Bridging Generations,
One Experience At A Time.
Our online resource celebrates the creativity and ingenuity of youth in fostering meaningful intergenerational connections. Developed from idea sprint sessions as part of Intergen EdVentures involving over 150 passionate young minds, this platform showcases a diverse collection of impactful activity concepts designed to bridge the generational gap.
Whether you’re planning an engagement in a senior care facility, a community gathering, or a cozy at-home interaction, these youth-inspired ideas offer fresh approaches to bring seniors and younger generations together. Each concept has been thoughtfully crafted to spark conversations, nurture relationships, and create lasting memories across generations.
This resource is for anyone - family members, students, caregivers, community organizers - seeking inspiration to connect generations in meaningful ways. Explore activities that are interactive, collaborative, and purpose-driven, and join us in building a world where generational divides are replaced by shared experiences and mutual understanding.
Let’s Break Boundaries and Build Bridges. Start exploring the ideas below and inspire new connections today!
Animal Scavenger Hunt
In this activity, youth and seniors team up to find and observe different animals in a natural setting. Whether in a zoo, a park, or a nature reserve, the hunt encourages participants to solve clues and explore together to spot various animals. The activity promotes interaction through teamwork, exercise, and the joy of discovery.
Cafe-Hopping Trails
This activity involves youth and seniors exploring a series of cafes along a thoughtfully designed trail while completing engaging games and challenges at each stop. Participants will work in intergenerational pairs or small teams to solve puzzles, learn about the history of the cafe locations, and connect through conversation. The journey promotes teamwork, collaboration, and critical thinking, fostering intergenerational understanding and creating memorable shared experiences.
Conversational Jenga
In this activity, youth and seniors come together to play a modified version of Jenga. Each Jenga block has a pre-determined question attached to it, which the player must answer when they pull the block from the tower. The questions are designed to spark meaningful conversations between participants, helping them learn more about each other while having fun. This activity encourages both mental engagement and social connection through interactive play.
Exploring Heritage &
Traditional Games
In this activity, youth and seniors come together to explore their shared heritage and culture through traditional games. The event begins with a visit to a local museum where participants can learn about the history and heritage of a localised cultural context. Afterward, participants will engage in playing traditional games, fostering a sense of community, learning, and fun. This activity encourages intergenerational connection through shared cultural experiences and hands-on play.
Gardening & Upcycling Crafts
In this activity, youth and seniors work together to create a simple planter using recycled materials. After building the planter, they will plant seeds or small plants, fostering a shared gardening experience. This hands-on activity promotes environmental sustainability, creativity, and intergenerational collaboration, while encouraging participants to engage with nature and learn about gardening.
Intergen Pottery Workshop
In this pottery workshop, youth and seniors come together to create pottery pieces, from simple bowls or mugs to more intricate sculptures. This hands-on activity encourages creativity, patience, and collaboration as participants learn basic pottery techniques such as moulding, shaping, and glazing. The shared experience of working with clay fosters connection, creativity, and intergenerational learning.
Modified Volleyball Game
This activity brings youth and seniors together for a game of seated volleyball, an inclusive and low-impact version of the sport. Participants remain seated while playing, promoting teamwork, physical activity, and fun in a way that is accessible to all ages and fitness levels. The modified rules ensure that everyone can engage in the game, regardless of mobility limitations, fostering intergenerational connections through play.
Rejuvenating Face Yoga
Face Yoga is a gentle and relaxing activity that promotes facial muscle toning and relaxation. Youth and seniors come together to learn different facial exercises that help improve circulation, reduce tension, and enhance relaxation. This activity provides an opportunity to bond over a shared wellness practice while promoting a calm and rejuvenating experience.
Terrarium & Terrascaping Workshop
Youth and seniors come together to share stories from their lives through personal artifacts, such as old photos, heirlooms, or memorabilia. Participants are encouraged to bring an item that holds special meaning to them and share the story behind it. This activity fosters deeper connections, as participants learn about each other’s life experiences and memories through tangible objects.
Website-Building &
Online Biography
In this coding class, youth and seniors team up to learn the basics of website building, focusing on creating personal profiles or biography pages. Participants will work together to design and code a simple website using beginner-friendly coding platforms (e.g., HTML and CSS or website builders like WordPress or Wix). The class promotes intergenerational collaboration, technology learning, and creativity as participants showcase their personal stories and biographies online.
Bag Designing Workshop
In this creative workshop, youth and seniors come together to design and decorate their own reusable fabric bags. Participants will use a variety of materials such as fabric markers, paints, stencils, and embellishments to create unique and personalized designs on tote bags. This hands-on activity fosters creativity, collaboration, and artistic expression, while promoting eco-friendly habits through the use of reusable bags.
Community Cookout & Sing-Along
In this creative workshop, youth and seniors come together to design and decorate their own reusable fabric bags. Participants will use a variety of materials such as fabric markers, paints, stencils, and embellishments to create unique and personalized designs on tote bags. This hands-on activity fosters creativity, collaboration, and artistic expression, while promoting eco-friendly habits through the use of reusable bags.
Cooking Across Generations
This activity brings youth and seniors together to cook a traditional meal or dish. Participants work side-by-side, learning from each other while preparing a recipe that has been passed down through generations. The process of cooking encourages conversations about cultural traditions, family recipes, and the joy of sharing food.
Express Yourself:
Improv Workshop
This activity brings youth and seniors together for a fun and interactive improv workshop. Improv (improvisational theatre) encourages participants to think on their feet, create spontaneous scenes, and collaborate through creative expression. The workshop fosters communication, creativity, and teamwork, as participants support each other in a lighthearted and spontaneous environment.
Intergen Book Club
This activity focuses on sharing favorite books between youth and seniors, fostering meaningful conversations and intergenerational understanding. Participants explore each other’s literary interests by visiting themed stations, discussing personal recommendations, and collaborating on creative tasks like story creation or reimagining book endings. This activity promotes mental stimulation, creativity, and mutual appreciation of literature.
Life-Sized Foosball
This adapted football game transforms a traditional sport into a life-sized version of foosball, where participants are seated on chairs for safety and inclusivity. Youth and seniors form mixed teams to play the game, improving psychomotor skills and gaining confidence through active participation. Beyond the game, participants co-create their team’s name, logo, and cheer, fostering creativity, collaboration, and intergenerational bonding.
Nature Scavenger Hunt
This scavenger hunt takes place in green corridors, parks, or natural trails and encourages seniors and youths to connect through nature exploration. Participants are paired together to find items on a scavenger list, capturing photos and sharing stories along the way. This activity promotes physical movement, engagement with nature, and intergenerational conversations about life experiences and nature across generations.
Relaxing Nature Walk &
Beach Clean-Up
This activity combines the calming benefits of a nature walk with the impactful action of a beach clean-up. Youth and seniors work together to clean up a beach, fostering intergenerational connections while contributing to environmental conservation. Along the way, participants learn about climate change and its impact on ecosystems, enhancing their understanding of environmental issues and their role in protecting the planet.
Tic Tac Toe with a Twist
Youth and seniors come together to share stories from their lives through personal artifacts, such as old photos, heirlooms, or memorabilia. Participants are encouraged to bring an item that holds special meaning to them and share the story behind it. This activity fosters deeper connections, as participants learn about each other’s life experiences and memories through tangible objects.
Baking Bonanza
In this community cookout, youth and seniors come together to learn how to bake cakes and pastries. The activity fosters collaboration and connection as participants work in intergenerational pairs or teams to follow recipes, bake delicious treats, and share their creations with each other. This hands-on cooking experience emphasizes teamwork, creativity, and the joy of baking, allowing participants to bond over a shared culinary adventure.
Community Garden Creation
In this environmental initiative, youth and seniors work together to create a community garden, focusing on growing vegetables and other plants. The activity encourages teamwork, environmental awareness, and a shared sense of accomplishment as participants collaborate to design, plant, and maintain a garden that benefits the local community. This hands-on activity promotes sustainability, healthy living, and intergenerational learning.
Easy Batik Art Workshop
In this simplified batik art workshop, youth and seniors work together to create beautiful batik-inspired designs on fabric using fabric markers. Instead of traditional wax and dye, participants will draw and colour in batik patterns with fabric markers, making the activity more accessible and easier to manage. This creative workshop encourages collaboration, creativity, and cultural appreciation while offering a fun, hands-on experience that requires no complex tools or messy materials.
Festive Dessert-Making
Youths and seniors come together to make traditional or festive desserts. This activity engages all the senses (sight, smell, touch, and taste) and encourages participants to share recipes, cooking techniques, and stories from their cultural heritage while preparing sweet treats.
Intergen Duet Singing Contest
This activity brings youth and seniors together for a fun and lively karaoke duet contest. Each pair, consisting of one senior and one youth, will perform a duet of their choice, competing for lighthearted prizes and recognition. The activity fosters intergenerational connection through music, encourages collaboration, and provides an entertaining atmosphere for all participants. The contest celebrates the joy of music, creating lasting memories and promoting cross-generational bonding.
Mini Pot Gardening with Flora Photography
In this activity, youth and seniors team up to create mini gardens in small pots while also exploring flora photography using their smartphones. Participants will learn basic gardening skills as they plant small flowers or herbs in mini pots, followed by a photography session where they capture close-up shots of their plants. The activity combines creativity, hands-on gardening, and technology, fostering intergenerational collaboration through nature and photography.
Nature-Themed Video Creation
This activity involves youth and seniors working together to create a mini-documentary using a smartphone, documenting their nature-themed adventure. Participants will take turns filming while foraging for items in a scavenger hunt. The final product will be a collaborative video that captures their shared experience in nature, showcasing the beauty of their surroundings and their teamwork.
Storytelling with Personal Artifacts
Youth and seniors come together to share stories from their lives through personal artifacts, such as old photos, heirlooms, or memorabilia. Participants are encouraged to bring an item that holds special meaning to them and share the story behind it. This activity fosters deeper connections, as participants learn about each other’s life experiences and memories through tangible objects.
Virtual Reality Gaming
This activity introduces youth and seniors to a VR gaming experience that emphasizes teamwork, collaboration, and friendly competition. Participants work in intergenerational teams to tackle challenges within the VR game. After the gaming session, the teams will come together to build a collective structure (e.g., using LEGO blocks) that reflects their shared experience, ending the program with a group photo opportunity.
