No matter your age, playing games is a favorite pastime. As a senior, games help engage your brain by using strategy and problem-solving skills, tapping into your creativity, and most importantly, connecting you with others in a fun and lighthearted environment.
For older adults with limited mobility, sit-down games may be the best option. While there are many fun games that can be played sitting, there are a few that stand out. These sit-down games for senior citizens are great ways to have fun while boosting your mental and social health.
1. Pictionary
Pictionary combines your creativity, drawing skills, and encourages participation from teammates. When your team is up, you will choose a card that gives you a word or phrase. You’ll start to draw what’s on the card, and then your teammates will guess the word or phrase.
This game can also improve your social skills because communication between teammates is key to winning. If your family is visiting, this is a great game to play. You can have fun forming teams, with the older generation vs. the younger generation, or vs. another resident and their family.
2. Name the Song
Name the Song is simple and only requires a phone and speakers. Someone plays a song and the first person to name it gets one point. You can do different eras, specific artists, or genres of music.
If the game is getting too easy, you can modify this game to naming the artist, naming the album, or even naming the year it came out.
Music has a unique relationship with memory. Studies have shown that older adults living with dementia can experience a “reminiscence bump”, or more easily recall the music, when listening to popular music from their teenage years.
3. Monopoly
If you’re looking for a board game that requires strategy, math, and will offer entertainment for a couple of hours, Monopoly is the perfect game. Many people are familiar with this classic game, and it’s simple to explain to others.
When you’re focusing on multiple parts of this game, you’re engaging your cognitive abilities in problem-solving and decision-making. You may also exercise your skills in social engagement if you try to strike a deal with other players.
4. Scrabble
This classic word game combines your creativity, word knowledge, and knowing when to play a high-point letter on a triple-letter-score square. Scrabble requires focus and memory but provides a lot of entertainment and fun.
When you’re forming words based on what’s available on the board and the letters you have, you’re likely thinking about multiple words at once and the different ways you can get the most points. You’ll likely learn a few new words playing this game.
5. Tennis Ball Race
Tennis Ball Race relies on your hand-eye coordination and speed. You and another player are at a table, each holding a tennis ball. When the game starts, you pass the tennis balls to each other. The goal is to pass the ball as quickly as possible and not have both at the same time. This would be a great game to play with young grandchildren as well!
6. Memory
While there are many card games you can choose from with a standard deck of cards, this card game is simple but still helps older adults with concentration and memorization skills.
Place the deck of playing cards face-up in even rows. Allow everyone to scan them for a minute, and then flip them over.
The object of the game is to flip a matching pair. If you get a match, you can try again. The person with the most matches wins.
7. Jenga
Jenga is a stacked tower of rectangular wood pieces. Each player takes a block out of the tower, attempting to remove the piece without knocking over the tower. Jenga incorporates movement and using your best judgment on choosing which Jenga piece to remove.
8. Boggle
This game is perfect if you’re a reader. Lettered dice are placed in a 4×4 container and shaken. The object of the game is to find as many connected words as possible within the given time limit.
Boggle engages your brain and helps you look at things from different perspectives. Words can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, backward and forward.
9. Video Games
There’s an endless supply of video games that you can enjoy while improving brain function. Whether it’s solving puzzles or exploring an interactive environment, you’ll find a game that engages you.
One unique part of video games is the online element where you can play games with friends far away from you, making connection as easy as clicking a button. Here’s a list of favorite video games for older adults to help you get started!
Join the Fun at Glencroft Center for Modern Aging
Having fun is essential to having an enhanced quality of life. That’s why Glencroft Center for Modern Aging is hosting Game Show Week. This is a great opportunity to learn more about our community and see what life at Glencroft Center for Modern Aging is all about
The Game Show Week festivities will kick off on July 17. Be sure to check out The Price is Wrong Night on Wednesday, July 19, at 6 p.m., and the other fun activities we have planned.
The price is always right at Glencroft Center for Modern Aging. Call us today to schedule a personalized tour of our beautiful campus.
