It's sad to see your grandmother or favorite uncle stare out of the window all day. Their wheelchair-ridden, insulin-powered life is a serious downgrade from the bustling excitement they used to live in. Luckily, there's a lot you can do to bring back some fun and entertainment to your loved one’s life.

Fun activities for elderly family members need to be safe for their health and should allow them to spend quality time in a different environment from the one they usually live in. Such activities include everything from fishing to joining book clubs, so you need to check what’s of interest to them!

Some seniors may not be in the best shape physically or mentally, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have fun. There’s a lot you can do to help them out, so keep reading.

11 Fun Activities You Can Do With Elderly Family Members

Here are some fun ideas to help the elderly in your family have a good time:

1. Play Board Games

There's a huge variety of board games that the elderly can spend hours playing without getting tired or bored. For some people, this means a classic round of chess. For others, it may be something a bit more upbeat, such as Pictionary. 

2. Play Nintendo Sports

If you've got a Wii or Switch lying around, use it! There's nothing that beats Nintendo's interactive gaming console. Nintendo allows players to navigate the game using their body’s movements instead of joysticks and buttons. You can play games like tennis, baseball, and basketball with your parents or grandparents, indoors and without too much physical exertion.

3.Get Creative

Creativity is a great way to release one's emotions. If you talk to the elderly in your family, they'll have a lot to say about their past, even if it's repetitive. Being stuck in this nostalgic rut can make them feel frustrated. 

However, a set of paints and fresh, blank paper can be pretty useful in cheering them up. You can also help them get into painting, makeup, photography, or singing as a creative outlet. If you have a creative skill, you can teach it to them. Or the two of you could join a beginner class together. 

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4. Participate In Community Work

At their age, seniors have an abundance of time. Community work, such as collecting charity or volunteering at local senior-friendly events, can be an excellent activity to do with your elderly family members. This will also give your elderly family members some quality time with new people.

5. Visit Local Markets

If you're going shopping at the local farmer's market, it's a great idea to take along your senior family members. Scanning through the rows of vendors, picking fresh fruits and veggies, haggling, and eating street food is a low-budget outing that’s great fun for all ages! Your elderly family members will also enjoy the fresh air.

6. Do Light Exercise

Another great activity to do is gentle exercise. Picture some stretching in the balcony, a brisk walk in the park, or maybe some physician-recommended core exercises. You can also do joint yoga sessions on weekends or any other light form of exercise that doesn't tire the seniors too much. You can sign yourself and your family up at the local community center for senior-friendly classes!

7. Learn New Ways to Cook

Experimenting with new recipes is another fun activity that many seniors would love. Remember grandma’s delicious cooking when you were a kid? It’s time those good old days back! 

Search YouTube for recipes that you and your elderly family member can follow. If you’re far away from each other, this is an activity you can do with each other via video call! Use apps, such as Ohana, to call each other and then follow the same recipe together in your own respective kitchens!

8. Join Book Clubs

If the seniors in your family are into reading, joining a book club at the nearby bookstore or your local library is a nice activity to do in a different and enjoyable environment. You can register yourselves as members of book clubs, go for group reading, or attend a book launch by writers as well!

9. Take Road Trips

As a senior, long flights across states or continents can be pretty tiring. However, that shouldn't put an end to traveling, right? If you have a senior who seems exhausted from the same old thing, a quick change will do them good. 

So, you can take them on a short trip to a nearby resort, summer house, excursion site, nature preserve, or museum. If your place has a citywide tourist company, you can register for a trip with them too.

10. Join Hobby Clubs

Everyone has a hobby, including the elderly in your family. Luckily, there are plenty of places that host hobby clubs for senior citizens. 

You can accompany your parents or grandparents to hobby classes, such as jewelry making, gardening, painting, stargazing, and much more. 

11. Make a Scrapbook

A scrapbook is filled with a million memories and is great to have around. There's so much that goes into a scrapbook, such as polaroid photos, outdated currencies, memorable letters, old stationery, pressed flowers, and much more. 

If you're looking for an activity that doesn't involve too much labor, a scrapbook is a perfect fit. The scrapbook can be about family, friends, travels, work, or anything that shows an important part of life!

Final Words

Life for the elderly can sometimes get a bit lonely and boring. As a family member, it's natural to be concerned for your elderly parent or grandparent's happiness. So, we designed this list to help you, and the seniors in your life have fun together in the safest way possible.