Just because you have to stay indoors, doesn’t mean you still can’t have fun! There are lots of indoor activities ideal for seniors and for seniors in assisted living. It can be too cold or too hot, too rainy or snowy outside, but inside, there’s plenty to do.
Here are some ideas you can try on our Master List of indoor activities for seniors:
Fun Activities for Seniors in Assisted Living
Seniors in assisted living facilities have lots of options for indoor activities. Here are 16 of our favorite indoor senior activities:
- Indoor Fitness Programs. Activity reduces depression, increases circulation and raises your quality of life. Keep active by engaging in regular exercise programs in our fitness facilities and indoor pool with its underwater treadmill.
- Jacuzzi. At Green Valley Commons, Seniors can enjoy three Jacuzzi rooms, each equipped with a ceiling-bound lift for those needing help to safely navigate and enjoy the water.
- Socializing. Seniors reduce isolation and loneliness by meeting new people and making new friends.
- Card games. Join in a fun and stimulating card game, or create a regular card-playing group.
- Board games. Test your skills at a variety of board games while challenging others and yourself.
- Afternoon tea or coffee socials. In addition to our help-yourself juice and refreshment bar, join us in afternoon tea and coffee socials.
- Live or recorded music. Green Valley Commons has an antique record player and an upright piano in our luxurious den. Play your favorites, or listen in to recorded or live performances.
- Movies. Join us “at the movies” to watch classic and newer films.
- Hobbies. Do you have a hobby you enjoy? Feel free to bring your materials and work on your project here. Others may also be interested in learning more about your hobby, and you may be able to share your passion with others in a club, group or teaching setting.
- Lunch and learn sessions. We bring in guest speakers from time to time to talk about fun, informative, or helpful topics. Join us for one of our exciting presentations.
- Clubs. Become a member of one of our existing clubs, or start one of your own, like a book, gardening or card club. There are surely others who share your interests and would love to join in the fun.
- Health fairs. Learn more about your own path to healthy living at one of our health fairs.
- Holiday parties. There’s nothing more fun than celebrating the holidays.
- Brunches. Elevate breakfast to the next level of dining at a festive brunch.
- Potluck lunches. Show off your best dish at a community potluck lunch, or simply join in a shared meal. You never know what goodies you’ll find at each potluck lunch.
- Photo contests. Share your best photographs, enter a photography contest to see if you win, or learn a little more about how to take a great (and possibly award-winning) picture.
Assisted Living Weekly Activity Ideas
Most assisted living facilities have weekly activity programs in which you can participate and learn new skills. Why not try one of these indoor activities for seniors from our Master List?
Tai Chi
Many seniors enjoy and benefit from the low-impact exercise in Tai Chi. It can improve stability to prevent falls, reduce chronic pain, and lower blood pressure.
Related: What are the benefits of Tai Chi for seniors?
Stretch and balance sessions
Improve balance and flexibility to help strengthen and lengthen muscles and prevent falls.
Seniorcise
Not as active as you once were? You can still enjoy exercise through low-impact, low-intensity classes designed for older adults. Improve flexibility, range of motion and cardiovascular ability. All levels, abilities and mobility levels can be accommodated, including chair exercises.
Card and board game tournaments
Take games to the next level by entering a tournament. Who will be the big winner?
Bunco
Roll the dice to see who is the high scorer in this easy-to-play group game.
Weekly outings
Check the activities schedule to see if there are any outings you’d like to join in.
Coffee and conversation groups
There’s always someone to talk with if you feel like having a lively conversation. Grab a cup of coffee, tea or juice and meet one on one or with a group.
Book club
Monthly book club groups discuss assigned readings. Delve into classic books or find new favorites.
BINGO
Do you have the right numbers to win a round of BINGO? Play for fun or prizes.
Movie and popcorn
Make movie day an event with popcorn and other refreshments. Perhaps even choose a theme to go along with the movie.
Arts & crafts lessons
Pick up a new skill and perhaps a new hobby as you try your hand at various arts and crafts, like sketching, watercolor, knitting or card-making.
Pizza day
How about a pizza party for something different?
Computer skills
Want to learn how to write an email or surf the Internet? Learn the basics on how to use your computer to research and communicate with others.
Genealogy research
With just the basic computer skills, you can open the doors to generations past. Find your ancestors and learn their individual stories.
Safety programs
Personal safety is always a concern, and especially so as we age. Learn how you can keep yourself, your property and your online information safe.
Birthday celebrations
Your birthday is your very own special day. Let us create a celebration just for you.
Unique Activities for Seniors
In addition to all the fun indoor activities for seniors we’ve already listed, here are few, more unique, ideas that would be great to join in on.
Chair yoga
A modified version of yoga for seniors and those with mobility problems. Improve flexibility and stiffness, lengthen muscles and build strength with simple poses.
Bocce
A team sport similar to lawn bowling that dates back to the Roman Empire.
Pickleball
The fastest-growing senior activity in popularity, pickleball is a paddle sport combining elements of table tennis, badminton and tennis to hit a wiffle ball over a net.
Music programs
Sit back and enjoy a musical performance, or learn more about music. Do you play an instrument? Get together with others to play together.
Visiting entertainers and lecturers
Stimulate your mind and your curiosity by attending performances that can include anything from magicians to White House butlers.
Tea dances
Dust off your dancing shoes and take a turn around the dance floor. A tea dance is an elegant afternoon activity.
Art shows
Show off your arts and crafts talents in an art show, or host a local artist to talk about their own works.
“What’s it worth” antiques appraisal fairs
Similar to the popular PBS series “Antiques Roadshow,” you can learn more about antiques and what’s valuable in today’s market. Bring in items of your own to appraise during an appraisal fair.
Senior Olympics
Challenge yourself to see if you can win a medal in the Senior Olympics. Activities range from recreational, like pool, cornhole and horseshoes, to the more physical, like swimming, running, and bicycling. For those not active, games like Scrabble, Bridge, and Mah Jongg are also included in the challenges.
Learn a language
There’s no reason you can’t learn to speak French, Spanish, Italian or any other language—at any age.
Senior talent show
Bring your talents to the forefront by becoming a member of the cast in your very own senior talent show. Invite family and friends to watch.
Casino games
Spend an afternoon in Monte Carlo, or at least feel like it, with a variety of casino games like poker, roulette, blackjack, craps or horse racing.
Line dancing
You don’t need a partner to enjoy line dancing. Follow simple-to-learn steps and you’ll be dancing up a storm.
Zumba Gold
The Zumba Gold program was created for active older adults seeking a low-intensity workout given by a trained Zumba instructor. This Latin-dance inspired workout builds cardiovascular health while working the arms, legs and hips with dance moves.
Indoor gardening
No matter what the weather is doing outside, you can grow a beautiful garden indoors. Plant flowers, nurture herbs, or train a bonsai tree.
Wine tasting
You can’t go far in Virginia without encountering a winery or cidery. See if they will bring some of their fine products in for an exclusive tasting, and learn about wine making from winery owners and winemakers.
Computer skills
Take your computer skills beyond the basics. Learn how to create a website, build a blog where you can share your interests with the world, or simply improve your own computer-related acumen.
Wii games
The Nintendo Wii gets seniors up and moving with virtual games like golf, tennis and bowling that improve eye-hand coordination and split-second decision making, and in video games like Brain Age Rock Band.
Indoor Activities for Seniors
There are so many other ways seniors can enjoy indoors activities as well. Try these ideas from our Master List on for size:
Participate in a game like Mah Jongg, Bridge, Canasta, Pinochle or Poker
Learn a new skill like knitting, crocheting, painting, journaling or short story writing
Read a themed series like Pulitzer Prize-winning novels, crime dramas, or books that have been made into movies
Put your artistic skills to work with activities like scrapbooking, cardmaking, drawing, painting, mosaics or needlework
Indulge your competitive skills with games like Scrabble, Monopoly, Chess, Checkers or Trivial Pursuit
Get active with exercise programs, dance, yoga, swimming, pickleball, table tennis, pool or bocce
Stimulate your mind with puzzles like Sudoku, crosswords or jigsaws
Discover your family history with genealogical research through Ancestry.com or other online resources
Contact Green Valley Commons
At Green Valley Commons, our seniors have more fun options than they possibly have time to join in! They get to pick and choose the activities that both interest them and suit their needs. And we’re glad to help them learn or enjoy their chosen activities.
If you need to stay inside, there is plenty to do on our Master List of indoor activities for seniors!
Green Valley Commons is an assisted living facility located in Winchester, Virginia. If you’d like to learn more about our senior programs and all the fun indoor activities we have planned for seniors, please contact us.