People of every age group need to get outdoors once in a while, and seniors are no different. Outdoor or yard activities need to be geared toward mobility issues, safety and physical capabilities, but there are plenty of games an elderly person may enjoy in the backyard or outdoors during good weather. Ask your parents what they'd like to do, or suggest and create a fair-like atmosphere at your nursing care facility or assisted living facility to help generate interest in physical activities for seniors outdoors.
Tossing Games
Create a beanbag, ring or hard-boiled egg toss in your backyard. Such items are light-weight and offer seniors of different physical capabilities the opportunity to enjoy fresh air and engage in range of motion exercise at the same time. Pair seniors based on physical capabilities or keep lines closer for tosses based on range of motion function and vision acuity. Beanbags, rings and eggs offer gentle physical movements and can be enjoyed by those in a wheelchair. For laughs and some nostalgia, you may even suggest a water balloon toss.
Horseshoes
Seniors with good arm strength and vision may enjoy a game of horseshoes, which can also be adapted to those in wheelchairs. You can purchase plastic and light-weight horseshoes at any toy store or go with the iron horseshoes of times past.
Croquet
Most seniors will remember playing croquet in the past, a backyard game that utilizes wooden mallets and wire or plastic wickets through which hard wooden balls must be tapped in order to score. Your course can be short or long, depending on how much room you have in your backyard. Adapt the course for easier navigation for those in wheelchairs. According to the City of Raleigh Senior Center Feasibility Report of 2007, games like croquet encourage seniors to stay active and fit.
Mock Tournaments
Set up a mock chess, bingo, checkers, backgammon or card game tournament in your backyard or facility on nice days to encourage seniors to socialize with others, engage memory and thinking skills and benefit from the emotional and mental stimulation provided by a garden party atmosphere. Such activities stimulate the mind and engage seniors in safe activities that can be adapted to those in wheelchairs, as well as those with cognitive disabilities.
Wiffle Ball Golf
Engage your parents or neighborhood seniors in backyard wiffle ball or mini-golf, with baskets placed around the yard to fill in for "holes." Backyard golf offers mini flags and multi-colored rings that may also substitute as holes. Golfing games will help increase hand-eye coordination and offer gentle range of motion exercise. For those not limited by physical conditions, set up a putting green to offer an additional challenge.
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