Games that don’t require physical exertion are suitable for seniors. Like, card games, board games, puzzle games, and digital games.
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When it comes to seniors, maintaining mental fitness, staying socially engaged, and enjoying fun activities become increasingly important for overall fitness. Though it might be physically hard to catch up with the young generation, what matters is keeping yourself young at heart. There are certain fun games for seniors that can be enjoyed in a group and prove to be a great way for the seniors to engage socially.
Games for senior citizens are not just a way to keep themselves entertained, but also offer numerous benefits:
During old age, it is common to face physical and cognitive challenges. Hence, it can be a daunting task to find games for old people that can be enjoyed without any restrictions. But worry not, as we have got you covered with our list of old-people games that are fun and can be enjoyed by all.
Puzzle games are a great way to boost cognitive functioning. We suggest beginning with bigger-sized puzzles and slowly progressing to smaller and more intricate ones.
Jigsaw puzzles are the traditional puzzle games we have all known for ages. It enhances fine motor skills, as it requires you to arrange puzzle pieces to form an image.
Cranium is a party game that requires you to strategize and stay alert throughout. It involves some funny and out-of-the-box challenges that are a great way to test your creativity and have quality time together.
Ubongo is a team game that involves solving puzzles of interlocking geometric shapes while racing against each other.
Solving puzzles can surely make us smarter, this applies to seniors as they get to keep their minds running.
Elderly people love to play tile and board games, as they can be enjoyed in groups. Further, they can be played sitting down, making the perfect games to play with seniors with limited mobility.
A classic game of chess challenges your wit as it requires you to use your cognitive abilities to the fullest. The complex game of strategy and planning is a great way to exercise your brain and gives a sense of accomplishment.
Dominoes is a tile-matching game where players have to try to use all their domino tiles before the opponent by laying them end-to-end in a way that the matching tiles connect each other.
A game of Jenga is enough to hype up the crowd and build the perfect vibe for socializing. It is one of the easy games for senior citizens, where you have to build a tower with the pieces of Jenga and take turns pushing or pulling loose blocks. You can add a fun twist to the game by adding some interesting dares on each or a few pieces.
Checkers is one of the most interesting games to play with elderly. It improves your cognitive functioning as it is a game of strategy and requires your presence of mind. If you do not have anyone to share a game of checkers with, you can always play it online with the computer.
This classic board game is for vocabulary enthusiasts. You can play the game to boost your vocabulary and improve your strategic thinking. You have to outscore your opponent for forming more words on a cross-word style board.
Ticket to Ride is one of the engaging old-people games where the players have to collect as many North American railway routes as possible. There are many variations of the game available, including Poland, Amsterdam, Europe, San Francisco, and London.
Other than being great entertainment, card games are a fun way to improve short-term memory and slow down age-related cognitive decline. The best part about card games is their portability. You can easily carry a deck of cards anywhere and enjoy the game anytime, anywhere.
Rummy is a classic card game that is enjoyed by people of all generations. It is played by grouping similar cards and having less or no useless cards before your opponent. The game helps improve your short-term memory as the player has to concentrate on collecting and grouping similar cards.
UNO is a card game that requires players to make faster moves to win the game, hence helping improve reaction time and cognitive agility. The game is a great way to socialize and make new friends.
Bridge is a trick game played traditionally by four players in two competing partnerships. Though the game might feel complex, especially if you are new to it, it is a great way to engage socially and improve strategic thinking.
Crazy Eights is an easy-to-learn card game for seniors to play. The players have to get rid of their cards by matching them with the last played card. It helps improve concentration levels and encourages quick decision-making.
Hearts is a fun way to improve your short-term memory, as it requires players to remember the played cards and plan their next move accordingly. The objective of Hearts is to have the lowest score possible by avoiding cards with hearts and the Queen of Spades.
This fun game requires you to be good at deceiving your opponent by keeping a poker face. Players must discard all their cards until one player is left with the ‘old maid’ card.
Word games are a great way to polish your language skills while also working on improving your memory.
Crossword is a simple game where the player has to guess the word that fits in the grid of interconnected words. The best part about the game is that it is available with a variety of difficulty levels.
Word Search truly tests your concentration and challenges your cognitive ability when you have to search for meaningful words in a bunch of jumbled-up alphabets.
Sudoku comes with different difficulty levels. The players must complete a grid of numbers in such a way that each column, row, and sub-grid contains all the numbers from one to nine.
The game will polish your basic mathematical skills. The players are required to solve the puzzle using the hints in such a way that they only use a number from 1 to 9.
In the golden age, people mostly avoided going out and chilling. However, isolation can lead to anxiety and depression. That is why introducing indoor games to seniors can lift their mood. In addition, it will help them stay active, engaged and entertained. With that in mind, we have mentioned some fun and engaging indoor games for older adults.
The very first in the category of indoor games is passing the parcel. Playing this game requires a group of people, so make sure there are enough friends to make a big circle. The process is simple, the host will play music, and the group will pass the pillow to the person sitting next to him, and the host will stop the music randomly.
Now the person holding the pillow will have to perform an activity and the one who will survive till the last round will be the winner. This game can be great for social interaction and surely brings a lot of laughs.
Pictionary may not sound like a game for seniors. But, the worse the drawings, the more fun they will get out of it. This game is not for drawing competition, it is to guess what the other player has drawn. And mark it, you will be getting some very weird guesses that can ache your stomach with laughs.
Name that tune is the game inspired by an American TV music game show. This game is pretty simple to play, as the host plays some tunes for the first 15 sec and now the players have to recognize the song and movie. To play it with seniors, you can make a list of famous songs of their time.
Tambola which is often known as bingo and housie is a fun game for older adults. In this game, the caller gives the ticket with 15 random numbers on it from 1-90 and a pen. Now the caller will call the number, and you have to mark a cut if it is present in your ticket. This is how if you cut a whole line, or the whole ticket, you will be rewarded.
All the indoor games mentioned above are fun, but nothing matches the joy of getting out in the sun and indulging in some outdoor games. However, engaging in tasks that require physical mobility is not always easy for seniors, as their motor health does not allow them. So here are some easy and fun games for seniors that can be enjoyed outdoors.
Musical space is an improvised version of the traditional musical chair. Instead of chairs, participants will have to stand in a hoop when the music stops. This reduces the risk of falling and is easy on the joints as the participants don’t have to sit again and again.
Everyone knows how to play darts; you can have fun even if you are bad at it. The game is a great way to engage socially. It is also a fun way of testing your eyesight.
Pickleball is similar to tennis. It has become a popular outdoor game for seniors as it uses light balls and paddles and, hence, is easier for older adults. Even if you have never played tennis, you can easily learn pickleball.
Who doesn’t love playing with bubbles? It can be a great activity you can enjoy even with your grandchildren. Set out on a picnic with your family or your friends and spend some quality time blowing bubbles and sharing a good laugh.
Giant Jenga has gained popularity after some game-based reality shows introduced the giant version of traditional Jenga. It is Jenga, but more fun. Rules are the same; the only difference is the size of the Jenga blocks.
The problem of memory loss has been considered most in old aged people. That is why keeping their mind active and alert can help to prevent the condition from worsening with time. One of the best ways to reduce this issue in older adults is to incorporate the routine of playing memory games. That is the reason, we have listed a few fun and engaging memory games below.
Memory tray is a very simple game that makes it suitable for every old aged person as you can play this while sitting on a table. You just need to collect some random items from your house, place them on a tray and show them to the players.
After that, pick one item randomly. Now, specifically to anyone whose item is missing. This game can lessen the issues of memory loss and boost thinking capabilities in older adults.
A trivia quiz is a game that should be played in groups to get the most out of it. In this game, the players will be asked 8–10 questions in each round on various niches. Now the one who answered it first and correctly will be awarded the points and after all the rounds the one who has earned the maximum points will be declared as the winner.
This game is more like a challenge. Guess the price means that you will show some random relatable items to the older adults, now they have to guess the exact purchase value of it. The one who is most near to the original cost will win that particular round.
This game can energize older adults by giving them a healthy competitive environment.
Video games are not just for the younger generation. Many adults over 60 enjoy video games on a daily basis, as they provide visual and auditory engagement. Here are a few video games for old people:
Candy Crush has been one of the most popular games to play with seniors. You have to match similar pieces of colourful candies in a limited time and within limited moves. It forces you to think faster and more strategically. This can be a fun activity you can enjoy with your grandchildren.
Released recently, Animal Crossing can be the next best engaging game for the elderly. Surely having the potential it offers a virtual reality setting where the participants have to move to a village and complete small tasks and challenges. It encourages critical thinking, as you are required to buy and sell materials and furnish your home within the game.
Civilization is one of the oldest video games that still has a large user base to this day. Starting from scratch, the players have to plan strategies to build a virtual empire and become the most successful ruler. Playing the game and progressing day by day will surely allow senior citizens to keep their mind active.
This is a flight simulation game that offers a realistic flying experience to the players, where they have to navigate challenges and explore virtual landscapes.
Microsoft Flight Simulator offers a lifesize map that mirrors our whole world, playing it is a treat for everyone. The experience will allow everyone who wanted to be a plane pilot to live their dream and fly a plane.
Mario Kart is a fun racing game famous among youngsters but still suitable for the older generation. It has multiplayer options, colourful tracks, and engaging gameplay suitable for all skill levels.
Elderly people find it crucial to follow a daily routine of exercise. So that is the reason we have listed some sports games that make them thrive for better fitness.
Cycling is the most suitable activity with people who are above 55 years old. This helps to improve the leg movement and make the overall body fit in the older adults. Cycling doesn’t require any such hard training, and it can be done both indoors and outdoors with required safety like helmets and knee guards.
Yoga doesn’t come under games, but this activity can bring numerous benefits to the overall health of senior people. Embracing yoga in your day-to-day life can improve your balance, flexibility, and strength by reducing stress. Practicing yoga in a group every morning can stimulate your mental fitness.
Walking football is a game that has gained popularity recently. As the name suggests, kicking the goal by just walking can give a thrilling, joyful experience to old-aged men as well as women. Restriction of running and jogging in this game has reduced the risk of severe injuries. Playing these sports can give them nostalgia for their passion for sports at an early age.
Swimming is a therapy to relax your muscles and joints. In later life, going for a swimming session can calm your soul and possibly reduce anxiety and stress. Moreover, it increases muscle flexibility and can be beneficial to reduce joint-related conditions.
Embracing social interaction and bonding in older adults is necessary to keep their mental and physical health strong. Many social games can help them to socially interact with others while playing and enjoying them.
Bingo is the best game that helps sharpen memory and thinking capabilities. Playing bingo in a group can give a joyful experience. In addition, it also helps to sharpen the cognitive functioning in older adults, reducing their loneliness and anxiety.
Dumb Charades is the most hyped game, and any age person can enjoy playing it. But when played amongst older adults, it can improve communication and teamwork. In addition, it doesn’t require any core strength, you just need to act down the words and other has to decode them correctly.
The lucky dip is basically more like guessing the item by just touching it. This game can help to improve the sensory organs by boosting their thinking capabilities. This can be played in a group of people. For that, you just need to fill a bag with some random items like a watch, keys and more and call the player and let them touch the thing and guess what it is.
Guess the food is the most fun game you can play over a tea party. Well, this game is not restricted to any age and can be played and enjoyed by everyone. For a better experience, you can play this game at a family get-together. For the set-up, you just need some food items and a blindfold. You can call all the older adults one by one, cover their eyes, and let them taste the food and guess, if they guessed it right, offer them a piece of cake or any other thing.
This is one of the best games to recall their memory. The Year of Invention game requires guessing when the item was invented. For that, you just need to require 10 items for your daily use, like a calculator and whatever.
Give the players a pen and paper, show them the articles one by one, and ask them to write the year. Collect the sheets, check the answers and give a gift to the winner.
This game is the favourite of the youngsters. But why not play it with the older adults and take a drive to their secret lane? This game allows the players to share their most funny and thrilling experiences at the same time.
To play, you are just required to sit in a group or circle and place the healthy fruit shots in the centre. Ask them to say Never Have I Ever, and the thing they have never done. Now all the players who have done that thing once in their life have to take a sip of the drink and share that secret story.
Truth and dare is a fun game to play with your friends. Elderly people can catch up on this game and listen to the spicy truths over a tea party. To play this game, you just need to sit down and spin the bottle and the person who gets the chance will choose one amongst the truth and dare.
Now the other people will assign a fun task if opted to dare or ask a question if opted for truth. The person has to complete and perform the task assigned to them.
Pen and paper games are traditional games and were enjoyed by people before online gaming was invented. That means that older adults have played numerous pen-and-paper games at a young age.
So why not refresh their childhood by making them play some interesting games mentioned below:
Tic-tac-toe is a game that we all have played once in our life in school, that too on the last page of the notebook. This can be a great fun game for couples too as it requires two players at a time. You just need to draw a 3×3 grid of squares and pick one between X and O. Those who made the line vertically, horizontally or diagonally will win the game.
Similar to noughts and crosses, dots and boxes are a fun and simple pen and paper game that can be played in a group of two or more. The game starts by making an empty grid of boxes with the help of dots, the first person will make a horizontal or vertical line and this is how it will go on. The person who will close the end of the box will score a point.
Categories is a word game where a person proposes a letter and a category, and you have to write one word in that category. For instance, the letter N now, write a city starting from this word. This game is good for recalling thinking capabilities and rebuilding concentration.
It is crucial to keep our minds sharp and engaged during old age. So pick from the wide variety of games for seniors as per your interest and get ready for a fun-filled day. The list is specially curated, keeping in mind the needs of the elderly. The games will help you engage and keep you entertained, even if you have limited mobility.
Games that don’t require physical exertion are suitable for seniors. Like, card games, board games, puzzle games, and digital games.
Games challenge cognitive skills such as memory, problem-solving, attention, decision-making, and pattern recognition. By engaging in games regularly, seniors can maintain mental acuity.
Yes, there are digital games specifically designed for seniors, such as brain training apps, memory games, and interactive simulations.
Provide guidance, support, and encouragement during gameplay, and celebrate their achievement and progress to boost motivation and enjoyment.
