22 Fun Indoor Activities for Seniors to Make Aging Happier and Healthier

 

Table of contents:

• Why Do Older Adults Need a Variety of Indoor Activities for Seniors?
• 22 Relaxing Indoor Activities for Seniors
• AllsWell Makes Fun Indoor Activities For Seniors Safer

The older people get, the less active they become. You can hire a sitter for your seniors, but it won't replace spending time with them doing some fun leisure activities together. 

Today we will discuss why fun indoor activities for seniors are beneficial and what activities you can do with your grandma and grandpa at home, no matter the season or your older adult's medical condition.

Why Do Older Adults Need a Variety of Indoor Activities for Seniors? 

Unfortunately, as time goes by, our minds and bodies weaken, and our health deteriorates. Advancing age causes many troubles, from hearing and vision issues to severe mental disorders like dementia and depression.

It's no secret that physical exercises and relaxing indoor activities for seniors benefit their learning and physical abilities. Recent research confirms that a person has to support their cognitive functions, physical state, and mental health with indoor activities to age successfully.

Besides, physical indoor activities for seniors reduce the risk of:

• Stroke

• Cancer

• Depression

• Dementia

Moreover, spending time exercising or drawing paintings with your older adults is generally entertaining. When was the last time you discussed a book or played a board game together? Your seniors have lived a long life and have probably given you all they could, so now the only thing they need from you is a bit of support and care.

22 Relaxing Indoor Activities for Seniors 

Traveling or simply going for a walk with your older adults reduces stress and has many health benefits. But what if the weather is terrible and the house looks like a more enjoyable environment? Or what if your seniors have a medical condition that won't allow them to leave home? We've prepared fun indoor activities for seniors that will entertain the family regardless of weather and health.

Note that they might not be suitable for people with severe mental conditions like dementia.

Printable Indoor Activities for Seniors

If you have a printer, these fun printable indoor activities for seniors are your best choice. All you have to do is to browse Pinterest for some fun pics, and the world of printable indoor activities for seniors is open for you:

1. Quiz 

A good old-fashioned quiz where players compete in answering questions is among the most fun indoor activities for seniors. Choose whatever theme you like.

2. Fill in the blanks of a story 

"Fill in the blanks" is a relaxing indoor activity for seniors where the player has to paste different parts of speech into the blanks to receive some fun stories. Find a nice story with many blank spaces and see how ridiculously enjoyable reading these can get for the whole family.

3. Word search 

Word search is a traditional printable indoor activity for seniors. The letters are placed in a square grid, so the players need to find words placed horizontally, vertically, and diagonally.

4. Word scramble 

Word scramble is a game that tests your vocabulary. It is a printable indoor activity for seniors where the letters of a word are mixed, and the players have to turn this mess into something readable.

5. Labyrinth 

Labyrinth is a game where players make a way from one place to another with a pen on a sheet of paper. It is among the printable indoor activities for seniors that may seem easy once you see it, but labyrinths are a good exercise for cognitive functioning.

6. Crossword 

You've probably tried filling in crosswords at least once. If not – see how entertaining it may be for your seniors. Crosswords develop cognitive skills and give plenty of knowledge.

7. Memory game 

Memory games are the most beneficial printable indoor activities for seniors. There are pictures players look at for several seconds, then cover them and try to recall the content. The player with the highest number of correct answers wins.

8. Tic-tac-toe

Tic-tac-toe belongs to classic printable indoor activities for seniors. In this game, where players put X and Os in a grid. The player who is the first to form the row wins.

Indoor Gardening Activities for Seniors

Gardening usually involves outdoor activities, but you can grow something at home with enough space. Here are several indoor gardening activities for seniors to consider:

9. Set up a terrarium

Building a terrarium is a fun gardening activity for your seniors. Moreover, the result will become a good decoration for your home.

10. Paint pots

Turn your terra-cotta into something more creative with this indoor gardening activity for the seniors. You will only need some clay pots, brushes, and acrylic paints. 

11. Grow cress heads

Cress heads can make any interior cozier while being quite a relaxing indoor activity for the seniors.

12. Make a bouquet

Choose the best flowers in your garden, remove leaves, add filler flowers and wrap it up. Composition is a challenging and engaging gardening indoor activity for seniors.

13. Plant cactuses

Planting cactuses will be a great indoor gardening activity, even for seniors with cognitive or physical disabilities. Cactuses are among the least demanding plants, and they can grow anywhere. Plus, they are adorable.

14. Create a small edible garden indoors

Edible garden means your seniors will not only see the results but taste them. This indoor gardening activity for seniors requires time and effort, but the results will be worth it.

15. Blog It

Indoor gardening activities for seniors have a friendly and welcoming community on the global web. Teach your seniors to use the Internet and post about their achievements online. This will help them to meet new people and socialize.

Indoor Summer Activities for Seniors 

Summer is a perfect time to relax if you do it safely, but the burning sun, dehydration, and insects may spoil the mood. These won't be a problem anymore with indoor summer activities for seniors:

16. Dance!

Gather your senior friends, find a summer tune, and enjoy yourselves! Dancing is an indoor summer activity for seniors that can contribute to their health and active lifestyle.

17. Host a movie party

Another occasion to gather your friends and older relatives is hosting a movie party as an indoor summer activity for seniors. Choose some of IMDB's classics, and don't forget about healthy snacks.

18. Make some ice cream

Cooking ice cream will certainly make the hot summer weather more enjoyable. This tasty dessert is also a fun indoor summer activity for seniors.

19. Karaoke

Karaoke is one of the most accessible relaxing indoor summer activities for seniors to arrange. Enter YouTube, turn the speakers on, and be ready to sing.

Indoor Winter Activities for Seniors

Winter is an excellent time to sit at home and celebrate holidays. At the next Christmas party, you can try these indoor winter activities for seniors:

20. Organize a tea party

Winter is a perfect time to sit at home and celebrate holidays. At the next Christmas party, you can try these indoor winter activities for seniors:

21. Learn knitting

Knitting isn't as difficult as you may think. It is an easy way to create warm clothes and an excellent indoor winter activity for seniors.

22. Cook hot cocoa

Hot сocoa is a perfect drink to cook when the weather outside is frightful. Cooking hot beverages is an indoor winter activity for seniors that will warm them and create a holiday mood.

AllsWell Makes Fun Indoor Activities For Seniors Safer

Though fun indoor activities for seniors are generally safe, some medical conditions caused by aging can make activities like dancing and cooking traumatizing. You can't be near 24/7, so if your senior decides to have fun on their own, it would be a good idea to take care of their safety remotely. 

One of the best ways to do that is to install a safety app like AllsWell Alert. AllsWell Alert has the inactivity monitoring feature to keep track of your seniors automatically. If the user stays inactive for too long and may be at risk, the selected emergency contacts will receive instant alerts. AllsWell also has a panic button to enable users to ask for help proactively.

Get the AllsWellAlert app now on Android or iOS devices. The first 30 days are free!