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No matter your age, activities can give a sense of community and belonging. Activities can also help seniors keep their mind active while giving them purpose within their day.

Here are 23 game and activity ideas that seniors can enjoy with their friends and loved ones!

Parties

Who doesn’t love a good party, especially around the holidays? Socializing is one way to help seniors stay engaged and make new memories with others.

Some ideas for parties include:

• Trivia Night
• Tea party
• Bingo Night
• 1920s/30s/50s/any decade party
• Holiday parties

Knitting and Sewing

Many seniors love to get creative, and knitting and sewing is a great way for your loved one to keep their mind active. Learning how to make hats, scarves, garments or decorations can help someone stay active while learning a new skill.

Field Trips

Some seniors choose to stay at home because they no longer work and take care of primary obligations. A field trip to a new place such as the aquarium, zoo, farmer’s market, or museum can help your loved one get out of the house and enjoy an exciting new experience!

Bird Watching

Bird watching is a fun activity for seniors because they can feed the birds while chatting with their companions. For the individual who loves animals and interesting facts, there are bird watching books that have information about the different types of birds in the area.

Gardening

Gardening is a good way for seniors to get outside as well as have something to care for in their free time. There are many different fruits, vegetables, and flowers that your loved one can grow in a garden or a pot on the porch depending on the climate.

If your loved one is unable to leave the house, consider helping them set up a garden with indoor plants. Some indoor house plants include ferns, orchids, succulents, and snake plants.

Arts & Crafts

Arts and crafts are a great activity for seniors of any age to use their hands and create something unique. Your senior loved one can enjoy using their artistic talents while engaging with their creative side through different arts and crafts.

Some arts and crafts ideas include:

• Seasonal crafts such as ornament decorating or fall wreath making
• Coloring
• Painting
• Sculpting
• Scrapbooking

Movie or TV Show Night

A movie or TV show night is a great way for seniors to enjoy their favorite classic movies and television shows with their loved ones and friends! You can also add snacks to make the movie night feel like it’s at the theater.

Book Clubs

If your senior loved one enjoys reading, they can start a book club with their friends. The book club can meet weekly or monthly, and they can vote on different novels to read each time.

There are also senior book clubs available through libraries and senior centers that can help connect book lovers together.

Board Games

Board games are a fun way for seniors to use their brains while socializing with others. There are plenty of board games that last different durations of time, as well as different difficulty curves for first timers.

Some board games that are great for seniors to play include:

• Monopoly
• Chess
• Checkers
• Catan
• Clue
• Candy Land
• Battle Ship
• Risk
• Candy Land

Listen to Music

There are many bands and concerts that seniors have enjoyed over the years, and listening to music that reminds them of the past can be a fun way remember older times. One way that seniors can connect to music is by watching past performances of their favorite artists to relive a special concert or experience one that they always wanted to attend.

Brunch

Who doesn’t love food? Another idea is to have a brunch party where seniors can make and eat different breakfast items and share them with their friends and loved ones. This can be a great way for a senior to socialize while enjoying a taste of different foods.

Puzzles

Puzzles are a good activity for seniors because they pose challenges and different ways to tease their brain. There are many different types of puzzles that can help seniors feel mentally challenged, including:

• Jigsaw puzzles
• Word searches
• Crossword puzzles
• Puzzle boxes
• Combination puzzles

Check out our full list of brain games for seniors here!

Exercise

As seniors age, it’s important for them to stay active to keep their bones and muscles strong. Some exercises that are great for seniors include:¹

• Swimming
• Walking
• Bicycling
• Yoga
• Tai Chi
• Senior fitness classes

Cooking

New recipes can be tried and explored at any age, which makes cooking a good activity for someone who enjoys making and eating food. Seniors can learn to cook foods from different cultures and places that they’ve always wanted to visit, which can give them a new recipe to look forward to each time they cook.

Adopt a Pet

If your loved one is willing and able to, caring for a pet can be an extremely engaging and rewarding activity. Pets can give older adults a sense of purpose and can also provide comfort on days when they aren’t able to visit their family and friends.

Write Stories and Poetry

Writing is a way for seniors to express themselves creatively while putting down their thoughts into words. Now is the time for an older adult to finally write their book or express themselves through different forms of poetry and prose!

Pen Pals

Another activity that many seniors enjoy is writing to a pen pal. Seniors can write to a family member or friend, or they can join a pen pal program through a local senior community center to meet someone new. There are many benefits of seniors participating in pen pal programs, from giving them a person to communicate with to reducing anxiety and depression.²

Fishing

Fishing is a relaxing activity that can allow a senior to get some fresh air while enjoying the outdoors. There are many different fishing clubs that will allow a senior to network and explore nature with others.

Photography

Photography can be a way for seniors to learn how to take aesthetic photos of food, animals, and nature. The photos can be turned into a scrapbook of different memories that your senior has enjoyed over the years!

Volunteer

Volunteering to help out at a local organization or church can be a great way to stay active in the community. There are many events that could use help, and seniors can find themselves enjoying giving back to the community in which they live.

Bible Study

Many seniors who are religious will enjoy gathering with friends and loved ones to discuss different Bible readings. Bible studies can help seniors stay connected to their faith while sharing their thoughts on the scripture with others.

Attend a Class

Seniors who love to continuously learn will enjoy attending a class that can teach them a new skill, such as drawing, a language, or sewing. There are many classes and lectures that are available at local senior centers and community colleges that offer various learning opportunities for different skills.

Dancing

Dancing can help keep seniors mobile and active, and there are different types of dances that can be taught to people with various mobility capabilities. Dancing can help seniors improve their balance while enjoying some of their favorite songs.

Help Seniors Get Active Today!

It’s important for seniors to stay active and involved with their family members and friends. Activities can help give seniors a sense of purpose and provide them with something new to look forward today.

Here at Saber Healthcare, our Life Enrichment teams work to incorporate many different activities into the day of our residents. To learn more about the services that Saber Healthcare provides, click here.

Saber Healthcare is an organization dedicated to providing consultant services to long term care providers. This article is for informational purposes and is not meant to be seen as professional advice. Please consult with a medical expert before relying on the information provided.

Sources

1. “6 Fun Summer Exercises for Seniors.” Saber Healthcare Group. 22 July 2020. Accessed 28 January 2022. Link: https://www.saberhealth.com/news/blog/exercise-for-seniors
2. “4 Benefits of Senior Pen Pal Programs.” 18 August 2021. Accessed 28 January 2022. Link: https://www.saberhealth.com/news/blog/senior-pen-pal-benefits