Activities for seniors at home and out
Step-by-step ideas with materials lists, large-print options and ways to make each activity easier or harder. Every guide says where its advice comes from, and none of them promise health effects.
Activities for Seniors at Home: 25 Practical Ideas
Twenty-five things an older adult can do at home, each with a materials list, numbered steps, a cost label, a low-vision option and ways to make it easier or harder.
Activities for People Living With Dementia
Everyday activities for a person living with dementia, drawn from National Institute on Aging and Alzheimer's Association guidance: how to adapt them by stage, eight ideas with steps, safety, and when to stop.
Bingo for Seniors: How to Play + Printable Large-Print Cards
How 75-ball bingo works, how to run a game at a kitchen table or in a group, large-print and low-vision adjustments, four variations, and free printable large-print cards with a caller sheet.
Birdwatching for Seniors: Feeders, Binoculars and Bird ID
How to set up window birdwatching for an older adult: feeder types and seeds, where to hang a feeder so birds do not hit the glass, keeping feeders clean, identifying birds by sight or sound, reading binocular numbers, and joining a bird count from home.
Activities a Companion Caregiver Can Help With
Eight practical activities a companion caregiver can share with an older adult, each with materials, numbered steps, cost and low-vision options, plus where companionship ends under federal rules.
Crafts for Seniors: Simple Projects With Materials Lists
Seven simple craft projects for older adults, each with a materials list, numbered steps, a cost label, low-vision tips and ways to make it easier or harder, plus how to set up a safe craft table.
Easy Games for Seniors: Card, Board, Word and Group Games
Card games with the actual rules, board-game and word-game ideas that need no special set, seated group games, and how to adapt each for low vision, stiff hands or a shorter attention span.
Gardening for Seniors: Raised Beds, Containers and Indoor Plants
How to size a raised bed for a chair or wheelchair, which crops fit which pot, how much light windowsill herbs need, and the heat, soil and plant-safety points to cover, with four step-by-step garden projects.
Hobbies for Seniors With Limited Mobility
Ten hobbies that can be done from a chair, bed or wheelchair, from container gardening and audiobook clubs to memoir by dictation, with materials, steps and adaptations for hands and eyesight.
Memory Books for Seniors: Scrapbooks, Photo Albums and Life Stories
Four memory book projects to make with an older relative: a captioned photo album, a scrapbook by chapters, a recorded life story and a scanned digital copy, with Library of Congress and National Archives advice on photo-safe materials and backups.
Music Activities for Seniors: Sing-Alongs, Instruments and Listening
Six music activities for older adults, from a themed listening hour and a large-print sing-along to a first instrument and a rhythm circle, with materials, steps, volume safety and the free Library of Congress music service for people who cannot read standard print.
Painting for Seniors: Easy Watercolor and Paint-by-Number Projects
Four painting projects for older adults, from a loose watercolor wash to a paint-by-number canvas, with materials, numbered steps, low-vision changes, how to read art-material safety labels, and how to choose a kit.
Puzzles for Seniors: Jigsaws, Crosswords and Sudoku
How to pick and set up jigsaw puzzles, crosswords and sudoku for an older adult: piece counts and sorting, clue strategies, sudoku rules with smaller starter grids, large-print checks, and what federal agencies say about brain-training claims.
Reading for Seniors: Large Print, Audiobooks and E-Readers
How to keep reading when eyesight, hands or energy change: what counts as large print, how the free Library of Congress talking-book program works step by step, what to look for in an e-reader, and four reading activities to share.
When you want a hand
Many of these ideas are easier with a regular visitor. companion care, dementia care and mobility assistance explain what a caregiver can help with, and you can find caregivers near you or read how to hire a private caregiver.
More for everyday life at home
- Product guides for seniors: Walkers and rollators, easy-to-use phones, large-print games and gifts, with what to compare.
- Services and resources for seniors: Transportation, meal delivery and senior centers: who runs them, what they cost and how to find them.
- All guides