Celebrating Self-Love Month: Ideas for Residents to Embrace Self-Care
January is Self-Love Month, and while we often think of self-care as pampering ourselves, it’s much more than that. It’s about taking a moment to reflect on the things that fill your heart with joy and pleasure.
Here are a few meaningful activity ideas to share with your residents this month.
1. Make a Card
Create a postcard, picture, or greeting card for someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. If you have a local school, community group, or nearby care home, design and send a card to say hello. It’s a simple act of kindness that can bring joy to both the sender and the recipient. You might even get a reply if you include your address!
2. Try Something New
Encourage residents to step out of their comfort zones and try something new. Whether it’s sketching, baking, model making, or needlework, ask your residents what they’ve always wanted to learn. Pair up those with different skills to teach each other a new interest. For residents who are less mobile or not interested in hands-on crafts, set up a board game corner or a reading station where books can be exchanged and discussed.
For those who enjoy walking in the garden, park, or local shops, take them out for a stroll and follow it up with a cuppa. Discuss what they saw, heard, touched, and smelt during their outing—it’s a great way to engage the senses.
3. Fill the Home with Hearts
Get creative by making hearts to decorate the home. Draw, paint, or bake heart-shaped creations and hang them around the home. You could also use clay and a cookie cutter to make heart-shaped decorations. Add words of love like “Joy,” “Content,” “Compassion,” or “Peace” to these hearts and place them throughout the home.
For a fun baking activity, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make biscuits for everyone to share.
National Pie Day: 23rd January 2023
Celebrate National Pie Day with a classic favourite—Apple Pie! Here’s a simple recipe to try:
Ingredients:
- 2kg apples
- 2–3 cloves
- 50g–100g sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- A little extra sugar for dusting
For the Pastry:
- 375g plain flour
- 260g unsalted butter, softened
- 125g caster sugar
- 1 egg (for glazing)
Method:
- Mix the flour and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and combine. Slowly add cold water and mix with your fingers until the dough is smooth but not sticky (if too sticky, add a little more flour).
- Roll out the dough and place it in a large dish. Press into the sides and blind bake for 10 minutes.
- While the pastry bakes, peel and chop the apples and place them in a saucepan with a splash of water and a squeeze of lemon juice. Simmer until soft.
- Pour the cooked apples into the baked pastry case and cover with either a full top or a creative lattice made from strips of pastry. Brush with egg wash.
- Bake at 220°C/Gas Mark 7/Fan 200°C for 15–20 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve warm or cold with custard, cream, or ice cream. Enjoy!
Chinese New Year: Year of the Rabbit
Chinese New Year begins on 22nd January 2023 and marks the start of the Year of the Rabbit. The garnet, a red gemstone, is January’s birthstone, symbolising love and devotion. Lesser-known shades of garnet include orange, yellow, purple, and green, each as beautiful as the next.
This Month in History
On 12th January 1970, the first Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet landed at London’s Heathrow Airport after its maiden transatlantic flight from New York.
January Birth Flowers and Their Meanings:
- Carnation: Devotion, Loyalty, Love
- Snowdrops: Hope, Innocence
In the Garden
If you have raised garden beds, now is the perfect time to plan your crop rotation for the year ahead. Alternatively, consider designing a wildflower garden to attract bees and other wildlife.
This Month’s Activity Ideas
Get Movin’
Go for a walk and observe the small changes happening around you. Whether it’s seeing the Christmas decorations being replaced with Easter and Valentine’s displays in town, or spotting the first signs of spring bulbs pushing through the soil, enjoy the fresh air and the simple pleasures of nature.
If the weather isn’t ideal for outdoor activities, stay active indoors with fun games like indoor bowling or Target Mat Fun. You can even build a circuit training session using items from around the home or our free activity downloads.
Make a Collage
Create a collage based on the theme of Self-Love Month or a historical event from this newsletter, such as the first Boeing 747 landing. Use items collected from your walks or around the home—even apple peels from your pie! We’d love to see your creations—share them with us on Facebook or Instagram.
Monthly Round-Up
We’re hard at work on new stock lines, free downloads, and better bundles to help you celebrate the events of the coming months. Below are some decorations and tools to help turn your home into a haven of celebration:
- Hearts Decor Kit: Everything you need to spread love throughout your home.
Product code: HDK2 - Chinese New Year Hanging Decor Pack: Red and gold decorations to combine with your own creations for the Year of the Rabbit.
Product code: CNY1 - Heart Cookie Cutter: A versatile metal heart-shaped cutter for biscuits, clay crafts, or stencilling.
Product code: VHCC - Red Foil Centrepiece: Add a touch of sparkle to your table with this foil display.
Product code: VALCP
Final Whistle
If you’re stuck for activity ideas or need advice on how to use a product, Yvette is here to help! Get in touch with her on WhatsApp or call 07900 675150, or send an email to yvette@activitiestoshare.co.uk. We’re always happy to brainstorm new ways to make your activities more engaging.
