Best Board Games For Seniors And The Elderly
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Are you looking for the best board games to give as gifts to your parents or grandparents?
If so, then youve landed on the right page! In this post, we share with you the 15 best board games for seniors and the elderly. We have reviewed these games thoroughly and found that they provide the best experience when it comes to fun and entertainment.
But before we get to our list, let us first discuss the benefits of playing board games for those who are more advanced in years.
What You Will Learn
Group Games For Senior Citizens
Group games soothe most people because they can play them with friends and family. Group games for senior citizens include bingo, scrabble, bocce, passing the parcel, year of inventions, photo puzzle race, a name that tune and Emoha provides all the requirements and instructions on how to play these games .
Outdoor Activities And Indoor Activities For Seniors With Dementia
In some cases, there are activities that are better suited to seniors with dementia. Seniors suffering from Alzheimers, Parkinsons or other neurological illnesses are likely to benefit from activities such as the ones listed on the Alzheimers site under senior activities. We list our favorite activities that we recommend caregivers and family members to try with their loved ones.
A) ExerciseIdeally if a senior suffers from dementia, he or she should begin their day with a simple physical exercise but also end their day with a similar one. Depending on their condition this could be as simple as a chair exercises or a short walk. To perform simple chair exercises simply have the senior be seated in front of you and show them the exercise to perform so that they can mimic your movements. There are many chair exercises that you can do: our favorite chair exercise is the one where you sit down and play some music. Then gently move your hands at the rhythm of music doing different shapes in the air with your arms.
B) Play Music and sing alongs
C) Kitchen
D) Folding, Sorting and Smelling
In patients with more advanced forms of dementia, activities like folding clothes or sorting them, smelling food aromas and going through old pleasant pictures of joyful moments can help boost morale and brain activity but also spark conversations!
Many more ideas of activities for seniors with dementia can be found here.
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Fun Games Your Aging Loved One Can Play While Sitting
By Debbie Waddell 9 am on March 26, 2019
Living an inactive lifestyle can be dangerous for a seniors wellbeing and lead to unhealthy habits. However, adapting activities to current abilities allows seniors to remain socially and physically active, even if they play games from the comfort of a chair or couch. Take a look at some fun games seniors can play while sitting down.
Engaging Games Aging Adults Can Play While Seated
By Kristy Butler 9 am on August 2, 2021
With age, the body experiences many changes, but this doesnt mean your senior loved one should become inactive or less social. Its important to adapt your loved ones favorite games to his or her mental, physical, and emotional capabilities. This makes the activities more fun and enjoyable. Here are some sit-down games your loved one should consider playing, whether he or she has limited mobility, is disabled, or is simply looking for games to enjoy while sitting down.
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Games To Improve Cognitive Skills
In adulthood, cognitive stimulation is essential. It helps older people to maintain and even improve cognitive abilities.
As we age, it is essential to delay the deterioration of cognitive functions. Keeping mentally active will help ensure a better quality of life through aging.
One way of achieving this is playing games which promote short term memory. Board games for seniors are a great option to support brain training. Here are some suggestions:
The Benefitsofparty Games For Seniors
Party games for seniors are not just fun, they are essential. Many are easy to play, free, or very inexpensive.We never outgrow the need for friendship, social interaction, and, just plain fun.
But, did you know, there are many important and wonderful benefits that come with playing party games for seniors?The benefits of parties and group activities for seniors include:
- Seniors continue having a sense of purpose and a feeling of belonging
- Group dynamics boost morale and self esteem. We never lose the desire for these things.
- Parties and group activities ward off loneliness and the feeling of isolation
Great! Right?
And, we get all these wonderful benefits just !Lets enjoy our parties and our gatherings as often as possible.
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Cut Clutter By Selling Online
Take inventory of the things you no longer use – the better the condition the more likely you are to make a sale. Consider anything from purses and shoes to furniture or gadgets.
There are several online platforms available. Apps like LetGo or OfferUp are mobile classifieds that allow users to buy from or sell to others locally. Upload pictures straight from your phone and allow buyers to negotiate.
You don’t have to be a top retailer or company to sell on big sites like eBay or . Create a seller profile and start listing your belongings
Organize A Neighborhood Cleanup
Turn your free time into a free way to beautify your community. With the help of neighbors and friends, coordinate a neighborhood cleanup that involves picking up trash and litter, and light landscaping like planting flowers around park walkways. Make use of free tools likeSignUp.com to help make coordinating volunteers easier.
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Indoor Games For Large Groups
Many nursing homes and assisted living communities regularly organize fun games that large groups of residents can participate in. The best activities directors try to keep things fresh by changing things up on a frequent basis. In fact, most games in this category are homemade and just require an investment of time and creativity to pull together. You can put your own spin on any of them. Plus, many of them can be used as fun party games for seniors or elderly residents who are celebrating birthdays or other milestones. Use the following examples as inspiration:
61. Bingo: Be the first player to match five numbers in a row in this popular game of chance.
62. Smile Toss: Prepare to laugh when playing this great balloon game for seniors. Draw a smiley face on a balloon. Sit in a circle with the other players. Have someone be in charge of playing some recorded music and stopping it at random times. As the music plays, pass the balloon around the circle to each other. If you’re left holding the balloon when the music stops, you must try not to smile for at least 10 seconds. If you do smile, you’ll have to leave the circle. The last person remaining wins the game.
66. Photo Puzzle Race: Get large color prints on heavy stock of various photos, preferably of the people who will be playing the game. Cut each of the photo prints into relatively small puzzle pieces. Split players up into different teams and have them compete to see which team can solve its puzzle the fastest.
Great Elderly Games To Keep Your Mind Sharp
Games arent just for kids. Seniors can enjoy playing games for social interaction, mental stimulation, and even physical activity. In addition, the below elderly games are a great way to connect with friends and family, whether in person or through technology.
Seniors can enjoy all sorts of games, from classic board games and card games to new video games and apps. The important thing is to find games that are both enjoyable and challenging. Games that promote social interaction are also beneficial, as they can help reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Here are 25 of the best games for seniors and the elderly:
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Great Ideas For Senior Outdoor Activities
Going outside in the fresh summer air is a wonderful way for elders and caregivers to spend their time together doing great outdoor activities for seniors. Going outside encourages light exercise and promotes socializing, which are both important parts for a healthy senior lifestyle. There are a handful of great outdoor activities for senior citizens to do that are easy for caregivers to arrange. As with anything, double check with the senior if theyre comfortable going outside. Sometimes seniors suffering from allergies need to be given a little extra care.
We share a curated list of the Helper Bees 8 favorite outdoor activities for seniors and caregivers to enjoy:
Gardening is a great outdoor activity for seniors to get some light exercise in!
1. Gardening
Gardening is one of the most popular outdoor activities for seniors. This is a great way for seniors to stay active and maintain strength and flexibility. This light aerobic activity is very beneficial and be incorporated easily into a daily routine.
2. Walks
A great way to stay active is through walks. Whether it be long hikes or a quick jaunt around the neighborhood, walking helps to maintain cardio in a seniors lifestyle. Its also a great way to get some fresh air and see the sights the environment around you has to offer.
3. Bird Watching
4. Outdoor Theatre / Music
5. Fruit Picking
6. Outdoor Craft Shows
7. Picnic
Picnicking allows for relaxing day in the park.
8. Photography
Memory Games For The Elderly
Memory games can be as easy or as complicated as necessary, theres a level to suit every ability. Theyre great activities to improve the memory in seniors, at a time when it may be diminishing.
Memory games for seniors vary from word puzzles such as crosswords, number puzzles such as sudoku or card games involving matching the pairs. Heres our pick of the best brain exercises for seniors.
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Games For The Elderly In Care Homes
In an article titled Fun Nursing Home Games to Try, Lindsay Woolman gives all the possible games for the elderly in care homes . Woolman notes that the elderly can enjoy card games such as bridge, rummy, gin rummy, canasta, hearts, and uno. They might also play board games such as bingo, scrabble, connect four, chess and checkers, mancala and Othello. Puzzles are also very suitable for the elderly.
Floor Games For Your Senior Exercise Class
Do you have more empty chairs than people in your Exercise Class? If so, then you may want to change a few things this winter, like having residents play fun games instead of doing monotonous arm and leg movements.
Games allow residents to still get the arm and leg movements that you like to provide in your Exercise Class while having much more fun. They also provide opportunities for fun competition as well as prizes that can be used as motivation. If you want to add more exercise to the games, simply alter the games by having residents stand when its their turn to play.
Here are 9 unique floor games from notjustbingo.com to add to your activity calendar this winter to fill those empty seats in your Exercise Class.
Game #1: Frisbee Golf
Show residents how to combine the sports of Frisbee throwing and golf with a fun game of Frisbee Golf. To play the game in your Activity Room, set up the golf flags on the floor around the room, and have residents toss the discs so that they land around the flags.
Game #2: Dice Rolling
Game #3: Bowling Ring Toss
Have fun with residents as you teach them how to play bowling ring toss. To play, divide residents into teams, and pass out large rings for residents to throw to encircle the pins to accumulate points.
Game #4: Hook & Loop Toss
Game #5: Toss It Net
Game #6: Fly Swat Tennis
Game #7: Smash It Ball
Game #8: Catch Disc
Game #9: Saucer Smash
About Not Just Bingo:
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Quizzes For The Elderly
Games and quizzes are a brilliant way to engage your mind and keep it active, as it involves testing a persons ability to engage, react and think.
Logic puzzles, for example, are ideal for older people, as is lateral thinking. Lateral thinking, in particular, tests the brains ability to think outside the box and create new solutions.
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.
General trivia is not only a great talking point, but can be a great way to boost the brains cognitive functions and memory, especially if you then test yourself later on. Keeping your brain healthy neednt be boring and repetitive. Whether you prefer puzzles, meditation or concentration-based games, therell be a game for you.
Matching Games For Seniors With Playing Cards
Matching games or Pelmanism games are perfect sit down games for senior citizens as they can improve short term memory. Although you can buy matching games, it is easy to set up a game with an ordinary deck of playing cards.
Firstly, take a deck of playing cards and place them face down in 4 rows and 13 columns. To start playing, the first player simply picks up two random cards from the deck. If the two cards have different numbers, the player returns those cards face down in the same place and it is the other players turn.
However, if they are a matching pair, the player keeps them and has another go. The object of the game is to get as many pairs of cards as possible, which will determine the winner.
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Explore Senior Employment Opportunities
If you find yourself itching to get back into a work routine, there are a lot of resources designed for seniors to help find potential positions to apply for.
Here’s a great resource page from the U.S. Department of State that includes information on training, job fairs, and job postings specifically for Seniors.
Start A Youtube Channel
Are you pretty savvy about a particular subject like playing an instrument or practicing yoga? Start your own free Youtube channel and upload videos of you providing DIY instruction, insight, and expertise. Invite friends and family on social media to subscribe to your channel and spread the word. Who knows, maybe your videos will go viral!
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Th 90th And 100th Birthday Party Games
When planning a party for senior citizens, it is important to consider the age of the guests. For those who are 80 or 90 years old, there are many different games that can be played. Even though these games will not really include a lot of physical activity, they will still be a lot of fun.
One game that can be played is bingo. This game is perfect for those who are not really into physical activity. All that is needed is a bingo daubers and paper for each person. The object of the game is to mark off numbers or objects as they are called out. The first person to mark off all of their numbers/objects wins the game.
Another option is trivia questions. These can be about anything, including movies, music, history, or even current events. Players can work in teams or individually to answer the questions. The team or person with the most correct answers at the end of the game wins.
Who Knows the 80 year old the best is a great game to play with family.
Other games that do not include being physical are card games and board games. These are perfect for those who want to sit down and relax while still having fun. Uno, Go Fish, and checkers are all examples of games that can be played. Board games like Monopoly or Life are also great options.
Y Games For Seniorsour 27 Favorite
Are there any great Party Games for Seniors that are inexpensive or even Free? Games that the entire family can enjoy together too?You bet there are.Besides being fantastic fun, playing games fosters senior well-being.Whether its for a Christmas, Chanukah, Thanksgiving type Holiday Party, a Birthday Party, an Anniversary Party, a Retirement, or, just a get together, there are loads of party games for seniors that family members of ALL ages can enjoy together. And: A lot of these games are FREE.
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Make A Family Cookbook
Is your kitchen full of old family recipes? Compile them in one place like a larger binder or recipe file, and make digital or printed copies to share with your children and grandchildren. Not only will your favorite dishes bring smiles for generations to come, but family cookbooks make great gifts for the holidays and at family reunions.
The Importance Of Games For Senior Citizens
As children, we dont think about anything. We just play. It is through play that we learn as the hours fly by. Did you know that games for adults are equally or more important than for children?
Activities such as Dominoes, Card Games, Bingo, or Parcheesi stimulate mental agility and encourage social participation. This is why sit down games for senior citizens are so enriching.
Playing games is one of the best tools to keep your cognitive capacity and physical skills in good shape.
Besides, they are a great excuse to share pleasant afternoons with your family and friends. They will provide a source of healthy competitiveness and so many laughs and moments to remember.
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