Engaging And Fun Things To Do With Elderly Parents

You might now be thinking as your parents are aging: why is it important for us to know what are some things to do with elderly parents.

As I will likely know, as they reach an elderly age, your grandparents gradually become less physically active and and often spend a lot of time on their own causing loneliness.

So as a their child with ‘their grandkid’ we recommend engaging with them in activities to spend quality time with them. And through these activities you will be helping them to become more physically and mentally active as well. You can do this even if they have home care or in a permanent age care facility you can still regularly go to visit them and support their needs.

Doing fun things with your elderly parents, not only make your parents feel good, but it has that mutual exchange where you are rewarded as well: returning the love to them as they brought you up into this world.

And also think about your own children and how you won’t them to spend their time with you when you are elderly.

It is with these thoughts you can help maintain their emotional needs. So, in continuation of that spirit, here are some fun things to do with elderly parents so that they don’t feel isolated.

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Fun Things To Do With Elderly Parents

Elderly parents love to spend their time with their children, be it in the form of various activities or just sitting together on their comfortable lawn chairs and chatting. There are many fun and emotionally engaging activities that you can do with your aging parents. While doing these activities, it is also good to ask them what they would like to do that makes them happy. Considering their physical situation, here are some engaging and fun things to do with elderly parents.

Gardening

Gardening is a great and engaging activity to do with elderly parents. It gives a sense of joy and mindfulness and connects both of you with nature. Most importantly both of you can together enjoy the fresh blossom and garden fresh vegetables.

Gardening is also a great exercise for your elderly parents as it keeps them physically active and helps them strengthen their bones. This is an activity through which they do not need to set aside time for exercise and through gardening they can remain engaged every day. Make sure this gardening activity is comfortable for them, and be there with them for the exhausting part of the gardening. And use the latest home gardening technology to make this activity fun and joyful for them.

This could be something as simple as them sitting near you at the garden bed. You might give them a pot to remove a new plant to put into the garden.

Book Reading

Not every elderly person can do physical activities, sometimes they just want to sit inside and enjoy the company of their child. To make that time more fun, you can start reading books or start a book club with your family members or friends of your elderly parents. You can choose your favorite book or you can ask your elderly parents which book they would like to read.

Additionally, schedule time to read your favorite book. And don’t rush into book reading, read a chapter every day and discuss that chapter later. At the completion of the book discuss what you learn from the book and how it is relevant to life and so many other things. This activity can help keep the elderly mentally active.

Cooking and Baking Together

The next fun things to do with elderly parents are cooking and baking together. Your parents might have cooked delicious meals and baked something tasty for you when you were young.

Now you have grown up and started doing your things on your own. But at this age, if you cook and do baking with your elderly parents, they will feel very happy. Through this, they will be able to connect with you emotionally and they will tell you about their experiences.

When you support them you help them to continue to do what they love and support their independence as well as help them to still provide things they love to do for the family.

You can even try new things and do experiments with old recipes. Along with that, you can also help them out with other kitchen-related work such as cleaning and small-scale kitchen renovation, etc. These activities keep them mentally and emotionally engaged and physically active.

If they need more support at home check out the in-home support they can access.

Outdoor Family Picnic

Picnics are enjoyable whether it is with children or elderly parents. Try to plan an outdoor picnic with the entire family and elderly parents as often as possible. Bring your and your elderly parent’s favorite home-cooked meal or snack, eat it together, play a game, and connect through conversation.

While planning an outdoor picnic, choose a location that is appropriate according to the age of your parents. Also, take a comfortable chair with you on the picnic so that your elderly parents do not face any physical discomfort. This activity helps to rejuvenate you and the elderly by enjoying some outdoor time. Spending time with nature can stimulate their physical and mental senses and help them be active.

Watch Movies Together

Watching a movie together can be fun and entertaining for your elderly parents. Ask your elderly parents what their favorite movies are or go for something classic and entertaining. This activity can spark a new conversation between you and your elderly parents. You can discuss the plot and characters of movies with them.

The other fun thing is that you can also ask them how they are co-relating their lives with that particular movie. This will help them to reminisce about their memories and they can share their past experience with you. And if your elderly parents are not much fan of movies, you can watch numerous documentaries on their favorite topics. With this, you can learn something as well.

Play Board Games Together

The other entertaining and mentally stimulating things to do with your elderly parents is to play board and card games together. These types of games keep them mentally active & healthy and these games can also reduce the risk of mental decline or mental-related diseases.

There are numerous interactive and fun board and card games such as chess, bridge, rummy, scrabble, go-fish, puzzles, etc. You should also include your kids in these games with your elderly parents. Because this will help your kids to learn new skills and it will also sharpen their brain. And most importantly, your elderly parents can spend fun and entertaining time with their grandkids.

Talk and Reminisce the Old Memories

It is not necessary to do numerous activities just to engage with your elderly parents. If you and your elderly parent do not want to do any activities, you can just talk. You can comfortably sit outside in the garden or the backyard, sipping coffee, discussing each other’s daily routines, and knowledge-laden matters, or even refresh old memories of your life.

You can ask about their life, you can listen to their experiences and life stories. Or you can share your experiences or what’s going on in your life with them. Along with that, you can also ask their opinion while taking any work or life-related decisions. These small things help in maintaining their emotional quotient or keep them positive.

Conclusion

In conclusion, spending quality time with elderly parents is important as it not only makes them feel loved and cared for but also helps them maintain their emotional and mental well-being. By engaging in fun activities with them, we can create happy memories, strengthen our family bonds, and learn from their experiences. There are numerous things to do with elderly parents such as gardening, reading books together, cooking and baking together, playing board games, and just talking, etc.

Therefore, try to take out some time from your busy life for your elderly parents even if they have home care services. Your little time can make them soothe, joyful, and comfortable So, let’s make an effort to spend more time with them and create beautiful moments that will be cherished forever.