Resolve to Have More Fun for a Healthier and Happier New Year

[fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]“Fun is good,” Dr. Seuss “prescribes.” And, it isn’t reserved for the young. Regardless of age, joyful pursuits are what make us feel truly alive, engaged and connected. The world becomes more vibrant and inviting when we give ourselves permission to play.

The importance of play can’t be overstated. That’s true for everybody, but it might be particularly true for seniors. After all, in our later years, many of us become more prone to issues that can affect our health and happiness. So, any activities that can help us restore or prolong our vitality are essential. Having fun is a lot more powerful in that regard than most people probably realize.

In fact, scientific studies continue to show that play and fun activities can have several major benefits:

Improve how your brain works. Playing and having fun—on a regular basis—can help you avoid memory problems and enhance your creativity and mental sharpness
Heal, establish or maintain relationships. Our social lives are incredibly important for our overall well-being. However, a lot of seniors are lonely. In fact, on average, seniors without spouses or partners spend about 10 hours alone each day.1 But fun and play can enable seniors to make new friends or improve existing relationships. After all, things like laughter and friendly competition are known to increase harmony, trust, empathy and intimacy among people who experience them together
Improve your mental and emotional well-being. Engaging in fun and playful activities can expand your optimism, multiply your moments of joy, and reduce your stress. It can even help prevent depression.
Extend your life and improve your physical vitality. Who doesn’t want to feel younger or more energetic? Creating plenty of fun moments in your life can be a good way to boost your immune system, reduce your risk of illness and minimize your perception of any existing pain you might already have.

Fun Activities for Seniors

Most of us would probably say that a passive activity like watching TV is entertaining. But does it really rise to the level of being fun? On its own, maybe not so much (especially if you’re watching alone). That’s why it’s often a good idea to pursue other kinds of activities—the kinds that make you an active participant in something.

Are your existing hobbies still good sources of fun? If so, keep pursuing them and consider inviting some friends—or even your grandkids, if you have them—to join you. Teaching other people about something you have a passion for can be highly enjoyable and rewarding.

Also, did you know that adults over the age of 65 tend to list physical activities as being their favorite pastimes? According to one study, four of the top five activities most commonly cited by seniors as being their favorites included activities like walking and jogging, gardening and yard work, playing sports and other physical pursuits. Other favorite activities included reading, arts and crafts, existing hobbies, games and puzzles, and socializing.2

Here’s the bottom line: You get to decide what’s fun for you. Even if you can’t be as active as you want because of a disability or advancing age, you can still find plenty of opportunities for playing and having fun. Many activities (even physical ones) can be adapted to accommodate your capabilities.

Here is some inspiration gathered by GreatSeniorLiving.com:[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

1. Active Games and Sports

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Golf
Miniature golf
Pool
Shuffleboard
Bocce
Tennis
Badminton
Pickle ball
Croquet

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Ball tossing
Frisbee tossing
Balloon volleyball
Beach ball volleyball
Traditional volleyball
Horseshoes
Lawn bowling
Indoor bowling
Wii Bowling
Curling

2. Dancing, Karaoke, and Performance

Line dancing
Ballroom dancing
Salsa dancing
Swing dancing
Seniors’ karaoke
All-ages karaoke

Acting in a play
Telling jokes to an audience
Reading books to groups of young kids
Writing and acting out skits
Participating in comedic improv
Starting a seniors’ dance troupe

3. Parties and Other Social Gatherings

Casino night
Murder mystery
Trivia night
Mexican Fiesta
Ugly sweaters night
The 1920s, 50s, 60s, etc.
Masquerade ball
Arabian nights

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Mardi Gras
Pirates
Hawaiian luau
Jungle bash
The Oscars
Formal tea
Secret Santa

4. Traditional Games and Puzzles

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Uno
Scrabble
Pictionary
Yahtzee
Bingo
Checkers
Chinese checkers
Dominoes
Monopoly
Chess
Backgammon
Cribbage

Go Fish
Poker
Bridge
Mahjong
Canasta
Rummy
Solitaire
Crazy Eights
Crossword puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles
Word search puzzles

5. Animal Interactions

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]Who can resist the affection and playfulness of cute and cuddly animals? Just like people, they want and need to have fun. Playing with them can be mutually beneficial. Besides, it’s often easy to find animals to play with even if you don’t have any pets. For example, many animal shelters welcome seniors who want to give dogs, cats or other critters some quality attention and playtime.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

6. Gardening, Bird-watching, and Other Outdoor Activities

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Gardening
Bird-watching
Walking
Hiking
Picnics

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Boat rides
Metal detecting
Kite flying
Nature photography

7. Arts and Crafts

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Finger painting
Water coloring
Oil or acrylic painting
Sketching
Pastel drawing
Ceramics
Mosaics
Woodcraft
Polymer clay modeling

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Paper craft
Beading
Knitting
Crocheting
Embroidery
Quilt making
Card making
Jewelry making

8. Active Learning

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Sing or play a musical instrument
Speak a foreign language
Use computers more effectively
Write code
Design websites

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Take professional-quality photos
Write great stories
Cook exotic meals
Decipher hieroglyphs
Perform magic tricks

9. Amusing Excursions

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Theme parks
Carnivals
County fairs
Comedy clubs
Hands-on science museums
Adult arcades

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

Concerts
Sporting events
Plays
Art shows
Wineries
Beer festivals

Make Fun a Top Priority

With so many great activities for seniors to choose from, it would be silly not to play as often as possible. Get back in touch with your child-like qualities and start celebrating them. Having fun is simply too important to ignore.

References

(1) Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, American Time Use Survey, 2017.(2) Geriatric Nursing, “Older adults’ favorite activities are resoundingly active: Findings from the NHATS study,” 2017.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]Click edit button to change this text.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]