Fun & Activities for Seniors: Why Play Is Important
The world becomes more vibrant and inviting when we give ourselves permission to participate in visiting interesting places and participating in fun events. Every senior deserves to pursue enjoyable pastimes that make him or her laugh, lose track of time, or feel like a goofy kid at heart.
What Is Fun Anyway?
Fun is the intense enjoyment you feel when doing a voluntary activity that offers a consuming sense of positive engagement. Sometimes, it’s the result of being free to play without expectations or the pressure of potential consequences, much like children do. And, of course, fun is the complete opposite of boring. Fun lightens your heart.
Why Is Play Important for Seniors?
- Improve how your brain works. Do you want to maintain your memory and optimize your ability to learn new things? Playing and having fun—on a regular basis—can help you avoid memory problems and enhance your creativity and mental sharpness.
- Heal, establish, or maintain relationships. Our social lives are incredibly important for our overall well-being. However, a lot of seniors are lonely. In fact, on average, seniors without spouses or partners spend about 10 hours alone each day.1 But fun and play can enable seniors to make new friends or improve existing relationships. After all, things like laughter and friendly competition are known to increase harmony, trust, empathy, and intimacy among people who experience them together.
- Improve your mental and emotional well-being. Do you like the way you feel when you have a brighter outlook on life and your sense of time recedes into the background? Engaging in fun and playful activities can expand your optimism, multiply your moments of joy, and reduce your stress. It can even help you prevent depression.
- Extend your life and improve your physical vitality. Who doesn’t want to feel younger or more energetic? Creating plenty of fun moments in your life can be a good way to boost your immune system, reduce your risk of illness, and minimize your perception of any existing pain you might already have.
As you can see, play should be a major part of life for everyone. We can all probably use many more experiences of pure child-like joy. It’s who we are, no matter our age.
