Top 15 Fun Activities for Seniors at Home Alone

Sometimes, seniors become homebound because they do not feel comfortable driving or have mobility issues. However, it is unreasonable to expect them to be at home with nothing to do. When our elderly parents and friends lose the ability to interact or do enjoyable things, they often begin to experience more physical and mental health risks. Home Helpers Home Care notes, “The study showed that people who are chronically bored were far more likely to die much younger from conditions such as heart attack and stroke.”¹ For the health benefits alone, seniors must remain active physically and mentally.

Finding fun activities for seniors is crucial to their physical, mental, and emotional health. There are dozens to choose from, so there is no reason for boredom.

Finding the activities that you enjoy

The biggest challenge for seniors is often finding activities that they enjoy doing from home. Everything seems to require that they show up somewhere at a specific time. However, seniors who no longer drive or those with physical limitations often find that senior activity times are too difficult to schedule into their day. Finding fun activities for seniors at home is possible, in any case.

Sometimes, staying home is a matter of health, so seniors and their families must make choices to ensure their loved ones’ safety. Flu season and other public health concerns can have devastating effects on the lives of seniors. They may choose to stay home out of caution during these times, but having no activities can make them feel lonely and depressed. Determining the best fun activities for seniors at home can help them stay happy and healthy, even when they cannot get out.

First, seniors must take the time to consider the things that make them happy. While they may be happiest in social situations, they must also contend for when that is impossible. Make a list of the things you enjoy at home or away. If you have ever thought about doing something that you do not know how to do, write that down too.

You may not be able to find something to meet all of the things on your list, but it will help you find things that interest you. Even if one of your interests is book reading, that does not have to be a solitary act. Finding book clubs, listening to audiobooks, and reading to neighborhood children can positively impact seniors’ lives. Fun activities for seniors at home need only make the seniors happy.

Fun is relative.

Next, seniors must consider the things that they have available. Taking online classes might be challenging on a fifteen-year-old computer. If you cannot replace the device, you might want to choose something else for the time being. However, this is also something families might consider as a birthday or holiday gift if enough family members can chip in for the upgrade. As Baby Boomers are becoming more technologically savvy, they often have current equipment. The oldest of the “Boomers” and youngest members of the “Greatest Generation,” however, may still struggle with technology.

Also, if you do not have transportation, attending a computer class, yoga session, or art class might not be the best activity choice. Families can help, however. Suppose you have one or more family members who do not work or who might be able to arrange for the same day each week. In that case, you can always offer to take the senior to the class if it fits in their schedule. Transporting a senior might even be a good activity for a licensed teen after school.

Finally, have a few things on your list that you can do each week. You do not want to dominate your time with only one or two activities unless they are very engaging. Lists of fun activities for seniors at home can help families decide what is reasonable for the loved one’s current health status. Rotate some of the items on the list. Make a monthly chart, and do two to three activities a week. This list will keep you busy for five weeks or more if you do every activity on the list for at least one week.

As everyone is aware, the COVID 19 pandemic has changed the pattern of our lives and virtually put a stop to almost all the routine functions and activities we’re used to. The vaccination program to combat the virus is carried out nationwide. Still, as a precaution, please remember to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state as well as local health guidelines should you venture outside the comfort and safety of your home—especially if you haven’t been vaccinated yet.

A list of fun activities

While there are thousands of fun activities for seniors at home to pass the time, we have settled on fifteen. These activities can also usually be adapted to your likings. For example, if we suggest an art class, you do not have to take drawing or painting classes. Sculpting is also a spectacular art form. Find something that you are interested in and make it your own.

Take nature walks

If you are in good physical condition, consider taking nature walks in your neighborhood.

Rather than just walking for exercise, notice/record the natural surroundings. If you are an artist or photographer, create pictures of your walks and nature’s changes over time. Note the colors of the leaves, vegetables, or flowers you encounter on your journey. This way, you can combine many fun activities for seniors at home. While you should never venture where you could get injured without a partner, walking around your neighborhood can be safe. Fun activities for seniors can also be excellent for your physical health. Nature walks can contribute to both.

Play Nintendo Wii

The original Wii is probably your best bet for Wii games at home. Get Wii sports or one of the exercise games to get your heart pumping. It combines hand-eye coordination and physical activity. Wii Fit also offers seniors a chance to practice their balance skills and other health-related activities. Not only is this activity fun, but it is also good for the mind and body. It is also one of the fun activities for seniors at home that they can do with others who are visiting.

Take up gardening

Fun activities for seniors can also contribute to the beautification of their environment. It may seem impossible to garden if your senior lives in an assisted living home, but indoor gardens are becoming more popular. Planet Natural has some great information on how to begin your garden.² Keep in mind, herb gardens and succulents do not take up much space. Tending for another living thing can help the mental and intellectual health of seniors. They will have to use cognitive skills to learn what to feed the plants, when to water them, and when they are ripe. They also often find that they are much calmer.

Having another thing to take care of can be incredibly calming.

Communicate online

As we mentioned before, seniors are becoming more computer savvy. One fun activity for seniors at home that will keep them connected is helping them learn to use email or social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other online social platforms. Many seniors, even those in the Greatest Generation, can learn to use email. Send frequent pictures of loved ones if you live across the country or cannot visit often. Home Assistance Care says that technology like email is a fantastic way to stay connected.³ You can even get your senior a smartphone.

Volunteer your skill and time

Yes, volunteering often requires seniors to leave their homes, but sometimes there may be things they can do from home. Knitting and crocheting can be fun activities for seniors. They can make blankets, booties, hats, or other comfort items for children in NICUs or hospitals. These locations often have a program for people who want to make items for children’s wards.

Children’s hospitals are not the only places that will take these items. Regular hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice care locations often need these types of crafts. Some of these places also need volunteers to stuff envelopes for fundraising campaigns. These activities can be done from the comforts of home. (Just make sure you are working with a reputable company.) During campaign time, politicians may also like to have people helping from home. If you have a favorite candidate, see what you might do to help.

Learn a new craft or art

Have you ever wanted to take up pottery, sewing, or learn a new skill? There are many how-to videos on YouTube and instructional DVDs. Fun activities for seniors can help you learn to do something new. If you already have a skill, see if you can learn a new technique or related activity. You can even combine this with the above and make gifts for others to brighten their day. Crafts can be as elaborate or as simple as you want them to be. Many seniors enjoy picking up crafts they learned in the past and renewing their passion.

You may also choose to learn a new art form or craft. If you are technologically inclined, you might find that YouTube videos or websites like Golden Carers have fantastic how-tos and lessons for creating. On the other hand, if you are less likely to do well with web-based instructions, you can also find books at local bookstores or craft stores. Many of these can be ordered online if you do not want to venture out. Local senior, recreation, and art centers might also have craft classes if you can drive yourself or arrange a ride.

Learn to cook or bake

Yes, it is a stereotype that all grandparents or older people are fantastic cooks. A fun activity for seniors at home is learning to cook or bake. This new skill is not to imply that you are not already a fantastic cook. However, you might have always wanted to be a world-famous chef or you may have wanted to decorate cakes. What better time than now?

You might want to perfect that Southern biscuit recipe your grandmother used to make or update your pound cake recipe. Whatever you want to do, cooking and baking can be a fantastic way to pass the time. This fun activity for seniors is not just enjoyable; it is also delicious!

It can also allow you to volunteer from home. Cook a few meals and have a shelter or family in need pick them up. Do you have a slow cooker or two? Make a few meals and freeze them for a family expecting a new baby or a friend having surgery. These meals can be packaged in inexpensive foil pans, plastic containers, or even zip-top bags. If you’d like, divvy them up into individual portions.

A mini-chicken pot pie can hit the spot for a new mom at lunch. Heating instructions can be as elaborate or simple as you’d like. Think about the frozen meals at the grocery store. Some are microwavable while others should be heated in a pan. Most social events revolve around food because food is comforting. Have fun making new meals.

Become the family historian

No, you do not need to learn the history of the world. Nevertheless, most older adults have stories to tell about their family history. Record these stories as you think of them. Another fun activity for seniors at home to keep their memories sharp is to put those memories into use.

Seniors often find that they enjoy telling stories and reliving the past one more time.

Create scrapbooks of old photos of family members long gone. On these pages, write their stories. Where were they born? What did they do? Were they known for something? Answer these questions for descendants who may be looking at these books after you are gone.

Tell them how you met your spouse, where you were married, and any unique things about your union. These stories will warm their hearts long after you have left them.

If you do not like your handwriting, you can always use a computer or old-fashioned typewriter to write the stories. Older people sometimes find their hands tremble more. Craft stores and scrapbooking websites have beautiful papers that you can type on and glue them under or next to the pictures.

Make music

If you have always wanted to learn to play an instrument, you can do that now. Often, musicians stop playing as often as children and families grow and change. You might have put down an instrument you played in high school. Retirement or time at home alone is a good time to resume playing.

Studies show that music can help memories and improve cognitive function in elderly patients.⁴ While your cognitive function may not be compromised yet, many older people suffer from compromised memory function. One of the fun activities for seniors at home that improves this is playing an instrument or enjoying music.

If you are not musically inclined, you may also choose to listen to classical music concerts or other musical genres. Many artists are now broadcasting their concerts through cable or satellite television or on the web. You might find that a few minutes of soothing music each day can improve your health and cognition.

Get a pet

Getting a pet might not be what you think of when you think of fun activities for seniors at home, but they can be great fun for many seniors.

Taking care of another living being can help people maintain their cognitive abilities.

You might also notice that training the pet makes you laugh. If you do not want to train a dog or a cat, playing with a smaller animal such as a hamster or gerbil can also provide great fun. Interacting with a pet can also help seniors living alone not to feel so lonely. So what is the best pet for you? This article may help you decide.

Take an online class

If you find learning and academia stimulating, you might enjoy online learning. Fun activities for seniors living at home do not have to follow others’ ideas of entertainment. You can choose to take classes online at traditional institutions or enroll in LinkedIn Learning, Open Culture, Class Central, or EdX classes.

Reading and academic work stimulate the brain and can delay the onset of dementia or cognitive dysfunction.⁵ Reading, writing, and learning new material keep the neurons firing long after your peers are starting to forget things. Memory failure can be a natural part of aging, but one of the best ways to combat this is to exercise your brain. Just as it is good for your body to exercise, it is also stimulating for your brain.

Binge-watch comedies

Laughter is the best medicine. Fun activities for seniors can sometimes include a day to binge-watch things that make you laugh. On a cold day, curling up on the couch with a blanket, junk food, and silly movies or television shows can be just what the doctor ordered. You do not even have to be sick. Sometimes, a day to relax and nothing to do is fun.

Just a word of caution though. Do not do this every day. Physical and mental activity and keeping your body and mind in shape are also very beneficial. However, there is nothing like watching old movies or favorite television shows uninterrupted. With subscriptions like Hulu and Netflix, you can often find shows that are off the air to watch. You can also check out videos from your local library.

This fun activity for seniors can also be shared with grandchildren or other family members. If you have always wanted your grandchildren to see your favorite show, see if you can access it online or through the library.

Celebrate Theme Days

Combine several of the above fun activities for seniors to come up with some fantastic theme days. Cook your favorite meal from the 1960s, practice your trombone, watch your favorite 60s movie, and scrapbook about family members who were important to you then. Each day, choose a different year, decade, or theme. You can also cook a meal from a movie/region while watching that movie.

These themes might even be fun activities themselves. You might have a great time planning how to combine these fun activities for seniors into theme days or weeks. You do not have to plan just a theme day. Spend the week doing different things related to your theme. See how many of the above activities you can incorporate. These days will not only be intellectually stimulating, but they can also be physically challenging.

Play board games

Board games usually require multiple people, but they can also be done alone. You can practice strategies or even play virtually. Set up a board and send photographs to a loved one or friend.

Board games have been fun activities for seniors for decades.

However, living alone can sometimes put a damper on playing. Many of these games stimulate the same areas of the brain that other activities on our list of fun activities for seniors at home, but they are more challenging to play alone. Solitaire and other card games may be played alone, but sometimes playing with a friend is more fun.

You can also increase your patience and online communication skills. Facebook and other social media apps sometimes have games that you can play with friends. If you have a smartphone or access to the internet, you might find some classic board games you can play virtually.

Go on virtual tours

In the last year or so, many museums have begun to offer tours online for free. Some world-famous museums have jumped on this trend. This means that you can visit the Louvre and the Smithsonian on the same day. How many seniors can say that they have done that? Some of these museums have also set up virtual field trips for schools, which may not seem like fun activities for seniors, but they are often open to more than just schools.

Children and seniors can learn much from visiting a desert in Africa, the Australian Outback, and the Old West. You can even incorporate these into your theme days or weeks. Add a tour of the Louvre when watching Sabrina or another movie that takes place in Paris. You can also eat crepes or other French finger foods that day.

Related Questions

How do I keep my elderly entertained at home?

Fun activities for seniors are challenging to design for someone else. Ask your elderly parent, friend, or family member what they like to do most. Let them make a list of things they want to do, then help them get set up to do them.

What activities do the elderly enjoy?

Fun activities for seniors are subjective. Seniors and the elderly find many things fun and enjoyable. You will find the answer to your own elderly loved one’s idea of fun by directly talking to them. See if you can help them get to outdoor or senior center activities sometimes, but you can also find some fantastic things for them to do at home.

How do I keep my elderly parents busy?

Keeping your elderly parents busy can be challenging. While you want to stimulate them physically and mentally, you also want to make sure that they are ready for so many things. Start small. Just as with children, if you push them into too many activities at once, you will cause them to burn out. Fun activities for seniors should not feel like a chore.

Why are activities good for the elderly?

There are hundreds of reasons that activities are beneficial for the elderly; the mental, emotional, and physical benefits are nearly infinite. The elderly population stays healthier and more mentally involved in fun activities for seniors. They can spend time with their peers, either in person or virtually, to combat loneliness and maintain cognitive function.

How do you motivate seniors to participate in activities?

Motivating your loved one to participate in fun activities for seniors should be done gently. Forcing your loved one into something they do not enjoy or aren’t ready to do can make them resentful or frustrated. Find fun activities for seniors that stimulate them physically and mentally.