Stay Entertained at Home with Crafts, Games, Activities, and More

Have fun at home with a variety of activities

Whether it’s due to extreme weather or higher levels of flu, RSV, or Covid-19 in the community, sometimes it’s necessary to spend more time at home.

And for many, including those who have limited mobility or other chronic conditions, staying home is a way of life.

To keep from getting bored, restless, or agitated, we share 9 ways to have fun while staying indoors.

You’ll find dozens of suggestions for games and puzzles, books, radio shows, and podcasts, music, cooking shows, crafts, documenting life stories, senior-friendly exercise, and free online learning.

1. Have fun with crafts and hobbies

Coloring

Coloring is an activity that can be adapted for any level. Plus, there are hundreds of free printables available online. 

We share some top free printables in this article – Free Coloring Pages for Seniors: Our Top 5 Picks.

We also love these fine art coloring books. Or, you can explore a wide variety of coloring books for adults available for purchase here on Amazon.

Origami

This art form is fun and adaptable to any skill level. Learn to fold origami flowers, boxes, airplanes, ninja stars, and other projects in these free tutorials from The Spruce Crafts.

Indoor gardening

Bringing a bit of nature inside is a fun project. A simple way to try your hand at indoor gardening is to save your veggie scraps and regrow them.

This guide from Rural Sprout shares tips for regrowing 20 types of vegetables and herbs.

It’s fun to watch new leaves sprout and a nice way to ensure that you have some fresh greens and herbs on hand.

 

2. Play fun games and puzzles

DIY bean bag toss

The bean bag toss game is so simple, yet so entertaining! 

Make your own with this DIY version that uses a cardboard box for the board. And instead of that tutorial’s sewn bean bags, make these easy no-sew bean bags.

Or don’t bother making the bean bags at all. Use anything around the house that’s small and non-bouncy for the bean bag (so it will stay put after it’s thrown).

Create multiple holes to increase the challenge. And if keeping score would make things more exciting, mark the holes with numbers.

Jigsaw puzzles

Find jigsaw puzzles that are right for your older adult’s cognitive or physical ability level – Jigsaw Puzzles for Seniors at All Ability Levels

Crossword puzzles

These large print crossword puzzles are fun and easy on the eyes – Free Crosswords for Seniors: Large Print Puzzles

Or, buy a book of crosswords so you can choose the level of difficulty or theme – browse these options.

Sudoku

These puzzles that use numbers as placeholders are surprisingly addictive – Free Printable Sudoku Puzzles for Seniors

Classic games

These nostalgic games haven’t gone out of style:

• Checkers – try this large size soft board with easy-grip pieces and tic-tac-toe on the back or this 3 in 1 game set that includes checkers, chess, and backgammon.
• Bingo – try this 9-inch metal cage home bingo set or this 8-inch metal cage set. You could also play right away for free with a free online bingo caller and printing your own bingo cards (choose “one numeric bingo card per page” for the largest size).
• Connect Four – this is a vertical tic-tac-toe game that’s fun for all ages.
• Yahtzee – a fun dice game that keeps the brain sharp. You could also play for free by following the official game rules (PDF), using dice you have at home, and printing your own score sheets (PDF).
• Card games – all you need is a deck of cards! Here are instructions for a variety of card games, in order from easiest to most challenging:

• • 21 or Blackjack
  • War (2 min video explanation)
  • Go Fish
  • Crazy Eights
  • Gin Rummy

3. Listen to or document life stories

Hearing or recording someone’s life stories is a meaningful and rewarding activity to enjoy together.

Ask open-ended questions about their life and simply listen, record the answers with your smartphone, or write down their responses. Or, they could even write some memoirs of their own.

StoryCorps is an organization that collects and shares stories. They share a list of great questions to ask.

The Legacy Project also shares a huge list of life interview questions to keep the conversation flowing.

 

4. Listen to books, radio shows, and podcasts

Read aloud

Hearing the newspaper, books, magazines, or even old letters read aloud is an enjoyable pastime for many older adults. 

Find things that capture their interest, but aren’t too complex to follow.

Listen to audiobooks

Audiobooks (books on tape) allow your older adult to listen to almost any book they like. 

Borrow them from the local library, buy them from a retailer, use the free National Library Service home delivery, or find them online for free with Libby or Librivox.

Listen to sports

Sports fans may enjoy listening to re-broadcasted sports games on the radio.

Listen to radio shows

Some older adults may enjoy listening to radio talk shows, spiritual broadcasts, science talks, and other such programs. 

Many radio stations even make these programs available online for free.

Listen to podcasts

Explore the world of podcasts with this list of best podcasts across a wide range of subjects from Wired Magazine.

Podcasts are like radio shows that cover almost any topic you could imagine and are available for free online.

 

5. Enjoy music

• Play their favorite songs or albums, especially music from their youth. You can even use their favorite songs as a fun way to help them reminisce over fond memories.
• Encourage them to sing along to songs they know.
• Tune the radio to a station that plays the type of music they like.
• Listen with a streaming music service like Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Pandora. They’re free, if you listen to ads.

 

6. Watch cooking shows

Even if you don’t plan on doing a lot of cooking, there’s something so fun and relaxing about watching someone else cook.

Along with the many cooking shows you’ll find on network and cable TV, we love these excellent free YouTube channels:

• Food Network – top TV chefs like Ina Garten, Guy Fieri, Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, and more.
• Epicurious – amazing videos aimed towards the home chef.
• Bon Appetit – expert chefs and delicious recipes from a leader in the food industry.
• America’s Test Kitchen – highly qualified cooks perform thousands of cooking tests every year to develop the best recipes and cooking techniques.
• Food Wishes – Chef John shares his fun-to-make and easy-to-follow recipes.
• Everyday Food – the Martha Stewart Living food editors share videos with easy recipes and time-saving cooking techniques.

 

7. Stay active with senior-friendly exercise

Exercise is a great way to help seniors maintain strength and balance as well as stay active and boost mood and the immune system.

Our top senior-friendly exercise routines:

• Chair Yoga for Seniors: Reduce Pain and Improve Health
• 3 Easy Tai Chi Videos for Seniors Prevent Falls, Improve Balance and Strength
• Head to Toe Gentle Seated Chair Exercises for Seniors Improve Range of Motion
• 12 Easy and Gentle Seated Stretching Exercises for Seniors in 4 Minutes
• Seated Tai Chi for Seniors: 3 Simple Routines Improve Flexibility and Well-being
• Easy & Effective 10 Minute Chair Exercises for Seniors
• Home Dementia Exercise Program Increases Abilities and Improves Symptoms

We’ve also got dozens more senior-friendly exercise suggestions here.

 

8. Learn something fun and interesting

For those who love to learn, there are many free, high-quality courses available online.

Our top picks:

• The Science of Well-Being – from Yale University on Coursera, popularly known as the “Yale Happiness Course”
• A wide range of courses in culture from Harvard University
• Explore a large selection of courses from Khan Academy – it’s free, just create an account
• Watch Bob Ross’ soothing painting lessons free on Twitch

 

9. Try relaxation techniques

We could all use a little more relaxation in our lives.

Try these free techniques to relax body and mind:

• Do Nothing for 2 Minutes – just listen to the relaxing waves
• Free guided meditations – browse a variety of free meditations

 

Recommended for you:

• Entertaining Seniors at Home: Watch Free Live Nature Cameras
• 9 Engaging Activities for Low Vision Seniors with Alzheimer’s or Dementia
• Virtual Experiences at Home: Animals, Music, Art, World Travel, Museums, Theme Parks

 

By DailyCaring Editorial Team

 

This article wasn’t sponsored, but does contain affiliate links. We never link to products or services for the sole purpose of making a commission. Recommendations are based on our honest opinions. For more information, see How We Make Money.

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