Festive Christmas games for older adults

Seasonal fun for older adults and their loved ones.

Most people enjoy activities and games, and this is a great way to enhance the festive experience for an older loved one, particularly if they are spending time with family over the holiday season. Here, we are taking a look at some of the most popular and best festive games for older adults, and the benefits older people can gain through inclusive games at this time of year. This is your guide to creating enjoyable festivities for the older loved ones in your life, and how home care could help you do this. 

At Home Instead, our aim is to help people age positively and in place by bringing expert care to their home. For nearly 20 years, we have been providing the highest standard of care, and creating industry-leading training programmes for our Care Professionals that are accredited by nursing and medical professionals. Today, we are the world’s largest global domiciliary care network, supporting over 100,000 older adults with personalised, tailored care at home. So whatever questions you have about games for older adults, we can help. 

How to make sure games are inclusive and fun for older adults

One of the most important things to remember when choosing and preparing activities that include older members of the family is to ensure they are inclusive. This means modifying any games so they are enjoyable and manageable for those with various abilities. This could mean making changes such as:

• Using games and activities with larger print, such as oversized cards or game boards with bold letters, for those with visual impairments.
• Simplifying game rules, or explaining them slowly and in stages, with visual aids or other tools that can help everyone grasp the concept of the game. A ‘practice round’ will usually help with this. 
• Even if others have played the game before, do not assume the rules are simple to understand for those with cognitive difficulties. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has never played a similar game before, or who struggles to understand and follow rules, and consider how you could explain the game more clearly. If you are caring for a loved one with dementia, you may find more helpful advice in our guide to great games for dementia patients
• If you are playing a complicated game, it may be best to separate yourself into teams where an older adult is always paired with someone who has played the game before, or who is confident in the rules. This helps to keep older people involved and having fun, without giving them the stress of feeling like they must keep up. 
• Consider asking your older loved one what they would like to play, to make them feel more included. They may have certain games in mind that they love to play at Christmas or other times of year, and it can help enhance their sense of purpose if they are the ones to suggest the game and explain the rules. 

Ultimately, the more involved and confident an older person feels in games and activities, the more they are likely to enjoy them. 

Traditional Christmas Game Ideas 

Traditional Christmas games are some of the best, and are likely to be the ones your older loved one remembers and enjoys. Here are some of the best holiday-themed games to bring out at this time of year…

Christmas Bingo

Bingo is always a favourite, and is relatively simple to understand provided everyone can hear and see what they need to in order to collect their squares. Many older adults enjoy this game, and it encourages discussion and connection. Traditionally this involves a card with a number grid on it, and someone announcing random numbers (similar to the lottery) until people are able to mark off enough of the numbers on their scoresheet, after which they yell ‘bingo’ to win. 

You can easily create a Christmas version of this, either by yourself or by using a premade template (you can find some like this online) and printing copies for everyone. Instead of numbers, you can use classic Christmas objects or themes. To make the game even more interesting, instead of having one person announce the objects, you could task participants to find them throughout the day on their own. For example, if they come across snowman wrapping paper, they get to cross off ‘snowman’ on their scoresheet. 

Festive Charades 

Charades is a fun game that is often brought out at family events, and it is easy to make this one Christmas themed too. The idea of charades is to choose a well-known film, book, song or another piece of media, and mime it to your team until they guess it. There are usually rules to this game, such as using certain hand signals to symbolise the number of words or syllables, but you can decide how to simplify this so everyone can get involved. 

It also helps to make sure every film, book or song is one most people know. For example, your older loved one may not be able to guess an artist their teenage grandchild listens to, so try to theme the game so everyone chooses something well-known to all, such as classic Christmas films, or Christmas songs.

Christmas Crosswords

Crosswords are a popular pastime for older adults, so if you are looking for Christmas themed activities (either to do together or for your older loved one to do on their own) a themed crossword could be a lot of fun for them. These can be particularly stimulating for older adults as they require both memory and thinking skills. The basic idea is to figure out what the given clues mean, and fill out the boxes. As every word intersects with another, they must get each word correct or this will hinder their progress with other words. 

This is a great brain training activity that research suggests could help to preserve brain function in older adults, and there are a lot of themed crosswords available for download online, such as these festive crosswords. 

Festive Jigsaws

Jigsaws are another activity many older people enjoy, as they require concentration, memory skills, reasoning skills, hand-eye coordination, and offer a sense of accomplishment when completed. In fact, a 2022 study found that doing any sort of puzzle for older adults could help to exercise their mind by solving cognitive challenges, as well as having emotional and social benefits. 

There are many festive jigsaws available to purchase, both online and in shops. Plus, jigsaws can be done alone or with other members of the family, and can encourage teamwork and focus without requiring silence – older adults can chat with others while you all engage in a puzzle together. When you are finished, you will have a beautiful festive image you can display over the holiday season. 

Name That Carol 

A festive take on ‘Name That Tune’, this game involves playing the intro to a number of Christmas carols, or an excerpt from the middle, and having everyone guess which Christmas carol it is. Generally speaking, older adults may be more familiar with many popular Christmas carols, so this is a great, inclusive game that may give them a chance to beat everyone else who perhaps knows less Christmas carols. 

By splitting into two teams to battle it out, your older loved one may feel particularly useful and accomplished if they are able to name the correct carol for their team. If you would prefer, you can also do this game with well-known Christmas songs instead. 

Pin The Nose On Rudolph

The traditional game of ‘Pin the Tail on the Donkey’ can be easily adapted to suit the Christmas season by creating a ‘Pin the Nose on Rudolph’ instead. You will find plenty of variations of this in the shops over Christmas time, or you can also print out your own using a template from the internet. Or you could make one yourself as a craft project with your older loved one before the family game night. 

All you need is some sort of backdrop with a reindeer face on it, a red pompom or sticker to symbolise his nose, and something to use as a blindfold, such as a scarf. This is a good game to encourage some physical activity for older adults, however they may need assistance if they have any mobility issues, so be sure to move any trip hazards and have someone stand with them to guide them towards the game play area. 

Modern Christmas Game Ideas

Modern game options – such as digital games – are also a lot of fun, and some research suggests that games played digitally could have increased social benefits. Here are some of the best modern Christmas game ideas… 

Christmas Trivia Apps

If you have access to a smartphone, then it is easy to find a Christmas trivia app for fun around the dinner table. Trivia games simply involve questions and answers, which almost everyone will be able to get involved in, including older adults. 

You can search in your app store for a Christmas themed trivia app and download this before the family gathering, and then split into teams to answer the questions and collect points. This is a simple game that can be a lot of fun while challenging the brain at the same time. 

Themed ‘Guess Who’

There are various versions of the ‘Guess Who’ game, so you may remember it called something different, but the idea is for everyone to write a well-known person on a post-it note, then switch their post-it notes around, and put a different one on their forehead. The post-it note on each person’s head should be seen by everyone around them, but should remain anonymous to them. 

To make this game Christmas-themed, you can have everyone write a character with a connection to Christmas instead of a celebrity. For example, Santa, Bing Crosby, Mrs Claus, Prancer, etc. Using post-it notes can be difficult as they don’t always stay stuck to the forehead, so you may want to use a headband, or instruct the person to hold it in front of their chest without looking. Also, it helps to make sure the names are written in big, bold letters so everyone can easily see what is written on the post-it notes. 

Elf On The Shelf 

In recent years, ‘Elf On The Shelf’ has become extremely popular, especially on social media where people go to great lengths to create elaborate hijinx for their elf. Less a game and more of an activity, Elf On The Shelf is simply a soft elf toy rumoured to ‘come to life’ at night and get up to mischief within the home.

This is a fun activity for those with kids, and requires creativity every night after the children go to bed, to come up with unique scenarios. For example, when the kids wake up, their elf could be surrounded by mince pie crumbs having ‘eaten’ one from the packet. Or, the elf could have unravelled a roll of toilet paper to be naughty. 

Whatever the situation, parents find it fun to come up with new ideas for most of December, so if you have young children, it could be a good idea to involve your older loved ones in the secret missions; ask them to come up with ideas, take them shopping for props, have them help with crafting, and more. This activity can give them a sense of purpose and enjoyment.  

Karaoke Machines 

Studies have found that both music and singing can have benefits for older adults, particularly those with health conditions such as dementia, osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and more. Karaoke provides an opportunity for singing, and combines memory skills, physical exercise and socialising, making it an enjoyable activity for older adults who love a sing-song. 

If you have a karaoke machine, you may already have everything you need, or you can find karaoke YouTube channels on the internet (like this one) with lots of festive songs that show the words on the screen. By connecting your phone or laptop to the TV, you can set this up as a karaoke night for the whole family and involve your older loved one in this. If you want to make this even more official looking, you could print out a list of available songs you have found, so each person can pick their favourite. 

Virtual Escape Rooms 

Escape rooms have grown in popularity in recent years, with many in-person escape rooms popping up all over the country. However, if you are hosting a festive event at home or your older loved one cannot travel far, you can also plan a virtual escape room event the whole family can participate in together. This activity has the same feel as an escape room, with the mission of unlocking something or getting free from a space, but it is all done online. 

The theme and directions of online escape rooms will be different depending on the company who organises it or the type you purchase, but the aim will always be to escape the virtual room. You can find examples of these Christmas themed escape rooms online, like this one or this one, or you can search the internet for ‘virtual escape rooms’ to find more. If your older loved one struggles to understand online activities, it is best to do this in the same room as them rather than trying to have them log in separately. Most escape rooms require everyone to work together, so older adults can feel like part of the team by contributing to help the escape effort. 

How to create a festive atmosphere 

Part of the fun of Christmas is creating a festive atmosphere in the home, and this can make even standard games and activities feel more Christmassy. You can involve your older loved one in this to make them feel part of the fun too, by asking them to help decorate the tree, shop for ornaments, or create a centrepiece for the Christmas dinner table. 

Some ways you can create a festive atmosphere include putting twinkling lights around the room, placing a themed tablecloth on the game play area, setting up some Christmas ornaments to set the mood, and playing festive music at a low level in the background for a cheerful ambiance. 

Remember, by involving your older loved one in the plans, such as asking for their Christmas song suggestions for a playlist, or having them choose a game they would like to play, you can make them feel more valued and included in the organisation of a fun day with family. 

How home carers can help older adults by setting up games

Organising a family Christmas and being a family caregiver for an older loved one can be challenging, so at this busy time of year, it can help to enlist the assistance of home carers for your older loved one. As well as helping with things like personal care, housekeeping or more specific, tailored care such as dementia care, home carers can also assist with organising and facilitating games and activities for your older loved one, to ensure they have plenty of mental stimulation and enjoyment during the festive season, while keeping on top of their daily care and medical needs. 

At Home Instead, we provide everything from general companionship and respite care (which can be helpful around the festive season for families who are going out of town), to more specialised, complex care needs. Whatever support you need, you can get in touch with your local Home Instead office to discuss your options and the support we can provide.

We’re an award-winning home care provider and part of a worldwide organisation devoted to providing the highest-quality relationship-led care for older people in their own homes. Arranging care for yourself or your loved one shouldn’t be stressful, so whatever questions you would like answered, feel free to reach out to the Home Instead team to discuss your needs.