A modified version of yoga for seniors and those with mobility problems. Improve flexibility and stiffness, lengthen muscles and build strength with simple poses. The fastest-growing senior activity in popularity, pickleball is a paddle sport combining elements of table tennis, badminton and tennis to hit a wiffle ball over a net. Sit back and enjoy a musical performance, or learn more about music. Do you play an instrument? Get together with others to play together. Stimulate your mind and your curiosity by attending performances that can include anything from magicians to White House butlers.
Dust off your dancing shoes and take a turn around the dance floor. A tea dance is an elegant afternoon activity. Show off your arts and crafts talents in an art show, or host a local artist to talk about their own works. Bring in items of your own to appraise during an appraisal fair. Challenge yourself to see if you can win a medal in the Senior Olympics.
Activities range from recreational, like pool, cornhole and horseshoes, to the more physical, like swimming, running, and bicycling. For those not active, games like Scrabble, Bridge, and Mah Jongg are also included in the challenges. Bring your talents to the forefront by becoming a member of the cast in your very own senior talent show.
Invite family and friends to watch. Spend an afternoon in Monte Carlo, or at least feel like it, with a variety of casino games like poker, roulette, blackjack, craps or horse racing. The Zumba Gold program was created for active older adults seeking a low-intensity workout given by a trained Zumba instructor.
This Latin-dance inspired workout builds cardiovascular health while working the arms, legs and hips with dance moves. No matter what the weather is doing outside, you can grow a beautiful garden indoors.
Plant flowers, nurture herbs, or train a bonsai tree. See if they will bring some of their fine products in for an exclusive tasting, and learn about wine making from winery owners and winemakers.
Take your computer skills beyond the basics. Learn how to create a website, build a blog where you can share your interests with the world, or simply improve your own computer-related acumen.
The Nintendo Wii gets seniors up and moving with virtual games like golf, tennis and bowling that improve eye-hand coordination and split-second decision making, and in video games like Brain Age Rock Band. There are so many other ways seniors can enjoy indoors activities as well. Try these ideas from our Master List on for size:. Learn a new skill like knitting, crocheting, painting, journaling or short story writing. Read a themed series like Pulitzer Prize-winning novels, crime dramas, or books that have been made into movies.
Put your artistic skills to work with activities like scrapbooking, cardmaking, drawing, painting, mosaics or needlework. Get active with exercise programs, dance, yoga, swimming, pickleball, table tennis, pool or bocce. Stimulate your mind with puzzles like Sudoku, crosswords or jigsaws. If your budget does not allow you to book entertainment often, then you'll have to try to find other means. Put an ad on craigslist that you are seeing volunteer musicians.
Contact the music department at the local high school—a high schooler could practice their music for your seniors and gain experience in front of a crowd. However, even if you don't have live music, you can certainly put together some songs for a fun event. Pick a theme or a genre of music to make the event special and different from the last event you held. Plan a line dance or a square dance.
Hold a sock hop, or a Woodstock with '60s music. You could even choose a theme and choose songs from any genre that fit. Look to the calendar for music ideas. Cinco de Mayo, Mardi Gras, Halloween: they all have music genres perfect for a party.
Even people in a wheelchair, or those who cannot stand up to dance, can still chair dance. Zumba is a very popular dance exercise program. It can be done from a chair! Check out this Zumba Gold: Chair Routine. Also, check out this Latin Chair Salsa Workout! If your group gravitates toward board games, then you can help make the game physical by buying or making a giant version of a favorite game. Walking has proven to have extraordinary benefits for seniors: for memory and the prevention of dementia , for blood circulation , and for mood.
Plan walks as a group. Making walking a social event will help to encourage people to participate. Plan a special walk, like a nature walk where you point out specifics about the plants or birds along the way. Perhaps you could make it a trip to a local park. Again, you can add music to make it a special event. Yoga is a wonderful way to increase balance, flexibility, mobility, and strength.
It is a relaxing and enjoyable exercise that is sure to become a favorite for your seniors. A good old game of balloon volleyball will always cause laughs. Just line up chairs facing each other with a "net" between it can be just a ribbon. Then play volleyball with a balloon but with no three-hits rule.
You can also play a game of Keep It Up, and time each person as they try to keep their balloon in the air the longest or longer than their last time , or just have them all go at the same time, and see who is the last to drop it.
They won't even notice how much they are exercising their arms and keeping their arms above their hearts. If your facility has a pool, then water aerobics is something you should do regularly. If you don't have a pool, then consider putting a place that does on your day trip calendar.
Motion in the water is much easier, since the water helps you. Exercising in water has low impact on your joints, but the impact it makes on your physical health is amazing! If you are planning a water aerobics class, be sure to have enough help on hand to make sure it is done safely. It's always fun to bring out the hula hoops for a whirling good time.
While many seniors may not be able to get that hoop going at their waist, they can try it on their arms smaller hoops are handy for this, too. Fitness Tip: Bending over to pick up the fallen hula hoop is also good exercise! Many recreational centers offer pottery classes where participants throw their own pieces on the wheel or hand-build them using traditional pottery methods. The process of forming a shape with clay, firing it in the kiln to harden, and adding glaze often results in functional pieces of art seniors can be proud of and show off in their home!
Some seniors may also choose to paint pre-made ceramic pieces to create a one-of-a-kind works of art during a single session. There are many services that offer the option to paint premade pottery and pick it up that or the following day. Plus, paining pre-made ceramics is often an activity that grandkids can enjoy as well! Crafting mosaics is another art form that allows seniors to exercise their artistic side. Artists place small pieces of glass or stone beside one another and glue the pieces in place to create a unique image.
Mosaic work requires less precision and fine motor skills than some other art forms, making it a great option for those with limited mobility who have an artistic flair!
Woodworking is a recreational activity that offers many practical benefits, from keeping hobbyists busy to producing useful goods they can use and show off at home! Woodworking is also a great activity to focus the mind and focus on exercise hand-eye coordination as well. Seniors who enjoy crafting can find it rewarding to sell their creations at local craft fairs! From painted pumpkins to seashell picture frames, there are plenty of elder-friendly crafts a senior can engage in and sell for a profit.
Alternatively, many seniors enjoy getting together and simply pursuing local craft fairs to see the various creations. Quilting is a fun crafting activity that seniors can engage in themselves or with friends and family members. Many quilts are crafted to honor someone, such as a loved one lost to war, but they can also just be made for fun.
Children or grandchildren may enjoy making their own quilt with band t-shirts or old school t-shirts! Some seniors find great fun in embroidery or needlework. While it does require fine handling and some finger precision to loop the needle in and out of the material, seniors with enough dexterity may find it fun and rewarding to embrodier pillow cases, dish towels, and all kinds of other things!
Similarily, many seniors also enjoy sewing, which can be employed to make everything from clothes to clutches. Modern sewing machines make sewing easier than ever, and there are tons of free patterns and templates online that can be printed out. Flower arranging is another low-key recreational activity well-suited for elderly seniors that involves composing and styling an arrangement out of flowers. This activity is both calming and creative, allowing individuals to take their time in putting together an artistic creation.
Flower arrangements can be given away as gifts or even sold if one wants to make a little money off of them. Many florists even regularly purchase arrangements from amateur flower arrangers! For those who like to spend their free time getting creative, but need a bit more guidance, a paint night is just the thing!
With a Paint Nite, all the supplies from canvas and paints to brushes are provided as an instructor walks you step by step through the painting process as you re-create a pre-selected final product. Paint night events can be held in restaurants, community halls, or even at private residences. Local recreational centers may also host these events once a month for seniors looking for something new to do.
Jewelry making is often an enjoyable craft activity for seniors as it combines a number of skills into one hobby, involving creativity, fine motor skills, artistry, and even some math! From beading and leatherwork to wire earrings, there are tons of jewelry options that will allow a senior to exercise their sense of style. Jewelry pieces can be given as gifts or even potentially sold at local craft fairs! Photography is a fantastic hobby that allows seniors to document the world around them or get creative.
While there are certainly more advanced photography classes out there that focus on using a standard digital or manual camera, many photography classes will focus on just taking great photos with your iPhone or Android phone camera! Not into the idea of a formal class? There are plenty of local photography groups that meet via Meetup or Facebook Groups. If you love to cook but feel like your skills could use a refresher course, some recreational centers or adult education programs offer cooking courses to help seniors learn all kinds of fun foreign meals, from dumplings to homemade pasta.
For seniors who are physically able to play, picking up a new musical instrument or brushing up on an old one can be fun and rewarding. Music can be incredibly beneficial for seniors, sparking up memories that would otherwise lie dormant. Seniors can also connect with local members of community bands that plays all kinds of music, or they might even learn a piece from favorite movie or oldie hit of their childhood.
There are many easy to setup DIY beer-making kits that can be purchased online, allowing a senior to proudly ferment and bottle their very own brew! In improv comedy classes, instructors teach students how to get in touch with their imagination and think up skits and stories on the fly.
Seniors may enjoy joining an improv class and appreciate how it teaches one how to be more open-minded and witty in conversation. Many performers find that improv helps them deal with stage fright and promotes confidence. Similarly, engaging in community theatre is another recreational activity for older individuals that exposes them to a variety of new people and may lead to an opportunity to perform.
Card clubs are a great recreational activity for social seniors. These cards clubs can focus on one particular card game or several popular ones with the goal of friendly competition and perhaps even cash prizes. Some card games that might be popular among recreational card players include canasta, bridge, pinochle, euchre, and poker, among others.
Chess is a fun, brain-boosting activity that can be enjoyed by all ages. Some recreational centers or social clubs may offer chess programs where participants can meet up at a designated time each week to play with one another in friendly games. PokemonGo is a mobile phone game that utilizes augmented reality to help players find and capture various digital creatures. PokemonGo is especially enticing for seniors who enjoy collecting, as there are hundreds upon hundreds of creatures to find and capture, each with their own unique skills.
The creates often populate parks and outdoor areas, encouraging seniors to get out and walk. Some especially powerful and rare Pokemon can only be captured by teaming up with other players, helping add to a sense of community.
PokemonGo has become incredibly popular with people from all walks of life, from children to the elderly. Want a group to play with? There are numerous locally-based PokemonGo meetup groups and Facebook groups you can join to coordinate hangouts! Bingo is a fun activity that appeals to many seniors, and senior rec centers often host regular bingo events on a weekly or monthly basis.
In many cases, organizers will arrange for fun door prizes or even cash to be awarded to bingo winners! There are countless recreational clubs that offer opportunities for seniors to meet up, socialize, and play recreational card games such as bridge. Playing recreational games like bridge can help keep your mind sharp by exercising the brain while also offering several benefits.
Jigsaw puzzles are a fun, relaxing activity that seniors and children alike can enjoy. The elderly can greatly benefit from jigsaw puzzles, as these types of puzzles require spatial problem solving and sorting of multiple small puzzle pieces, stimulating focus and concentration skills. Crossword puzzles are great for improving mental agility and memory. They also foster creativity, problem-solving, and the ability to think critically about word meanings and definitions. Best of all, there are free crossword puzzles that can be found in newspapers, magazines, and online!
Decluttering is a great way to help older adults stay safe reducing clutter can reduce the risk of falls or helpful to do before downsizing. Jigsaw puzzles can stimulate the mind whilst also helping older people relax, as they will focus on one thing and engage their brain in a singular activity. This colourful jigsaw puzzle of a bookshop is perfect for your favourite book worm. Specially crafted for people living with cognitive impairment, they come in varying levels of difficulty 13, 35 and 63 pieces and have a range of evocative pictures — from animals to striking landscapes to choose from.
Logic puzzles, for example, are ideal for older people, as is lateral thinking. Games as simple as saying the months of the year in alphabetical order are a great way to test your brain. It sounds like simple stuff, but this challenges your brain to think in a different way, and come up with new ideas. Any logic puzzle that involves problem solving, looking for number patterns, for example, can enhance your brain skills.
The skills developed with this game help older adults to assess their decision making, which can aid them in real life, too. It is important to take a bit of time to choose the right game to play with someone who has dementia.
Here are some tips: — Choose the right level of game to avoid causing frustration or being seen as patronising — Give them a choice of two or three games if possible — Talk about games that they use to play in their childhood to give you some ideas — Choose visually colourful or sticking games — Choose larger scale versions if possible with pieces that are easier to hold and see — Avoid overly competitive or complex games.
As mentioned above, our favourite dementia friendly games are from Relish. Specially crafted for people with dementia, they just look and feel so premium, and so much care has gone into their design and making. Our top choices from Relish are:. Each fidget Twist, Roll, Slide, Spin focuses a different action and can help to keep your loved one calm and happy. How great is this snakes and ladders and ludo board?
The clever design and colour aesthetic has been specially chosen to aid people living with dementia, and the counters are larger than usual to help with hand dexterity problems.
This is art therapy at its finest. Relish Aquapaints have been specially created for people living with dementia — take water, a paintbrush and one of the five images that comes in the Aquapaints pack and your parent will easily create an effortless masterpiece.
Brain games come in many forms and can keep the brain focused. Studies also suggest that brain games for the elderly board games, card games etc can assist in boosting cognitive function, particularly assisting the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. By keeping your mind engaged, you are exercising it, building it and making it stronger. From speedy responses, to problem solving skills, to laughing to release endorphins — sharing in empathy laughter, compassion and competition will do wonders for your mental health and goes one step further in assisting with games to play in nursing cognitive function too.
Playing games has always been acknowledged as a great pastime. This is even more so the case if you can find games to play that stimulate your brain, keep you focused, and get you socialising. No matter your level of skill, there are games for senior people to suit anyone! We hope your found our in-depth round up of the best indoor games for the elderly useful.
For more information about the importance of keeping your brain active and how this plays into wellbeing as you get older, ElWell can help. Our site is dedicated to providing you with information, advice and support to help your ageing parents. This article ma y contain affiliate links. For full information, please see our disclaimer.
Indoor games are a great way for seniors to stay busy and engaged. We especially like memory games, brain teasers and jigsaw puzzles — they challenge the mind and are the perfect way to not only keep the brain focused, but also introduce people to new skills, and, occasionally, a social scene. Here are some tips: — Choose the right level of game to avoid causing frustration or being seen as patronising — Give them a choice of two or three if possible — Talk about games that they use to play in their childhood to give you some ideas — Choose visually colourful or sticking games — Choose larger scale versions if possible with pieces that are easier to hold and see — Avoid overly competitive or complex games.
0コメント