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Summer means picnics with family and friends! It’s a great time for everyone, the older family members are getting to meet the younger family members, everyone’s bonding and having a great time!

It’s important to make everyone feel involved and that’s something a lot of people forget at picnics. They let the kids run around with the able adults while the elderly are sitting in their chairs just watching...we’re not going to allow that this summer!

Every great picnic has everyone involved in something and it’s important to make sure you don’t forget our seniors and the elderly. It’s easy for everyone to just think of themselves and the kids when thinking of activities, so we are going to help guide you on what you can do to make sure every senior at the picnic is having the time of their life! 

Now it’s good to remember that every senior is different and is capable of different things. You may have an aunty or uncle who may have poor hearing and/or some sight loss, you can then have an 85 year old grandmother who has the energy of a 25 year old! So let’s remember to give them activities they feel comfortable with.

We also have a post about picnic games for adults here.

Board Games For Elderly

Chess

Arguably the most influential game on this list, Chess has been a staple in many households for over 1500 years. It’s an incredible game to take a picnic because everyone thinks they are the best and it rallies people around the table like no other. It’s a great way to keep your mind engaged and active, it’s also great because the pieces mean that you don’t have to worry about wind ruining your game! Your grandfather will look at you with a glint in his eye when you pull this out from the car, it’s his time to shine.

Scrabble

Another incredible picnic game, Scrabble brings out the brainiacs in people. Just like Chess, everyone thinks they’re a wizard at Scrabble until Grandma sits down and that incredible vocabulary comes crashing down on the heads of the youth. Scrabble is a great way to get family and friends of all ages engaged, it’s always a learning experience for someone and it has a ton of re-playability.

Connect 4

This is one that can get people jumping out of their seats, but Connect 4 is an incredible picnic game. Everyone thinks they have the best strategy, but they don’t know that Grandad mastered the game years ago! It’s a 2 player game which means it’s a great way to start a conversation and get to know someone you may not be that close to. The weight of the game means that wind won’t be an issue so you’re safe to play it, assuming the weather is great!

Fun Outdoor Games For The Elderly

Mini-Golf

A great way to stay fit but not exert yourself too much is a couple rounds of mini-golf! It’s a very flexible and fun game, it promotes socialising and communication and you can design the courses to be suited to the players playing. It requires key bodily movements like standing, walking and get’s the shoulders and back active. It’s a great picnic game as it’s set in a park, so you can incorporate hilly sections to your course for the young-at-heart seniors who think they’re too good for a basic course!

Badminton

The great thing about badminton is that it’s easy to set up and doesn’t necessarily require a net, you can draw a line in the grass! You can also have 4 or even 6 players playing at the same time so nobody will feel left out. It’s not just a very fun and easy-going game, but it promotes communication, teamwork and competition. It helps with balance, mobility and aids in stroking motions, giving the arms a well-needed workout. How about that? A fun game, a workout and a picnic, all in one!

Ring Toss

A great exercise that focuses on hand-eye coordination is ring toss! It’s a game that you can play anywhere at any time and doesn’t require much past experience as it’s a very simple game! It gets everyone involved at a picnic, and the rules are simple: the first person to get all the rings around their stake, wins!

There are ways to make the game more accessible or make it a bit challenging. You can move the stake further back or you can bring it closer to make things a bit easier, there are also inflatable ring toss games that make the game even more accessible to those that may have trouble throwing or walking.

Card Games For The Elderly

Texas Hold’em Poker

Now, we are not going to use real money here, we don’t want to muddy our picnic with the thought of money! But Texas Hold’em is a fantastic game to have at a picnic. It promotes problem solving and communication, it’s also one of those games in which you leave with new knowledge. Someone a bit younger may think that they have their old grandad on the ropes, but little does he/she know that their grandad knew what they were planning all along! How?! That’s the magic of Texas Hold’em.

Rummy

This is a very fun and fast paced card game that can be open to 4 or 6 players. Rummy is a very social game and is a race to have no cards in your hand. It’s a great way to get talking and is always more fun with more people, it requires problem solving skills and quick thinking. You can also add ‘jokers’ to the deck that represent ‘Wild cards’, these cards can be used to make our picnic a bit more hectic!

Crazy Eights

An always popular group game is Crazy Eights, just like Rummy, it’s fun and is always better with more people. Just make sure to bring 2 decks! The game is very social and open, it encourages competition and quick thinking. It has some rules that need to be remembered because certain cards have certain effects, but they are very easy to remember and add so much to the game. It’s the perfect picnic game for older people!

Best Video Games For The Elderly

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Handheld game)

Ah, peace and tranquility, and no we’re not talking about the picnic! We’re talking about Animal Crossing! Now, whether you’re playing the new one on the Nintendo Switch, or an older version on the Nintendo DS, you can’t really go wrong. It’s also a very picnic-like game, many kids play it and it can be an excellent way to bond with family and friends across a wide-ranging age group.

Monopoly (Handheld game)

What’s better than playing Monopoly at a picnic? Monopoly on the Nintendo Switch! The Nintendo Switch is an incredibly popular console and a lot of people take it everywhere. It’s a great way to also play boardgames! A paperless game of Monopoly allows you to be able to play Monopoly anywhere, at any time. Wind, rain or shine!

Namco Museum: Arcade Pac (Handheld game)

Ever wanted to go back in time? Relive some much-needed nostalgia? Well you can do that with the Namco Museum in the palm of your hands! Tell those nephews and nieces at the family picnic that they don’t know what real games are, and then show them Pac-Man! It’s the perfect little time kill, beat your high-score and keep improving! You can pass the game around at the picnic and let everyone try to beat your high-score, and fail!

Sit Down Games For The Elderly

Bingo

An absolute classic and one that isn’t just for the elderly, it’s for everyone! Truly a game with picnics in mind. It’s a fantastic way to sign off a picnic so everyone remembers it forever! You can have funny gifts or meaningful gifts, either way it’s going to stay in the minds of everyone there and will make it a day to remember. Bingo is great because everyone can play! Just pull up a chair, grab your stamp and let’s hope you get lucky…

Jigsaw Puzzle

Now, a great jigsaw puzzle can be a fantastic way to use your brain and challenge yourself. It’s always a fun time and is even better with other people to help. It encourages communication, problem solving and is a great way to get kids and the elderly bonding with a fun activity. You can also prepare a personalised puzzle picture so that the photo is a picture of the family. This is a fantastic way to make the moment memorable. 

Jenga

Suspense, action, laughter...all side effects of the game Jenga! It’s an awesome game for people of all ages and it’s incredibly simple to learn. It’s a great way to get your fingers and hands moving and is also one of those bonding experiences we love so much. It also has a ton of replay value and is bound to leave you wanting another go around.