon says spin like a top.
• Simon says fly like a bird.
• Simon says wiggle your toes.
• Simon says sing.
• Simon says hug yourself.
• Simon says stick out your tongue.
• Simon says tickle your friend.
• Simon says do a silly dance.
• Simon says act like your friend.
• Simon says dance the chacha.
• Simon says point at something < color
• Simon says stand in 2 equal groups.
• Simon says stand in pairs.
• Simon says pretend to sneeze.
• Simon says go for a walk on your place.

Obviously, you can adapt the “Simon says” instruction according to the kind of residents you have in your facility.

Source: https://www.owntheyard.com/