Category: Tips and Tricks

Many seniors think that they can’t learn a new skill, but that’s not true at all. I’ve investigated this topic thoroughly and wrote many articles about it to disprove this apparently common thought. Research has even shown that learning new skills at an older age for six weeks can even make your brain perform 30 years younger.

Well, now that you’re more informed you might be interested in learning a new skill. And that is why I’ve made a list of 25 easy-to-learn new skills for seniors that you can start today! Because when you’ve got the hang of it you might never want to stop!

1) How To Say Hello In Different Languages

Learning a new language is on many people’s bucket lists. It’s fun to know a couple of words in another language, but it takes a lot of time, practice, and effort to speak and write in a new language.

But there is another language skill you can learn as a senior that doesn’t take months to master, but you can learn today. And that is to say hello in different languages. You never know who you might meet tomorrow in your home town or on your next travel adventure, so wouldn’t it be fun and surprising when you can say hello to them in their own language. It will definitely be a nice conversation starter. And creates many opportunities for you to meet other people of different cultures. I’ve experienced for myself that only a ‘hello’ can roll out into being invited to someone’s home, wedding, or meeting their family. And these spontaneous meetings are the most treasured travel memories I have.

If you’re wondering if you can learn a new language as a senior read my article: Can Seniors Learn A New Language?.

2) How To Cook Like Gordon Ramsay

Another fun skill to master is the art of cooking. Whether you’re a great cook or a beginner there is always something new to learn within cooking. From making the perfect omelet, creating a new signature dish, or refreshing an old famous recipe. Knowing how to cook makes life fun and delicious. Not only for yourself or your spouse but also for your family and friends.

When you love to get better at cooking there is an amazing online video learning platform that is called: Masterclass. No matter your skill level you can learn from the best chefs in the world: Gordon Ramsay, Aaron Franklin, Thomas Keller, Massimo Bottura, Alice Waters, and many others greatest. At your own pace, time, and device. And with one subscription, you have access to all 100+ masterclasses on the platform for an entire year. It’s definitely worth your time to check it out.

3) How To Make An Origami Crane

Do you like to get creative? Then learning how to make an origami flower is a fun creative skill you can master today. And I wish of yours might become true… Let me explain that last part.

Origami is Japanese recreational art that is centuries old. The word origami combines “ori” (to fold in Japanese) and “kami” (paper in Japanese). Making an origami crane symbolizes hope and healing in difficult times and the Japanese believe that if a person folds 1000 origami cranes, one wish would become true. So it takes 1000 cranes, but you never know 😉

Besides the traditional meaning behind origami, making origami animals or flowers also helps to develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, which are important skills to maintain independence as a senior.

4) How To Learn Your Pet A New Trick

Do you have a cat or a dog? Then it’s fun to learn them a new trick.

You don’t have to be a dog trainer or attend a class to gain the skills to train your dog. There are many fun YouTube videos out there that can teach you many tricks. For both cats and dogs and maybe even another pet you have. It makes the bond between you and your pet a lot stronger, and the more tricks you learn the easier it will be for you both to learn new tricks in the future.

I’ve written an entire article about the effect of having pets when you’re older. You can it out: 10 Scientific Based Facts How Pets Help Old People.

5) How To Tell A Great Story

Storytelling is a skill that can be very powerful. It’s a great tool to influence, teach and inspire others. The difference between telling a story and telling a great story is that you both share information, but with telling a great story you make an emotional connection and make the information you share more memorable.

So whether you like to tell bedtime stories to your grandchildren, you have a business where you need to persuade customers or you like to inspire others with your wisdom and life experience, the skill to tell great stories is always very useful. But where do you learn this skill?

Earlier in this article, I mentioned Masterclass: the education video streaming platform where you have can follow masterclasses from the world’s greatest. The awesome part about Masterclass is that you have access to all 100+ different classes including amazing storytelling classes from LeVar Burton, Neil Gaiman, Walter Mosley, David Sedaris, Joyce Carol Oates, Salman Rushdie, etc.

As a senior, you like to be in charge of your own schedule, and that is why Masterclass works perfectly because you can learn at your own pace, time, and place. Make sure to check out the website where you can watch class trailers, samples and browse through lesson plans.

6) How To Love Cold Showers

I know you think, why do I want to love cold showers? And is it a skill?

Well, yes it’s a skill to take a shower and not feel shocked or have the feeling you want to get out as soon as possible. And you want to take cold showers because it has an amazing effect on your immune system according to Wim Hof. If you’re not convinced make sure to check out the video below or visit WimHofmethod.com

7) How To Paint Like Bob Ross

Knowing how to paint is a skill many people like to master. And we’ve all seen Bob Ross on TV that made painting look so easy, and wondered if we’re able to do that too. Well, why not try it out. You don’t know if you never try, right? Know the only thing you need to do is to get a painting starter kit and watch this video below.

Painting has many benefits. Finishing a piece of art is a great confidence booster. And focusing on creating art reduces feelings of stress and anxiety. And painting forces you to use both sides of the brain: the creative right part and the more logical left part. And using both sides simultaneously improves cognitive brain functions which will only benefit you in the present moment and future.

8) How To Play A Song On The Piano

Do you have a piano at home, but you’re not able to play it. Well, dust it off because you can learn to play a song on the piano today by watching the video below.

9) How To Build A Fire

Knowing how to build a fire and surviving in the wild is an awesome skill to master. Not that you’re going on a wilderness adventure anytime soon, but having the skills is already an adventure on its own.

The Masterclass of Jessie Krebs is amazing to watch when you want to learn more about surviving in the wild, from building a fire, a shelter to navigation techniques and water 101. Check out the trailer and lesson plan.

10) How To Fold Towels Into Animals

Have you ever been on a Carnival Cruise? Well, if you have you know what I’m talking about. But if you haven’t let me inform you about something cool. Every day when housekeeping cleaned your cabin they would leave an animal (folded towel) on your bed. And some of these animals were the most creative pieces of art. And this too is a fun new skill to learn easily today. Especially when you have many guests staying over. You can surprise your grandchildren or guests with folded towel art. I myself have this book: Carnival Towel Creations. Or you can watch this video below.

11) How To Make Latte Art

Do you like to drink coffee? Then learning how to make latte art is a fun skill to learn. You can surprise your spouse tomorrow with heart-shaped coffee created with a Coffee Steaming Pitcher.

12) How To Perform A Magic Trick

A lot of magic tricks need hours or months of practice, but there are magic tricks out there that anyone can learn in a couple of minutes. A great skill for parties and social gatherings.

When you’ve signup for Masterclass you can watch the class of the famous magic act duo Penn & Teller who will teach you more about the art of magic.

13) How To Solve A Rubik’s Cube

Solving a Rubik’s cube doesn’t have to be moving the pieces around aimlessly for hours on end. The cube has a formula or algorithm and once you know the trick you’ve got the skill to solve a Rubik’s cube fast and easy. It will for sure impress a lot of people.

14) How To Juggle

Another fun new skill to learn is juggling. Did you know it also benefits you as a senior in many ways?

For starters, it’s a low-impact physical exercise that strengthens your arms. But juggling also improves hand-eye coordination, balance, fine-motor skills, and relieves stress. This makes your life healthier and happier. So why not start learning today?

15) How To Do The Moonwalk

The moonwalk is probably one of the most iconic dance moves of all time. The ones that are great at the moonwalk make it look so effortless. But you don’t have to be a professional dancer to be able to do the moonwalk, so clear out your living room or bedroom and start practicing.

16) How To Repair A Leaking Sink

Having the skills of a handyman can save you a lot of money, but it also can make your life more comfortable, efficient and increases your home value when you do it the right way. So if you haven’t started with learning how to do basic home repairs, today is probably a good day. And knowing how to repair a leaking sink is a great skill to master. Not only for your own home, but you can help out your elderly neighbor, kids, and other family members.

And if you don’t want to become the family’s new handyman, just keep this skill for yourself. It will be a secret between us.

https://youtu.be/Q5le2ZFCQjM

17) How To Meditate

Knowing how to meditate makes your life instantly more peaceful and calm. It’s not quite a skill that you learn once and you’re set for the rest of your life. Although the experience can have you hooked. It’s a practice that you want to keep doing on a regular basis to experience more inner peace throughout your day, week, month and years ahead. When you do it often, you’ll get better at it but each meditation session is an experience on its own. Sometimes it’s harder, sometimes it’s easier. Accepting this is part of the mediation skill.

If you don’t know what meditation is let me explain it to you. It’s a breathing technique that makes it possible for you to slow down your thoughts and create distance between your thoughts and yourself. This distance allows you to see thoughts as thoughts, and see feelings as feelings. You are not your thoughts or feelings, but you experience thoughts and feelings just like any other human. The distance gives you the conscious choice not to engage with them. This brings you a more sense of calm, peace, and balance and that benefits your entire well-being. It eases your mind no matter the circumstances.

You need to experience it and only then you can understand the power of it. And the best man for that job is Jon Kabat-Zinn in his Meditation and Mindfulness Masterclass.

18) How To Yoga

Yoga is a low-impact physical exercise with the aim to bring harmony between mind and body. Often meditation and yoga go hand in hand. When you’re a more active senior, yoga is a great mindfulness activity that can have the same result as meditation. There are different types of yoga and depending on your physical athleticism, you can try out different ones as a senior. The general rule is that the more slow and gentle forms of yoga are best for seniors.

Once you know a couple of yoga poses you can do them whenever and wherever you are. In the morning when you wake up, at the beach or together with your friends. You don’t have to be in a yoga class to do yoga.

19) How To Remove A Red Wine Stain

Do you love to drink a nice glass of red wine, but you don’t want to anymore because you don’t want the stain. Then it’s time to learn how to remove a red wine stain.

20) How To Take Better Photos

Taking photos is so easy these days. The quality of the lenses of smartphones keeps getting better every year, but there is a lot more to it to take better photos. It’s knowing how to adjust camera settings, composition, finding the right perspective, playing with lighting, experiment with exposure, etc that can help you from taking average photos to amazing photos. Perhaps you take such good photos that you want to use it for wall art.

21) How To Draw A Mandala

Many different cultures around the world use mandalas in a spiritual way. Drawing a mandala isn’t just about drawing it’s much more than that. The shape of the mandala symbolizes the universe and drawing a mandala is helpful for insight into yourself, healing, and is believed to be the truest form of self-expression. And once you have the basic steps to draw a mandala you can start creating your own unique mandalas by experimenting with new designs and colors. It’s also a very mindful activity that can calm you down and ease your mind. So whenever you feel stressed you can always draw a mandala.

22) Learn To Not Care

Often we care so much about what other people think of us it influences our life on a daily basis. In what we wear, eat, do, where we work, live, etc. For the last decade, social media has played a major part in that. Life would be so much more fun and easy if we care a little less. Perhaps then you have the guts to pursue your bucket list dream or start the weird hobby you’re interested in. No wonder that this book: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*CK: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life is such a bestseller. Everyone wants to care a little less to create more happiness in their daily lives.

23) Learn Yoyo Tricks

Revisit your childhood where yoyoing was still a thing and cool and learn some new tricks.

24) Learn To Eat With Chopsticks

Have you ever visited an Asian country or restaurant and were amazed about how people ate with chopsticks. Well, why not learn how to eat with chopsticks today? Next time you eat at your favorite Thai restaurant you will impress some people with your new skills.

25) Learn To Be Alone

Saving the best for last. A very important skill to learn as a senior is learning to be alone and being comfortable with it. Many seniors feel lonely and that makes you feel miserable. But there is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Loving to be alone is one of the best skills you can learn because you’re the only person that needs to live with yourself their entire life. Other people come and unfortunately go. And having a great relationship with yourself is vital for your health and happiness. So if there is one new skill you should learn as a senior this is it.

You can watch the video below but I recommend getting this book: How to Be Alone: If You Want To, and Even If You Don’t

Turning 50 is a big deal. You’ve lived half a century and it perhaps feels like you’re entering a new chapter in life. Some people see it as the second part of life, others feel like they’re entering the last part of life and have the urge to experience and learn as many things as possible. It’s a time to reflect on the past, but also make plans for the future about what you would love to experience and learn. And that is why I wrote this article to help you out.

Here are 30 amazing new things to learn after 50:

1) Cook Like A Pro

Wouldn’t it be great to cook like a pro? From making the perfect poached egg for breakfast, creating your own signature dish, perfecting a famous family recipe for your next family reunion to learning more about ingredients, and the technical part of cooking. It’s fun to get better at cooking after 50 whether you are already experienced or a beginner. It benefits not only you but also your entire family when you know how to cook like a professional chef.

So before you wonder how, I know the perfect platform where you can learn from the best chefs in the world: Masterclass.

It’s a video streaming platform with over 18 cooking masterclasses from renowned chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Thomas Keller, Alice Waters, Gabriela Camara, Massimo Bottura, and so many more. These masterclasses are for everyone and any skill level, from learning how to cook Italian, Mexican, Japanese, and French Pastry to the cooking fundamentals. There is a cooking class that will fit anyone. And with a subscription, you do not only have access to all the cooking classes on the platform but also over 100 different other classes from the world’s best experts. Now learning new things after 50 suddenly gets very easy.

2) Survive In The Wild

Perhaps you’re not dreaming of being stranded on a deserted island or want to get lost in the wild, knowing that you can survive is perhaps a soothing feeling, right? Or maybe you do have plans to get out into nature more now that you turned 50 perhaps you need to learn about surviving in the wilderness.

Knowing how to build a fire, a shelter, gathering food, and where to find water is fun but also life-changing skills at some moment in time. Learning how to survive in the wild takes you back to your roots because not long ago we all needed these skills.

You can learn more about surviving in the wild from a book or from a former Air Force SERE like Jessie Krebs.

3) Play A Musical Instrument

Another awesome thing to learn after 50 is to learn to play a (new) musical instrument. Although it’s proven that it takes longer to learn to play an instrument when you’re older, research also shows that an older brain can function 30 years younger within a couple of weeks when it’s challenged enough like with learning a new instrument.

So if you ever have the desire to learn to play a musical instrument. Now is the time to do it. You can apply for a local music class, watch YouTube tutorials or learn from famous professionals on Masterclass: Tom Morello teaches Electric Guitar, Itzhak Perlman teaches Violin, Sheila A. teaches Drumming and Percussion, etc.

4) A New Sport

Why not pick up a new sport after 50? Learn how to play golf, basketball, swimming, inline skating, cycling, walking football, frisbee, soccer, volleyball. Should I go on?

5) Write A Book/ Poetry or Music

Many people like to take up writing when they’re older. They have the desire to write a book and if this is something that interests you too, why not go for it? You can learn how to write thrillers, romantic novels, poetry, film scripts, science fiction, etc.

Masterclass the platform that I mentioned earlier also offers many writing and storytelling classes from the world’s best writers such as Shonda Rhimes, Margaret Atwood, Dan Brown, James Patterson, Billy Collins within the same subscription. One subscription gives access to all classes.

6) Grow Vegetables

Learn how to grow your own vegetables has many benefits and that is why it can be a good thing to learn after 50. It’s not only better for your own health because you eat it’s more nutritious, you stay active and because of your hands in the soil, it is also good for the environment. You can even do it indoors if you don’t have a (big) garden with a starter growing kit.

7) (Basic) Home Repairs

Another awesome thing to learn after 50 is basic home repairs. It can save you a lot of money on a handyman once you become great at it. From fixing leaks, repairing a wall to unclogging sinks there are many tutorials on YouTube where you can learn these basic home repairs.

8) How To Draw

Are you a creative person or want to be more creative, then learning how to draw is a nice new thing to learn. And there are so many youtube videos out there that teach you how to draw from step-by-step videos on portraits and landscapes to sketching basics.

9) (Basic) Car Repairs

Another practical but also fun to learn after 50 is basic car repairs. I have a 15-year-old Toyota Yaris where I’ve done most of the basic car repairs together with my dad. And this knowledge did become in handy because we traveled for 8 months through Europe with a rooftop tent on top of this car and we didn’t have any problems except for one in Marrocco. And because I knew the car I wasn’t totally ignorant when they told me what was wrong with it.

So what I’m trying to say is that if I know how to do basic car repairs, you can learn it very easily too. And did I mention I love it too?!

10) Dancing

It’s never too late to start dancing. So why not learn how to dance after 50?

Perhaps you’re an experienced dancer and you want to explore other styles, you want to pick up from where you’ve left off many years ago or this is something you’ve never done before. All the more reason to pursue dancing. Besides, it’s fun it also has so many health benefits you can read about here.

Check out if there is a dancing class available in your area with any of these styles: line-dancing, hip hop, ballroom, Latin, tap, modern. Perhaps your local community center offers lessons for 50 plus-year-olds. You’ll have 40 years of practice ahead to become such as flexible and swinging as this 90-year old dancing couple:

11) Positive Thinking

Positive thinking is a key factor in stress management. If your desire after 50 is to live a more stress-free life full of enthusiasm, energy, and love then learn how to think more positively is an excellent way to start. It not only improves your mood but it also improves your immune system and can increase lifespan according to this study.

But where to start? Here are few things you can start with: consciously turning negative self-talk into positive talk, surround yourself with positive people as much as possible, find the humor and positive in every negative. And you can use this journal No Worries as your everyday guide.

12) Gardening

Do you have a garden but haven’t really paid a lot of attention to it? Well, now can be a great time to learn more about gardening. And the best man for that job is Ron Finley, who can teach gardening no matter the size of your space.

13) Meditation

Meditation is such a powerful skill to master that actually anyone should learn it no matter what age. Although its origins in Buddism it has nothing to do with religion.

Meditation is a breathing technique that gives you the ability to slow down your face-paced thoughts and give you a sense of calm, peace, and balance which benefits your overall well-being. It eases your brain, which helps you to have a more calming day no matter the circumstances. I meditate on a regular basis and experienced the huge benefits, so I recommend to everyone to at least try it out. Only by experiencing meditation, you can understand the power of it.

Jon Kabat-Zinn will teach you all about it in his Meditation and Mindfulness Masterclass.

14) Surfing

According to the article: Why Surfing Is So Ridiculously Addictive “After catching some solid waves we’re happier, friendlier, and more relaxed. The endorphins, adrenalin, and serotonin we receive from surfing combined with the dopamine from the unexpected reward of waves make surfers not only feel good but wanting more. The fact is, if we’re not surfing, we’re thinking about surfing, and that’s just in our nature.”

Now wouldn’t you also want to feel this? You don’t have to be an experienced surfer to also catch this addictive feeling. Every beginner has it too. I can confirm myself. Not at all good at wave surfing, but absolutely love it. And try to catch some waves wherever I can.

And there are so many different sorts of surfing that you can choose from depending on your interest and physical level: wave surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, etc.

15) Solo Skydiving

Okay, solo skydiving is a very extreme new thing to learn at 50, but if you are an adventurous man or woman. Why not? I thought I just put this idea out there for the 50 plus adrenaline junkies, because what can feel freer in life than flying through the air.

16) How To Restore A Classic Car

My dad bought a restored Chevrolet Corvette from 1959 20 years ago and now in his retirement, he is restoring it again to a totally new car by himself and with the help of a couple of friends. These friends own an American Car garage so they know what to do, but never did a project like this so they learn on the job.

If you’re a huge fan of classic car restoration TV shows then this can be a great time to stop watching and start doing a restoration. Find a classic car and learn as you go.

17) Family History

Dive into your family history and learn more about your ancestors and indirectly more about you.

With the help of My Heritage DNA Kit, you can get information about your own DNA and discover relatives who share DNA segments that might be inherited from the same common ancestor. They have a huge database that can match you with relatives all over the world.

18) How To Live Healthier

Everyone wants to live as long and as healthy as possible, but not everyone is doing something about it every day that aligns with this desire. And especially when you get older, staying healthy is important. Your health is wealth. You can’t do fun things without being healthy.

So it’s a great idea and don’t let it just be a new year’s resolution to learn more about all the things you can do to maintain a healthy life. Good nutrition, and staying mentally, physically, and socially active are the keys to a healthy life. But there are more lessons you can learn and that is why this book: The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest is an excellent read.

19) A Magic Trick

Did you love to watch magicians as a kid? Then learning a magic trick is perhaps something for you to do in your fifties. It’s great to impress your friends and family at parties.

You can now learn from the legendary magicians Penn & Teller who are the longest-running headline act in Las Vegas. Curious to find out more about their online Masterclass, click here.

20) Investing

The experts will tell you to start investing money as early as possible because investing is all about the long term. It takes a couple of decades to build wealth. But if you haven’t started yet you can always learn now and do it just for fun now and see what happens in a couple of decades. If you can’t benefit from it, you can build something for your children or grandchildren.

21) How To Start A Business

Always wanting to be your own boss? Why not start a small business and learn while you go. There are many entrepreneurs that become successful late in life like Steve Jobs for example. And did you know that the average age of startup founders is 45? So if you think it’s too late to start a business, you’re wrong.

You can do it with the aim of leaving your job as soon as possible or just as a nice hobby and you’ll see where it goes. On Masterclass you can find a lot of interesting Business related masterclass that will help you learn more about owning and starting a business. For example, Sara Blakely teaches Self-made Entrepreneurship, Bob Iger teaches Business Strategy and Leadership.

22) A New Hobby

Don’t know what to do with your spare time? Then perhaps it’s time to learn a new hobby. Don’t know where to find your new hobby? Don’t worry I’ve written an entire article to help you out: How To Find A Hobby That You’ll Love: 9 Tips

23) Learn More About A Different Culture

I love to learn about different cultures. That is why I love to travel and meet other people, ask about their stories, and discover interesting details. We loved it so much that we even started a youtube channel to upload videos about other cultures. If this is something you love doing too then you might want to watch our Maori Documentary:

24) Grill The Perfect Steak

Do you love to BBQ in your backyard? Then perfecting your grill skills might be something on your bucket list.

Did you know you can learn from the Award-winning owner of Franklin Barbecue, Aaron Franklin? Watch his Texas Style BBQ Masterclass where he teaches you the slow process for his famous ribs, pork butt, and brisket. So, the next time you host a pool party or family reunion you can show off your new grilling skills.

25) Brewing

Homebrewing has become so popular in the last couple of years. Quarantine might have something to do with it.

A great new thing to learn after 50 is brewing your own beer if you’re a beer lover. Or wine if you’re a wine lover. This way cocktail hour with your spouse or friends becomes that much more special. This Craft Beer Kit from Mr. Beer will get you started.

26) Scientific Facts

There is so much we don’t know. If biology, science, or chemistry were some of your favorite subjects in high school you can make it your mission to learn more scientific facts about the human body, brain, animals, nature, universe, planets, dinosaurs. For example the book: The Science Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained is an interesting read.

27) CPR And First Aid

You never know what can happen in the future so being prepared will leave you less anxious. Learning how to do CPR and First Aid is fun now but might be life-saving in the future. You always hope you don’t need it, but having the knowledge and the skills might become in handy some time.

28) Basic Self Defence

Another new thing to learn after 50 you hope you don’t need, but can be useful is basic self-defense. For the obvious reason, it helps to defend yourself when in danger but it does so much more to you. It builds confidence, strength and improves your balance. All skills that are helpful as you age. And applying for a self-defense class creates the opportunity to learn new people. Perhaps there you meet a new friend as well.

29) Learn A New Language

Learning a new language at an older age just like any other new skill improves cognitive brain function.

The best way to start is to choose a language you’re interested in, because it’s easier to spend time on a culture or language you have a genuine interest in. And the next step is to start learning. You can apply for a foreign language class or take the more easy route and install an app like Busuu. It was named the #1 language learning application in 2020. You can speak a language with just 10 minutes a day.

30) Ride A Bike

According to this article, 6% of Americans don’t know how to ride a bike. If that applies to you. Then learning how to ride a bike is definitely something on your bucket list after 50. Ask your friend, neigbour or familymember who knows how to ride a bike to teach you. Or just do it yourself. A kid knows how to ride a bike, so why don’t you?!

Did you always dream of playing an instrument but never had the chance? As a senior, you might wonder if learning an instrument gets harder as you get older?

As a general rule, learning an instrument takes longer when you get older. Research shows that seniors can easily pick up the theoretical concepts of playing an instrument, like intervals and scales. However, coordination between the hands gets more challenging with aging. 

Knowing this, don’t let your age stop you! In fact, learning new things, like playing an instrument, at an older age is related to many health benefits. However, it might take more determination and consistency than when you were younger. In this article, I’ll go in-depth about why it’s harder to learn an instrument at an older age but also why you should learn to play an instrument as a senior. Let’s get started! 

Scientists Say; “Learning An Instrument Gets Harder When Aging”

The good news is, learning an instrument when you’re older can be done. However, for most people, it’s getting harder to learn new skills at an older age. Many people believe the brain loses its plasticity while aging. Meaning it has more difficult to adapt to new things. The brain can still easily adapt, according to Norman Weinberger. But it might take a bit longer than when we were younger. 

Norman Weinberger is a neuroscientist at the University of California and dedicated his research to the brain’s ability to learn new things while aging. He is renowned for his pioneering research of the brain’s auditory system. You can find some detailed scientific publications of his research on Pubmed.

So, why is it harder to learn a new instrument when you’re older? Weinberger says it sometimes feels like doing several things simultaneously when learning a new skill as a senior. According to his research, the learning ability of the brain slows down compared to a younger person. But there’s more. 

I spoke to several music teachers and asked them, ‘why do older people find it harder to learn a new instrument.’ The answer was more or less the same every time. 

According to the teachers, older people come in with a certain goal. They put the bar high for themselves from the start and spend a lot of time analyzing the theoretical concepts of music. Most of the time, children just want to play and don’t pay attention to how something sounds or trying to be perfect in some way. 

It reminds me of a saying my friends and I always say to each other, ‘Grow Old, Never Grow Up.’ In other words, keep playing, keep having fun. 

So, if you want to start learning an instrument during your retirement, focus on your learning as a child. In meditation, this is known as the beginner’s mind. Doing things every time as if it’s the first time you’ll do it. You’ll be surprised about how much fun you’ll have and how easily you’ll learn new things. 

The Easiest Instruments To Learn When You Get Older

Many people ask themselves what the easiest instrument to learn is. I feel it’s asking the wrong question for yourself. It should not be about how you learn the easiest but more about your learning experience. When you make sure you’ll having fun when learning to play an instrument, you’ll benefit much more from it. And while having fun, learning goes almost unnoticed. You don’t think of it, which makes it much easier as well. 

However, as we just learned, it is harder to learn an instrument when you get older. Mainly because of the high expectations older people set for themselves. And also, because most people want to really understand the concept of music or the instrument, they just forget how to have fun and play during that learning process. 

According to Levine’s Music, a regional music school in the US, some instruments are easier to pick up when you get older. Many of their students are retirees and seniors. They offer even specific programs for adults to make learning more easier. 

Instruments that ask a lot of hand-eye coordination might be more challenging to learn for older people. But with the right dedication, there isn’t one instrument that’s impossible to learn when your hearing and memory are still functioning as they should.

How You Can Benefit From Your Learning Experience 

So, learning an instrument is harder as you get older. Earlier, we talked about that learning an instrument or new skill is more difficult for most seniors because we start the learning with certain expectations. We set high standards for ourselves and forget to have fun. 

When we learn with the beginner’s mind, we go into the learning journey without expectations. Maybe only with some curiosity, which makes it exciting to start learning. 

The beginner’s mind is a perfect mindset to start learning a new instrument. However, it is not the only one. As an adult we can also benefit from our experience, right?  

Most seniors spend a lifetime learning new things so they know what works for them and how they learn best. Combining this knowledge and start learning without any expectations might be the key to successfully learning an instrument as a senior. 

You can set out some sort of schedule for yourself where you use your knowledge about how you learn best. For example, if you learn best while learning in the morning before breakfast. You should do so! It’s all about creating the conditions where you can thrive. But, don’t set any goals besides the fact you want to learn to play that specific instrument. 

Many older people fail because they want to play at a certain level or making it too difficult for themselves by focusing on the theoretical aspect of the music. Forget about all that. Focus on how you learn best, and play like it’s your first time. Let the music carry you away and have fun. Because in having fun, you’ll find the best learning experiences. 

Best Virtual Music Lessons 

So, there are a ton of different music lessons available online and offline. But for free or in some sort of membership. If you want to learn new things, like playing an instrument, you need to learn from the best. This means signing up for a premium program where you can follow lessons from successful people in a specific area. 

Don’t worry, there is a way to do this which is also very affordable. You need to sign up for the MasterClass platform. 

MasterClass is an online course platform where you can follow courses from the world’s most successful and renowned people. Musicians, artists, athletes, chefs, writers, and so on. They all have a MasterClass course available. And the best thing? The all-inclusive membership for MasterClass costs you only $ 180 for one year. 

There are more than 100 classes available on the platform. Each month, a new class is added, which is also included in your membership.

Following a MasterClass course costs you less than $1.80 per course. And each course has an average of 20 different video lessons. You can download the lessons to your device and watch them offline at the best time for you.

You can follow classes from renowned artists like Herbie Hancock (Jazz), Itzhak Perlman (Teaches Violin), Carlos Santana, and many more in the category music category.

If you’re looking for a new hobby as an elderly man or woman or you’re searching for something to keep your elderly parent, friend, or family member busy. And you’re interested in diamond painting, you might ask yourself, is diamond painting good for elderly?

Diamond painting is a perfect activity for elderly people because of the many positive effects on the brain (similar to meditation). Finishing a piece of art boosts self-esteem and the focus on one task relieves negative thoughts, lowers feelings of stress and anxiety, and improves brain function such as fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, which are skills that benefit elderly people in everyday tasks to maintain independence.

Let’s dive deeper into all the benefits of diamond painting for seniors and elderly people. Plus more cool stuff about diamond painting and how to get started.

Benefits Of Diamond Painting For Elderly And Seniors

1) Reduces Stress

With diamond painting, you have to focus on one task only, and that is rare in a world where we are used to being overstimulated, over-connected, and multitasking the entire day. Diamond painting takes your mind off stressful things in real life and focuses your thoughts and mind only on putting that tiny diamond on the right spot on the canvas over and over again.

In technical terms: the Amygdala – the headquarters of fear in the brain – relaxes during diamond painting which will feel like your mind is at rest and free of stress.

During diamond painting, you need conscious thought, and this meditative way of crafting gets you in a state of flow, which is when you become deeply engaged in your activity. The mind and body are one in the present moment. And according to a study, it’s the state of flow that lowers stress levels in the body. And you can imagine that it’s hard to think about your problems when you need to focus and concentrate on creating a diamond painting.

Also, there is no pressure with diamond painting. Nobody is breathing down your neck to finish it quickly. You can do it for an hour every day/ week or spend many hours during the day diamond painting while listening to music, enjoying a cup of coffee or glass of wine. You’re in charge.

2) Increased Happiness

According to Franklin D. Roosevelt: “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”

Now isn’t that what diamond painting is all about?

When diamond painting takes your mind of negative thoughts, it also takes you away from negative feelings. As your thoughts directly influence your feelings. And with negative thoughts and worries out of the way, there is space for neutral and positive thoughts and happy feelings.

Also, In the state of flow that is often experienced during diamond painting, you’ll experience enjoyment and fulfillment in what you’re doing, which is the secret to happiness. When you enjoy doing something you’ll feel more satisfied with life. And the impact of more happiness in your life is significant because it’s linked to better health and longevity, increased immunity, and healthy behaviors according to the article of verywellmind.com.

Wow, who would have thought that a simple hobby such as diamond painting could lead to living a longer, happier and healthier life?!

3) Improves Overall Mental Health

Now we can assume that diamond painting is a form of art. Here is more proof that diamond painting is great for elderly people.

This study has found out that “art therapy seems to have a beneficial effect on older individuals who are coping with a variety of challenges in their lives”.

And an Australian study found evidence between arts engagement and overall mental health: “Those who engaged in 100 or more hours/year of arts engagement (i.e. two or more hours/week) reported significantly better mental well-being than other levels of engagement.”

4) Improves Cognitive Brain Functions

Cognitive brain function is the process of receiving, selecting, storing, transforming, and recovering information that the brain gets from external stimulations. Everyone needs these brain skills to work properly, but as we get older we often don’t stimulate our brain as much as we did earlier in life. And when you don’t use it, you lose it. That is why doing mentally challenging tasks every day is important to keep these basic brain skills as strong as possible. So that we can keep doing simple and complex tasks in life. And here is how a diamond painting comes into the picture.

The brain is like a muscle that can and needs to be trained. When you’re doing something new the brain creates new paths and connections. And when you’re doing something over and over again those parts in the brain become stronger. Like any other muscle in your body. Positive thinking creates paths to more positive thinking and vice versa.

While diamond painting you activate both the right and left sides of the brain and make them cooperate together. The right side is the creative, visual, and intuitive side of the brain and the left is the thinking and analytical part of the brain. Both are needed to put the right stone in the right place to create a piece of diamond painting art. Doing this over and over again develops your brain in entirely new ways and makes it stronger. And this makes anyone more efficient in completing tasks in every other area of life. It helps elderly people stay more independent as they get older.

5) Improves Fine-Motor Skills

This study confirms what many older people experience is that (fine) motor function, gait, and balance decline with advanced age. It accelerates markedly from 75-80 years of age. And a decline in these functions has a huge effect on performing everyday tasks and maintaining independence. Practicing and training, because use it or lose applies here as well, as you age can improve these functions. Or even keep them at the same level of performing.

And diamond painting is an excellent practice to improve fine motor skills because it requires you to put dozens or hundreds of stones (or tiles as some might call them) in the right spot of the canvas with the applicator pen. You train the cerebellum part of the brain that is responsible for fine movements, balance, and the brain’s ability to determine limb position.

At first, you might be a bit shaky but over time you’ll notice that you become better. Just like a surgeon.

6) Improves Hand-Eye Coordination

As you improve fine-motor skills with diamond painting you immediately improve hand-eye coordination because fine motor skill is the coordination of small muscles and the synchronicity of hand/ fingers with your eyes. As many parts of the brain are activated during the diamond painting the cerebral cortex that is responsible for control vision is also stimulated and gets stronger over time.

7) Boosts Self-Esteem

According to a study by Girija Kaimal and Kendra Ray is that only 45 minutes of art-making improves self-confidence. As you might have experienced yourself finishing a piece of art makes you feel good about yourself. And this study confirms it. And it already has an effect after 45 minutes. Imagine what it does to your self-esteem if make art every day.

As I saw for myself with my mother, mother-in-law and many elderly people I met on the road is that they love to do diamond painting 45 minutes to an hour a day. Doing this each day will give your self-esteem a boost on a regular basis which can have major effects in the long term for any person. Imagine what a positive effect it can have on an elderly woman or man who feels lonely or depressed.

8) Creates Opportunity To Socialize

I’ve expressed in many articles that socializing is one of the most important keys to happiness in retirement. We are social beings that need daily social interaction with other humans in order to stay healthy (both mind and body).

And as we get older our social circle becomes smaller. Sometimes even up to the point that some of us might even feel lonely.

Now diamond painting is of course an activity you do by yourself. You don’t need any to help you, but sharing the same hobby with other people and doing it together makes it instantly more fun.

And because diamond painting is a popular activity amongst elderly people there is a big chance you find other like-minded people in your area that want to diamond paint together on a regular basis. There are diamond painting Facebook groups out there, you can visit your local senior center or just ask around to find other diamond painters. Maybe your new best friend is around the corner.

9) Ignites Creativity

Doing something new ignites creativity but also doing something creative ignites creativity. Doing something you love ignites creativity and relaxing your brain what diamond painting does ignites creativity.

And creativity has many benefits. It’s a self-discovery journey that unblocks old patterns or habits of thinking. It motivates, helps with problem-solving, promotes thinking, and clarifies thoughts and feelings. Now isn’t that something we all need in life?

As kids, we were always creatively busy. We only did what we love to do, because why would we do something we don’t like? And as we have gotten older a huge portion of our lives we needed to be more practical, analytical to be able to pay the bills, etc. And after retirement, we often have forgotten what we love to do. And picking up creative activities at an older age which ignites our creativity brings us back to how we were as kids and all the benefits and positive feelings that come with it. Isn’t that a beautiful thing about diamond painting?!

10) Is An Emotional Outlet

Diamond painting can be used as an emotional outlet.

Often our mind is busy with the stressful things in life. Our lives can be fast-paced that we don’t make enough room for all our feelings to be expressed properly. And we need that to live free and healthy. As diamond painting puts our stressful thoughts to rest we create space for other feelings to arise that have been blocked or stuffed away for a long time.

When you have trouble putting feelings and thoughts into words, a creative outlet such as diamond painting helps you to express your feelings and experiences. And this lowers overall stress in your life, makes you feel refreshed, and increases your happiness.

How To Get Started With Diamond Painting

To get started with diamond painting there are three things you need: the right tools, the perfect canvas, and a LED light pad.

1) Diamond Painting Tool Kit

This tool kit is the first step to start diamond painting. It includes 1 lightweight diamond paint roller, 1x 28 grids storage box, 1 tweezer, 1 transparent tool bag, 4 diamond sticky pens, 3 diamond plastic trays1 label sticker, and 10 times glue. Everything you need to get started.

2) Diamond Painting Canvas

The second thing you need is a diamond painting canvas. And that is a bit more personal because there are so many different themes out there. From portraits, landscapes, flowers, animals to a custom diamond painting from your favorite photo. You pick what interests you the most.

Now because diamond painting is all about pixels and canvasses come in different shapes and sizes. And because I want you to experience the most satisfying feeling after finishing your piece of diamond art I advise you to go for a large canvas. The bigger the canvas, the more detailed your art is and the more satisfying feeling after finishing it. You might lean towards a small canvas at the beginning just to see if diamond painting is a hobby for you, but that leaves you with an unsatisfied feeling due to the lack of detail.

Also, there are 3D stones and 5D stones. 5D stones give a more sparkling effect and that is why it’s best to pick a large canvas with 5D stones. And below are some great options to choose from.

Beach

Animals

Waterfall

Cottage

3) LED Light Pad

You need a LED Light Pad to make diamond painting easier and to be able to notice the different color rhinestones. And it’s best to get the largest LED light pad out there so can always continue diamond painting no matter the size of the canvas. And this A2 LED light pad with eye-protective flicker-free LEDs, 3-Level brightness and 12 angles stand also comes with a tool kit. So besides the canvas, everything you need to get started with diamond painting.

Can anyone live in a 55+ community? It’s a frequently asked question among seniors and retirees who are focusing on moving to a 55+ community. In this article, you’ll find all the important information regarding living in a 55+ community.

As a general rule, not anyone can live in a 55+ community. The Fair Housing Act’s exemption for housing for older adults, allow 55+ communities to set age restrictions for their residents. To qualify for this exemption minimum 80% of the units in a 55+ community must have at least one occupant of 55+ or older. 

There are different rules for people who want to live in a 55+ community. When you want to move into a 55+ community, you probably have many questions about rules, living circumstances, housing amenities, and other things. I’ll share the answers to those questions in this article. Let’s find out more. 

What Are The Rules For Living In A 55+ Community?

In general, to set age restrictions for their residents, a 55+ community must satisfy all the requirements of the Fair Housing Act’s housing for older persons exemption.’ However, specific house rules and policies can vary per 55+ communities.

As stated on the US Department of Housing and Urban Development website, “the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or familial status. However, it contains a limited exemption from the familial status prohibitions for housing for older persons.”

In other words, it is allowed for 55+ communities, senior communities, retirement communities, etc., to set age restrictions for their residents. To do so, they must qualify for all the requirements of this exemption. 

I quoted the following information for your convenience, which you can also find on the HUD’s website via this link. 

“The housing for older persons exemption only applies to the following housing; 

1. Provided under any state or federal program that the Secretary of HUD has determined to be specifically designed and operated to assist elderly persons (as defined in the state or federal program);
2. Intended for, and solely occupied by persons 62 years of age or older; or
3. Intended and operated for occupancy by persons 55 years of age or older.

In order to qualify for the “55 or older” housing exemption, a facility or community must satisfy each of the following requirements:

• At least 80 percent of the units must have at least one occupant who is 55 years of age or older; and
• The facility or community must publish and adhere to policies and procedures that demonstrate the intent to operate as “55 or older” housing; and
• The facility or community must comply with HUD’s regulatory requirements for age verification of residents.

The “housing for older persons” exemption does not protect such housing facilities or communities from liability for housing discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, or national origin.”

The source I used for the quotation above is this link: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/fair_housing_act_housing_older_persons 

Now that we explained the official rules of the Fair Housing Act exemption for housing for older persons, it’s getting clear that not anyone can live in a 55+ community. However, these rules also allow exemptions for specific situations. I will discuss these in the following part. 

Can You Live In A 55+ Community When You’re Younger?

As a general rule, you can live in a 55+ community when you’re younger. One of the qualifications of the housing for older adults exemptions is that a minimum of eighty percent (80%) of the units must be occupied by at least one occupant of 55+ or older. This allows that 20% of all residents in a 55+ community can be younger than 55. 

Many 55+ communities allow a maximum of 15% of their residents to be younger. This way, they stay under the 20% rule of the Fair Housing Act’s exemption. However, each community can decide if they allow younger residents to rent or buy a commodity to live in. So, the rules can vary per community. 

If you want to apply for housing in a 55+ community when you’re younger, make sure to read the specific rules of that community before you apply for housing. When you the rules of that community, you know what to expect, which can save you a lot of time and possible disappointment if they don’t allow younger residents. 

To find the specific housing rules for a community, simply visit their website and search for the housing rules. You’ll often see a section in the website’s menu that can direct you to these rules. You might also use the search box to find these rules. If there aren’t any rules available on the website, you can try to contact the community and ask if they can send over the rules to you. 

Can My Younger Spouse Live With Me In A 55+ Community? 

According to the fair housing act’s housing for older persons exemption, your younger spouse can live with you in a 55+ community if they comply with the 80% rule of this exemption. This rule says that at least 80% of the units in a 55+ community must have at least one occupant of 55+ or older. 

Let’s say the senior community you want to live in easily reaches the 80% rule we mentioned above. If you’re 55+ or older and registered as an occupant of the unit, you’re younger spouse can live with you in this community as well. 

When you and your spouse are both younger than 55, it’s getting more difficult to be allowed to live in a 55+ or senior community. To only way to be eligible for a unit in a 55+ community is if the community still allows a percentage of their occupants to be younger than 55. However, a 55+ community often sets a maximum of less than 20% of the units available for younger occupants. This way, the community makes sure to stay within the limits of the rules sets by the Fair Housing Act’s exemption for housing for older persons. 

Can I Live With My Mom In A 55+ Community?

In general, you can live with your mom in a 55+ community when you are 18 years or older, and your mom is 55 or older. However, the 55+community must satisfy the 80% rule of the fair housing act’s housing for older persons exemption.

Many 55+ communities also allow you to live with your mom when you are excluded from this rule. Most of the time, 55+ communities allow around 15% of all their units to be occupied by residents younger than 55.

Suppose you want to live with your mom because she needs continuing care or assisted living because of a disability. In that case, you are excluded from the 80/20 occupancy requirement. It doesn’t matter if you live in the same unit or a separate unit in the same community as your mom. This question was specifically answered in the Q&A section (question #20) of the Housing for Older Persons. You can find the complete list of questions and answers using this link.

Can My Children Live With Me In A 55+ Community?

In general, your children can live with you in a 55+ community if they are they are 18 years or older. You have to be at least 55, or the community has to count you among the 20% of residents that are allowed to be younger than 55. This way the 55+ community still can qualify for the fair housing act’s exemption for older persons. 

However, most 55+ communities don’t allow under-aged children to live with you in a 55+ community. The only way to make sure if this is possible in your community is to figure out the specific policy of the community regarding underage children. 

Like we discussed at the start of this article, the rules to qualify for the 55 or older housing exemption as a community is very clear. It’s much easier to determine if a family member, your children, or your spouse can live with you in a 55+ community now that you know the basic rules that are set by the US department for housing and urban development. 

However, according to the questions & answers section regarding the fair housing act’s exemption of housing for older adults, communities can deviate from the requirements that are set to qualify for this exemption. The requirements are set as minimum requirements. This means that communities can decide to set stricter requirements for their residents. 

For example, 55+ communities can only accept 100% of the residents to be 55+ or older. Let me explain this. 

The 80/20 rule, as stated in the fair housing act’s exemption for housing for older persons, is a minimum requirement. Meaning that at least 80% of the units must have an occupant of 55+ or older. Communities are allowed to deviate and set stricter rules. For example, that residents must be 60+ or older. It’s not allowed to set less strict rules. If a community has less strict rules, they can’t qualify for the Fair Housing Act’s housing exemption for older persons. 

Can I Have My Grandchildren Stay For Sleepovers?

In most 55+ or senior communities, it is allowed to have sleepovers. So, most of the time, you can get your grandchildren over for a sleepover. However, rules can vary per community. 

A 55+ community can set its own rules regarding sleepovers. Often it is allowed to have someone over for a few nights. Many communities have set regulations for longer periods. Make sure to find out these rules for the specific 55+ community you want to live in. 

Can I Have A Pet In A 55+ Community?

As a general rule, having a pet in a 55+ community must be allowed. Regulations say that tenants must be permitted to own and keep pets in their units. However, a 55+ community can decide to set rules on how to keep household pets. 

The housing and urban development regulations, chapter V, subchapter C community facilities, describe the general requirements regarding household pets. A 55+ community in these regulations is referred to as a Public Housing Agency (PHA). According to these regulations, if a Public Housing Agency (55+ community) decides to set household pet rules, it must be in the best interest of the community and its tenants. I quoted this part from the regulations, “These rules must be reasonable related to providing a decent, safe, and sanitary living environment for existing and prospective tenants.” You can find the complete chapter of these regulations here. 

Rules For Assistance Pets In 55+ Communities

There are different rules when you have an assistance pet to help you with daily tasks because of a disability. The most significant difference is that public housing agencies (i.e., 55+ communities) cannot set rules or set any policies for pets that are used to help or assist persons with their disabilities. 

You can find the complete subpart of these regulations here. The subpart is titled Exclusion for animals that assist, support, or provide service to persons with disabilities.

55+ communities can set policies for regular pets. For example, it is not allowed to bring your pet into public community rooms. However, the subpart as mentioned above prohibits communities from setting such policies for assistance pets. 

Having a pet as a senior or for the elderly can be very important. Seniors with household pets often experience less feeling of loneliness and have a more active lifestyle. Staying physically active is essential when it comes to healthy aging. Also, the responsibility when taking care of a pet keeps the elderly more active and engaged. Which is related to improve mental (brain) activity. You can learn more about the importance of having a pet for seniors in my article, 11 Essential Reasons Of Why Older People Have Dogs

You are bound to some rules when you want to start living in a 55+ or senior community. Which is logical to keep up the quality of such communities. In the last part of this article, I’ll be focusing more on the benefits of living in 55+ communities.  

What Are The Benefits Of Living In A 55+ Community?

The most common benefits of living in a 55+ community are;

• Easy access to assistance when needed,
• Living among persons of the same generation,
• Organized activities. 

My parents-in-law live in a 55+ community. For them, the feeling of belonging to a community of people from the same generation is very important. 

Many seniors that live in a 55+ or senior community often have a more active lifestyle. When in a general physical condition, most of them can live individually or with their spouse and without daily care. 

Another great benefit of living in a 55+ community is that people look out for each other. For example, my mother-in-law recently got a knee replacement. During her recovery at home, her neighbors helping her and my father-in-law do groceries, cook dinner, and do some household activities. That sense of community feeling is very important for them and for elderly people in general. 

In fact, the oldest people in the world, living in the Blue Zones, have a high sense of community feeling. They all belong to their community and have active roles, even when 100 years or older. Next to a healthy lifestyle and diet, belonging to a community is probably one of the reasons why people in the Blue Zones reach this old age very often. 

You can read more about the benefits of living in a 55+ community in my article, 10 Benefits Of Living In A 55+ Community

If you’re looking for ideas to keep elderly entertained, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, I share 40 ideas to keep elderly (parents or grandparents) entertained at home and outside their home. So, let’s get started right away.

Ideas To Keep Elderly Busy At Home

1) Diamond Painting

One of the most popular hobbies seniors like to do is Diamond Painting. It’s a new creative art hobby that is a mix of paint by numbers and cross-stitch. This is how it works; you have a sticky canvas with numbers and hundreds or even thousands of different colored tiny diamonds, which you have to apply on the canvas by letter or number. After applying all diamonds, you have created a shimmering piece of art you can hang up at home.

It’s a perfect hobby for older people because it is straightforward, it calms the mind, reduces stress, boosts creativity and confidence, and fine-tunes their motor skills. And they can choose whatever canvas they want: animals, landscapes, mandalas, etc. They can do it for an hour per day or stay busy the entire day until they’re finished.

You can get them Monthly Diamond Paintings from Cratejoy home delivered to keep them entertained for the next couple of months.

2) Solving Puzzles

The classic way to keep your elderly parents entertained is by solving puzzles with them or puzzles they can do independently. This can be a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, crossword puzzle, sudoku, 3D puzzle, or get the book: 399 Games, Puzzles & Trivia Challenges Specially Designed to Keep Your Brain Young. This book will definitely keep them entertained for weeks.

Solving puzzles is not only fun for the elderly, but it’s also good for their brain health. Studies have shown that it improves cognitive functions such as concentration, short-term memory, and general problem-solving. Keeping your brain challenged every day can even make your brain a couple of years younger.

3) Crocheting

If they love to knit, then you can introduce them to crocheting. Instead of using two long needles, you only need one hook to make knots to create beautiful things because they can make all sorts of stuff with crocheting. From socks, hats to coasters, a pouf, hairpieces, baby toys, etc. Get them a Crochet Kit, and older adults can crochet birthday gifts and special event gifts for the entire family throughout the year.

4) Cooking

If they’re still able to cook for themselves, you can introduce them to new recipes or cuisines with a fun and easy cookbook. Perhaps it sparkles a new hobby for them. With 3 meals a day, they’ll be entertained 7 days of the week. Or you can re-invent old family recipes together as a fun way to spend time with each other.

Sometimes not being able to open a jar anymore can resist them from cooking. But did you know there are many kitchen tools available especially designed for elderly people, to make cooking easy? Check them out here.

5) Birdwatching

With a simple bird feeder for their home, you can entertain your elderly parents with all the beautiful things nature offers. Bird-watching is a very social activity for someone alone at home. And if they love it, you can even get them a bird journal, binoculars, or a bird-watching book with information about species and how to attract them.

6) Chair Yoga

Yoga is perfect for the mind and body. It improves flexibility, strength, and joint strain and reduces stress. And for the elderly with limited mobility, chair yoga is a gentle form of yoga while sitting. Perhaps a yoga instructor can teach them chair yoga at home or show them this youtube video.

7) Baking

Someone with a sweet tooth will love to bake. You can ask them to bake your favorite cookies or a birthday cake if they need that extra push to get started. Also, baking is a great thing to do together with them on a Sunday afternoon.

8) Indoor Gardening

You don’t need a garden to start gardening. There are awesome indoor gardening projects they can do such as vertical gardening, bonsai tree sculpting to growing your own herbs or vegetables inside.

9) Sticker By Number

Sticker by number is similar to painting by number, only it’s with stickers. It’s easier, faster and no mess. It’s a stress free activity that can be great for the elderly person on your mind. They can sticker animals, flowers, trees, landscapes etc.

10) Reading

Reading is a great exercie for the brain. It helps to prevent age-related cognitive decline and has many other health benefits according to Healthline.

Encouring older people to read is not only good for their health but it also enables them to travel to different worlds without leaving their comfy chair at home. It’s the cheapest way to travel.

An awesome book you can get is The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules: A Novel (League of Pensioners). It’s #1 internationally-bestselling book from author Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg’s. A quirky novel about a group of seniors that want to upgrade the quality of their life and leads them to white collar crime.

11) Listen To Music

Make a nice play list of their favorite music that they can listen to when they’re alone at home.

12) Listen To Podcasts

Introduce them to the world of podcasts. Find out what interests them and see if you can find a podcast about it that they can listen to. Perhaps they even learn a thing or two along the way. Or they get a taste of what podcasts are and continue to listen to new ones every day or week.

13) Play An Instrument

They can learn how to play an instrument. And yes that is very possible. Research have show that older adults who continue to learn and challenge their mind every day learning becomes easier. And knowing how to play an instrument might be one of their oldest dreams which you can motivate them into pursuing. One of the easiest instruments for older adults are ukulele, piano, tambourine, bongos.

14) Painting

Painting can be a great hobby for your elderly parents to express themselves creatively. They can paint on a blank canvas with oil, acryl or water paint. Or you can get them a paint by number canvas to get them into painting if they’ve never done it before.

15) Sculpting

Sculpting is creating a shape from a piece of material. This can be anything from clay, wood, paper, stone to ice. Elderly with less strength in their hands can benefit from sculpting with clay. And elderly who are still active might find joy in woodcarving. You can find all sorts of sculpting kits on Amazon, click here.

16) Coloring

Every kid loves to draw and color. As we become adults we don’t have time to color and we forgot that we love to do it. Often in retirement, people reclaim their childhood hobbies, so chances are that the elderly person you’re looking to entertain might love coloring too. You can get them a sketching book or an adult coloring book.

17) Play Boardgames

Boardgames are always a fun activity to enjoy eachothers company. Dust of that classic boardgame and make it a habit to play games. Or introduce the nextdoor neighboor who loves to play boardgames too if you can’t visit that often.

18) Jewelry Making

A fashionable elderly woman will love to make jewelry making her new hobby. She can make jewerly for herself, her friends in the retirement home or her grandkids. With this DIY Bracelet Craft Kit she defenitely will score points with her hip and trendy grandchilderen.

19) Collecting

Another great way to entertain elderly is to get them into collecting. He or she can start collecting stamps, coins, vinyl records, comic books, toys, action figures, rocks, wine etc. They might allready have a great collection of certain things and they can expand their collection over time. Collecting is a lifelong skill so they’ll be entartained the rest of their life.

20) Genealogy

Seniors love genealogy. Many retirees love to learn more about their family history, because it gives them a sense of identity and better understanding about themselves, their family and their life. Getting to know your past also creates the opportunity to connect with new people, which is one of the keys to happiness in retirement.

With an Ancestry DNA kit you can help him or her on the way to get a more precise ethnicity estimate which will lead to more historical and geographic insight about their past. And it will help them to build their family tree or get in contact with living relatives.

Ideas To Keep Elderly Entertained Outside Their Home

21) Walking

The easiest way to keep elderly enterained outside their home is to motivate them to go walking. It stimulates the blood flow, activates the muscles and uplifts the mood and that is why walking is a must. You can walk around the block with them and just talk or see if they can adopt a dog parttime or fultime. This for sure will get them out of the door every day.

22) Aqua Aerobics

You can find out if there is an aqua aerobics class in the area which he or she can attend. Aqua aerobics is a great exercise for elderly people because of the low risk of injury. Plus it builds strengths and improves heart and lung function. And joining a class is also a great way to meet other people so they feel less lonely.

23) Swimming

Swimming is gentle on the joints and improves overall pshycial and mental health and is therefore a perfect activity for elderly people. You can check out if there is a swimming class for elderly at your nearby swimmingpool or go swimming with them every week or month as a new bonding activity.

24) Exercise Class

You can sign him or her up for an exercise class. Perhaps there are exercise classes sceduled in the retirement home or retirement community. Or another place you can check is the local senior center. And perhaps the local gym offers classes for seniors as well. It’s best to find an exercise class that fits into their physical ability or else it’s not fun for them to attend.

25) Art Class

Apply them for a fun art class if they’re interested in experessing themselves creatively. They’ll meet like minded people that can turn into new friends which will help them to stay active.

26) Volunteering

Many people love volunteering. It gives them a sense of purpose and fulfillment, because helping others makes you happy as well. Therefore volunteerting is one of the best ways to keep elderly people entertained. It keeps them active within the community, they meet a lot of people and have a reason to get up in the morning.

There all sorts of volunteering projects elderly people can do. Depending on their mobility it can be helping out in the local soup kitchen to writing letters to lonely seniors.

27) Join A (Book/ Lunch/ Social) Club

Ask around about elderly book, lunch or social clubs he or she can join. Probably connecting your elderly parents to other people will make them happier over time. Being part of a group fights loneliness and depression and will help them make their life more joyable.

But it doesn’t have to be an elderly club per se. Being part of a club with younger people keeps you young and makes you feel part of society. Because that’s what often lacks. Elderly people feel left out and not part of society anymore. So making them part of a club to socialize and to do an activity they love, makes them feel valued and seen.

28) Visit A Senior Community Center

It’s worth to visit a local senior center to see what activities they organize for elderly people. Perhaps you’ll be introduced to an entirely new world you didn’t even know existed. Perhaps there is an activity you’re elderly parents love to attend.

29) Gardening

Gardening is one of the healthiest hobbies out there. I wrote an entire article about the benefits of gardening for seniors which you can read here.

You can help them gardening their own garden, see if they can join a community garden to meet other people or create a (vegetavble) garden which they can easily maintain themselves in the future.

30) Field Trip

Go on a field trip together to visit a national park, musuem, ancestry grounds, local farmers market or to see family. Especially when they’re at home all the time the chance of scenery and companionship during a trip will make their day.

31) Spa Day

Treat your elderly parents or grandparents on a relaxing spa day.

32) Cycling

Cycling is a great activity for elderly people.

A moderate-intensity aerobic exercise such as cycling “for as less as 30 minutes can improve some aspects of cognition, most prominently for memory, reasoning and planning and can shorten the time taken to complete the tests.” According to this study. And regular exercise increases blood flow to the brain which will improve brain function. Cycling also improves heart health and strengthens muscles to maintain balance that will keep elderly people more indepenent as they age.

Now that we’ve established all the benefits to cycling it’s also good to know that getting outside and seeing different scenerys can enhance their quality of life. Viewing the world from a bicycle makes you feel alive and that is why it’s good for elderly people to cycle.

Make them enthisuatic about cycling to the grocery store. Or if they’re limited in their mobility you can get creative by renting a tricycle or hop on a tandem together on a sunday afternoon.

33) Visit Movie Theater

Check out the movie calender and visit a movie theater together. A lot of movie theater organize special senior days or plan classic films during the week for elderly people. Perhaps one of they’re favorite movies is playing soon. And the perks of being old is that you can get senior discount on tickets.

34) Visit A Museum

Ask which museam they’ve always wanted to visit and organize a trip to visit that museum. Or be a tourist in your own town and visit museums you normally wouldn’t visit.

35) Geocaching

To they like to explore and love treasure hunting? The geochaching is a fun activity to do with elderly people. Fit people can walk and others can attend in wheelchairs it doesn’t matter. You can do geocaching has a group activity.

Geochachig is the modern version of treasure-hunting. You use use a handheld GPS navigator to find the millions of treasures (geocaches) hidden around your area. It gives a walk around the block a little more interesting.

36) Tai Chi

Tai Chi is a gentle exercise by doing a series of stretches. It improves balance which reduces falls which makes the perfect exercise for elderly people. And it’s a stress reliever.

You can try to find classes nearby or watch Tai Chi lessons on YouTube.

37) Dancing

Another great exercise for elderly people is dancing. It’s fun to dance and it’s therapeutic and a very natural thing to do. From line dancing to doing the cha cha cha, they’re endless dances you can do with elderly peope.

38) Fishing

Also a great activity to do with elderly people is to go fishing. Being outdoors fishinhg lowers the heart rate and blood pressure and also reduces stress. At the shore they relax their worries away.

39) Croquet

A great outdoor game to play on a beautiful day in the park or on the lawn is the french originated game Croquet. Which is an easy game to play with two, four or six players. Check out the best reviewed Croquet Set is from GoSports including 6 color mallets, 6 balls, 9 wickets, 2 end posts, rules of the game, and a handy carrying bag.

40) Antiquing

Visit antique markets and garage sales to shop for antiques. This is a great activity for an elderly person with a great eye for quality products and a gut feeling to finding treasures surrounded by trash.