Even though your loved one is getting older, that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy the warmer weather too. There are numerous activities seniors are able to do outside, even those with mobile or hearing impairments. Check out the list we put together below and figure out which activity to do next with your loved one!
Outdoor Activities for Seniors:
- Outdoor Chair Yoga or Exercise Class – If your senior is able, an exercise class will help boost mood, circulation, and overall health. An example of a low-impact exercise is chair yoga, which is yoga done while seated in a chair that can also improve balance and reduce stress.
- Swimming – Swimming is easy on the joints and a great activity for seniors with limited mobility. Some other benefits of swimming are improvement of cardiovascular health, muscle strength, and flexibility. Many pools also have a handicap chair and a shallow end that seniors may use to enjoy the pool safely.
- Enjoying Nature/Gardening – Getting outside and enjoying nature can come in many forms. Gardening has positive-aging benefits like encouraging feelings of well-being and promoting physical activity. Gardening can also be done sitting down with countertop containers that fit in one’s lap. For those without a green thumb, enjoying nature can also include taking a gentle walk on a nice day or sitting outside and enjoying the breeze in the sun or shade.
- Listening to Music & Dancing – For seniors with hearing loss, listening to music at higher volumes outdoors (especially live), can be a wonderful way for them to reminisce about songs from their youth. They may even feel encouraged enough to sing along and dance to songs they know!
- Lawn Games – There are a variety of lawn games that your loved one may enjoy participating in. Depending on which games you have, some examples of outdoor lawn games for seniors with low mobility are cornhole/bean bag toss, horseshoes, shuffleboard, bocce ball, and ring toss.
- Picnicking/Tea Party – A fun idea to elevate a meal with your senior is to bring it outside! Choose a healthy and balanced meal to eat and a relaxing place to enjoy the weather. If you want to take things a step further, having a tea party is a great excuse to dress up and drink some delicious tea (a healthy drink for your senior) among finger sandwiches and small desserts.
- Outdoor Arts & Crafts – Art has been shown to benefit older adults by reigniting creativity, improving memory, and through group-based activities have the ability to foster social connection. Doing arts and crafts outside will give seniors the benefit of natural inspiration and is a great way for them to express themselves!
- Board Games Outdoors – There are many board games that are simple activities to enjoy outside, like checkers, chess, card games, and puzzles. For seniors with more limited vision, buying giant versions of these games to play on a lawn (like giant-sized dominos) or getting large print card games that are easier to see can be a good idea.
- Reading Books/Listening to Audiobooks Outdoors – Sometimes, just sitting outside with a good book is all your senior might need to enjoy themself. While reading may work for seniors with hearing impairments, some alternatives for those with vision limitations are audiobooks or podcasts, which can be especially nice to listen to while immersed in nature.
Find even more healthy habits here!
We encourage you to pick your favorite activity from above and enjoy the outdoors with your loved one these upcoming warmer months!