In the colder months of winter, it can be difficult to find ways to occupy your time. This is especially true for seniors that are often confined to their homes or a nursing home.
While their living situation and the inclement weather may be inconvenient, seniors can find activities to occupy their time. Keep reading for 8 of the best winter activities for seniors.
1. Have a “Paint Night”
Paint nights are a great way for seniors to spend time together without having to leave the building.
Seniors can get together for this social event to paint as a group as the host instructs them in what to paint. Seniors can spice up the night by pairing their paintings with their favorite bottle of wine.
As they pass the time painting, drinking, and chatting, it will be easy to forget that it’s even winter outside during, making this one of the best winter activities for seniors.
If alcoholic beverages aren’t an option, snacks and beverages are an excellent alternative. Whether it’s cookies and milk or lemonade and pizza, this paint night is a great way to bring friends and family together with their elderly loved ones.
2. Make Holiday Cards
Seniors that love crafting will find that wintertime is the perfect weather to dig into their favorite hobby.
As the start of the holiday season rolls in, what better craft activity than to make holiday cards?
Whether seniors get together with their friends or they sit alongside grandchildren to start crafting these cards, this special time is one guaranteed way to get into the holiday spirit.
Spending time making these cards may encourage the seniors to keep the holiday crafting going. Once the cards are completed, another great way to spend this time is to make DIY gifts for their loved ones.
These homemade gifts are sure to bring some holiday cheer to friends and family of these seniors.
3. Learning Something New
Who says downtime during the winter should be spent warming one’s self by the fire or cuddled in bed? Now is as good a time as any to start learning a new skill.
This is an especially good idea for seniors, as learning something new helps to keep senior minds active. That makes this not only a fun but functional addition to our list of winter activities for seniors.
As the winter weather isn’t conducive to spending much time outside, these colder months offer an excellent opportunity for seniors to stay in and learn.
Whether they learn through online courses or they spend time reading books and working on projects together, seniors will find that time spent learning helps to keep them productive and alert.
4. Go on a Bus Tour
Regardless of how many years one has lived in their city, there are still secret spots that are waiting to be uncovered. On one of the warmer winter days, seniors can go on a bus tour of their city.
These tours make it easy to see the city from the comfort of the bus, which is preferable since the weather outside will likely be rather cold. In addition to getting to see a new side of their city, going on a bus tour gives seniors a chance to see the beautiful holiday displays.
As the seniors enjoy the bus tour together, they get the chance to bond with their friends as they spend time seeing new sights.
Even if they don’t spend that much time outside of the bus, getting the chance to break out of the same daily routine will likely be enough to brighten their spirits.
5. Make a Meal Together
Loved ones of seniors that are looking for a way to spend time with their loved ones should consider making a meal with them.
Cooking together is an especially welcome idea during these colder months as this bonding time doesn’t require anyone to leave the house. Once the meal has been decided on, it’s time to start your cook-off with your loved one.
As you start making the meal, try to evenly divvy up tasks between each participant. To really make this a family affair, invite cousins, grandchildren, and anyone else around the house to give a helping hand.
Once the food is ready, everyone can keep the bonding experience going by enjoying the delicious food together.
6. Spend Time Exercising
Want to warm up this winter? Invite your senior loved ones to start exercising with you. Whether you venture out to the gym or do some workouts from the comfort of your own home, fitting in fitness into both of your routines is a great way to spend time together and ensure both of you stay healthy.
During the winter, it’s too easy to want to stay indoors while the weather is uncomfortably cold outside. As we need to remain physically fit whatever the season may be, exercising is one of the best winter activities for seniors.
7. Video Chat with Loved Ones
During the long winter days, it can feel like there isn’t anything exciting to do. With the sun playing hide and seek and the temperature too cold to go outside, it’s easy for anyone to start feeling depressed.
Seniors that find themselves feeling this way can combat these winter blues by calling or video chatting their family.
Seniors with access to a smartphone, laptop, or tablet can easily FaceTime or Skype their loved ones from wherever they may be.
If your elderly loved one isn’t sure how to use this technology, make it a point to show them so they can easily reach out whenever they want to.
8. Volunteer at Local Charities
Even with the winter weather going strong, seniors that are able to get out of the house may find volunteering to be an exciting way to spend time.
From serving soup to the homeless to spending days at animal shelters with cats and dogs, volunteering in the community is an excellent way to spend the warmer days in winter.
Seniors that grow fond of volunteering will find that the consistent schedule gives them something to look forward to during the week, instead of staying indoors, waiting for the weather to improve.
Though the winter may keep seniors indoors, there’s no reason to save all the fun activities for other seasons. Let these suggestions inspire you and your elderly loved ones to get together and have fun, whatever the weather may be.