by Isabelle Wright
The Most Fun Indoor Activities for Seniors All Year
The weather can be a fickle friend, especially during the cooler months of the year. When it’s too hot or too cold to enjoy outdoor activities, it’s important to have other options. Here’s our list of the best and most fun indoor activities for seniors to enjoy year round.
Board Games
It’s never too rainy to play board games! Get a friend or three together and play some games. Check out our top 20 games for seniors with dementia or the best board games for seniors. From chess to checkers, there’s a game for everyone out there.
Yoga or Tai Chi
You don’t have to get outside to get moving. Yoga, tai chi, and other types of workouts can be done with just a little bit of indoor space. Yoga is a great choice for seniors because it is low-impact and improves mobility, flexibility, and balance. You can find free yoga classes online on websites like YouTube. For beginners, we especially like Sarah Beth Yoga or Yoga with Adriene. Yoga not your speed? There are indoor walking and dancing workouts available online too!
Read
All right, it’s not exactly groundbreaking, but reading is one of the best indoor activities for seniors that can be enjoyed year-round. Even if you can’t go on vacation or get out of the house, reading can take you anywhere. You don’t even have to leave the house to get a new book! You can buy Amazon Kindle e-books online and read on almost any device (e-reader, phone, tablet, laptop, etc) with the Kindle app.
Knitting or Crochet
If you haven’t learned to knit or crochet yet, now is your chance. Online classes can teach you either or both, for free and in one afternoon! Try this essential knitting guide or learn to crochet with The Spruce Crafts. Making a beautiful scarf, sweater, or pot holder out of an unassuming ball of yarn is satisfying, meditative, and very rewarding.
Puzzles
Puzzles provide brain stimulation that is a great defense against the cognitive decline many people experience in later years (1). They’re also a great way to spend an afternoon. There are many free online puzzles you can play, which can be helpful for those with arthritis or if you don’t have a puzzle handy.
Loom Weaving
Create your own textiles by learning to weave fabrics by hand. You will need a loom and some thread or yarn, but it’s actually much more simple than you might think! You can take a Masterclass from home and learn this skill today.
Painting
If you’re looking for a creative stress-reliever, painting is a wonderful indoor activity for seniors. There are many different types of painting, from abstract acrylics to watercolor landscapes. You can choose whatever level of difficulty or complexity you’d like. Beginners can learn to paint with online classes like those offered by Skillshare.
Paper Crafting (or origami)
Origami or other forms of paper crafting is a fun indoor hobby. Paper is very inexpensive and widely available, so it won’t take much to get started. Check out these easy paper crafts here and start making today. You can also take things a step further and make paper or vinyl crafts using a cutting machine like Cricut!
Woodworking
While it can take a bit of space and some startup costs, woodworking is very rewarding and can be done indoors year-round in a garage or spare room. If you don’t have a lot of space, and don’t want to invest in large tools, you can also buy inexpensive woodworking kits online. You can build a dollhouse, birdhouse, candy dispenser and more, right from your living room or kitchen table!
Cooking or Baking
Baking cookies is one of the best ways to spend a rainy afternoon. Tired of sweets? Try your hand at sourdough bread or artisan pizza. Connecting with your hands and producing delicious food is incredibly satisfying, and sure to make you lots of friends!
Indoor Picnic
Once you’ve baked those cookies or made that pizza, make things a little more fun and have an indoor picnic. Put a blanket on the floor, invite some friends or family members over, and pretend it’s summertime. Take things up a notch with fancy sparkling water and a charcuterie board.
Learn a Language
It’s never too late to learn something new! Take advantage of time spent indoors and learn a new language from home. Apps like Duolingo make it easy and fun. Or, take a course online from websites like Rosetta Stone or Babbel.
Online Gaming (to treat and prevent dementia!)
While you may not consider yourself a “gamer,” did you know some online games can actually prevent and treat dementia? Specially designed brain-training games like Lumosity or the AARP “Stay Sharp” games are available to anyone online. Interestingly enough, however, even just-for-fun games like Super Mario have been shown to help with memory loss disorders (2)! Why not try a new game today?
Organize Something
Organizing can sound like a chore, but it can also be a fun indoor activity! Find that area of your home that needs some help, play happy music, and you might be surprised how enjoyable it is to clean and organize your space. Being organized also reduces stress, promotes healthier eating, and improves your sleep. (3)
Create a Memoir (or scrapbook or family recipe book)
Make sure your stories, memories, and life lessons can be enjoyed for generations to come. Spend some time creating a memoir for your children and grandchildren. You can make videos of yourself telling them about your life, write it down in a journal, or make a scrapbook. If you aren’t interested in making a memoir, you could also consider putting together your favorite recipes into a family recipe book. Your grandchildren will think of you every time they make your famous cornbread or chocolate chip cookies.
Bowling
Bowling is a fun activity if you want to stay indoors, but still get out of the house. You can enjoy bowling no matter the weather. If you’re a bowling enthusiast, you could even join an amateur bowling league.
Museums
Enrich your mind and expand your horizons right in your own hometown by visiting a local museum. Museums can be a fun way to explore indoors without traveling far or doing too much walking. With their wide-open spaces, museums are also typically wheelchair and walker accessible.
Visit the Mall
The mall is a fun place to get a soft pretzel, do some people-watching, and window shop. You can join your fellow mall-walkers and get some exercise, or just spend an afternoon wandering around. Since malls are temperature controlled, it’s a great place to go no matter the weather.
Spa Day
You can have a spa day either at an actual spa, or just do your own version at home. Take a relaxing bath, give yourself a manicure, and enjoy some soothing music. You could also visit your local indoor pool, hot tub, or sauna for a more inexpensive “spa” experience.
Go to a Movie
See what’s playing near you and go see a movie! Movies are great year-round and a good way to transport yourself to new places. You could also pop some movie theater-style popcorn and have a movie marathon in your living room.
Pottery
Pottery studios abound where you can paint your own ceramic piece, or you could take a pottery class and learn to throw your own vases. Many people find creating pottery to be a very soothing creative experience.
You’ll never be bored with these 21 indoor activities for seniors to enjoy year round! Looking for outdoor activities for spring and summer? Check out this post here.
Author: Isabelle Wright
