Good activities for elderly parents mix three kinds: things you do together (cooking a family recipe, cards, a short outing), things you share at a distance (the same crossword on a call), and things they enjoy alone between visits (a morning puzzle, a walk, a club). Start with what your parent already likes, not with a new plan.
The aim is not to fill every hour. It is to give the week a few things to look forward to, and to make the time you spend together feel easy rather than effortful.
First, Ask What They Would Enjoy
Many families plan activities for a parent without asking. A few relaxed questions over coffee usually work better:
- "What do you miss doing?"
- "Is there anywhere you would like to go again?"
- "What would you do with a free afternoon if someone drove you?"
- "Is there something you have always meant to sort out or make?"
Then offer choices. "Shall we do the garden or the photos on Saturday?" lets your parent decide without having to invent something.
Things to Do Together at Home
These need little planning and suit most energy levels.
- Cook a family recipe. Ask them to teach you the dish they are known for. Write it down as you go.
- Sort photos. Pick one box or one decade and put the best ones into an album, with names and dates on the back.
- Play cards or a board game they know. Gin rummy, dominoes, cribbage, Scrabble.
- Do a puzzle side by side. A jigsaw on a tray, or a crossword read aloud over coffee.
- Garden. Pot bulbs, deadhead roses, plant herbs on the windowsill.
- Watch an old film and talk about it. Ask where they first saw it and who they went with.
- Fix or make something. A wobbly shelf, a bird box, a scarf.
- Listen to music from their youth. Ask them to pick the songs and tell you why.
Making the Most of Visits
Visits often get swallowed by errands. A simple shape helps:
- Arrive with one shared activity. A new puzzle, a recipe, photos on your phone, a walk you have in mind.
- Do one practical job they want done. Not the one you think needs doing.
- Leave something for later. A printed puzzle, a list of questions for next time, a photo to frame.
If your parent lives in a care home, our guide to activities when visiting a parent in a care home has ideas that work in a shared lounge or a small room.
Bringing the Grandchildren
Short, structured activities keep everyone happy: a card game, baking, a "teach me how you used to" session or a walk to feed the ducks. See our list of games for grandparents and grandchildren for ideas that work across ages.
Activities for Phone and Video Calls
A regular call at a fixed time is easier to keep than occasional long ones. Giving each call a small activity also makes them less about "How are you feeling?"
- The same puzzle. Print the same word search or crossword for both of you and compare answers.
- Question of the week. "What was your first car?" "Who was your best friend at school?" Write the answers down; they add up to a family history.
- Cook together on video. Prop the phone up and follow their recipe in your own kitchen.
- Read aloud. A chapter of a book, a newspaper article, a letter from an old friend.
- Show and tell. A grandchild's drawing, a garden photo, a new song learned on the piano.
For more on keeping in touch from far away, see our long-distance caregiving tips.
Easy Outings
Pick places that are familiar, quiet at the time you go and have seats and restrooms.
- A garden center or nursery, with coffee afterwards.
- A drive past their old house, school or workplace.
- A morning matinee at the cinema, often cheaper and quieter.
- A farmers' market, museum or library talk.
- A picnic in a park with a bench nearby.
- A church service, concert or choir they used to attend.
Keep outings to an hour or two and plan a rest afterwards. If walking is difficult, a scenic drive with a stop for tea is still an outing. Our guide to activities for seniors with limited mobility has more seated ideas.
Things They Can Enjoy Alone
The days between visits matter just as much. Help your parent set up a few solo activities that fit into their day:
- A morning puzzle with breakfast.
- A daily walk on a regular route, ideally passing a neighbor or a shop.
- A radio program or podcast at the same time each day.
- A hobby with progress to see, like knitting, painting, model making or a garden bed.
- A weekly club or class, such as a choir, a bridge club, a walking group or a library talk.
- Writing a page a week about their life, for the family.
Our guide to activities for seniors living alone has 30 more ideas, with tips on routines and check-ins.
Matching Activities to Energy
Energy often changes through the day and from week to week. A quick rule of thumb:
| Energy | Good choices |
|---|---|
| High | Outings, gardening, cooking together, a new class |
| Medium | Card games, puzzles, photo sorting, a short walk |
| Low | Music, an old film, a video call, being read to |
On a low day, simply sitting together with a cup of tea is a perfectly good activity.
Printable Activity Ideas
Our free printable worksheets are large print with answers, and work well for calls and visits:
- Large-Print Word Search: In the Garden, In the Kitchen and A Day at the Seaside, good for doing "together apart" on a call.
- Word Scramble and Finish the Saying for word lovers.
- What Comes Next? Number Sequences and Everyday Math: At the Store for a parent who liked numbers.
- Odd One Out and Spot the 5 Differences for a relaxed few minutes.
- Memory List: Study, Fold, Recall and Connect the Numbers 1 to 25 as a light morning puzzle.
Print-it-yourself ideas:
- A "this week" calendar page: visits, calls, clubs and outings in big boxes on the fridge, so they have something to look forward to.
- A photo memory card: one photo on a card with a question on the back, such as "Where was this?", to talk about on the next call.
- A recipe card to fill in: a card for each family dish, filled in together until you have a little book.
SilverMind, Our App
We make SilverMind, an iPhone and iPad app of 28 calm exercises for older adults. It uses big text in the Atkinson Hyperlegible typeface and big buttons, has no ads, and many exercises have no clock. It suggests three short exercises a day, about six minutes, which can be a nice solo habit with morning coffee. Parents who like words or the past often enjoy Mini Crossword, Word Wheel, Story Recall and Memory Lane, a quiz about songs, films and everyday life from the 1950s to the 1990s that makes a good conversation starter on a call. It comes in 14 languages and also runs in a web browser at silvermind.app/play. SilverMind Premium gives access to all the exercises and starts with a 7-day free trial.
It is one pastime among many, and nothing replaces your company.
Keep an Eye on Changes
If your parent stops enjoying things they used to love, seems confused, withdrawn or low, or is struggling with everyday tasks, raise it gently and suggest a visit to their doctor. Changes like these have many possible causes, and some can be treated.
The Bottom Line
The best activities for elderly parents are the ones they choose. Bring one shared activity to each visit, give each call a small game or question, plan short outings to familiar places, and help them set up a few things they enjoy alone. A predictable week with a few bright spots is worth more than a packed calendar.
Research & References
- Loneliness and Social Isolation: Tips for Staying Connected - National Institute on Aging
- Cognitive Health and Older Adults - National Institute on Aging
- Daily Living - Alzheimer's Society
