“Old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyways”. Stormy Glenn.
Sometimes it is difficult to do something with the people older than you, because you simply don’t know what to do . You are maybe too shy to take the first step or are not sure which activities they enjoy or make them happy. I have asked some IPP-ers what they think their elderly would like to do together as well as what the IPP-ers like doing with older people themselves. Here are some of our ideas which would hopefully inspire you to do something with your parents, grandparents or a lonely neighbour if you have one.
15 ideas you can try out:
1. Play games. There are really no limits to which game you choose: try playing cards, board games, garden games etc. for sure there is a game you both will enjoy.
2. Mind stimulating activities will be good and hopefully fun for all generations. Crosswords, sudoku, puzzles – there is a whole world to explore.
3. Do a walk-and-talk activity. You definitely find something inspiring to talk about. Elderly people have a whole history of life experience to share and usually they are more than happy to do it.
4. Cook together. Both grandmas and grandpas will probably have a secret family recipe to share.
5. Take them out for lunch, dinner, drink. It may be nice for them to get out of their house.
6. Do something creative together. Paint, draw, make pottery, knit whatever you might both enjoy. Maybe it is about time to do a course together in some handcraft you both wanted to learn for a long time, but never actually came to the point of doing it.
7. Sign up for a language course together. Maybe there is an Italian restaurant in the neighbourhood you can go to and practice your skills afterwards.
8. Watch a sport event together. Either live or on TV. Go and cheer for one of your favourite soccer teams or maybe watch olympic games together on tv.
9. Go to exercise together. Gym, swimming pool, powerwalk in the park, you decide!
10. Sing together. Karaoke or just some traditional songs.
11. Ask them to teach you something. They are the ones who have a lot of skills and experience – a lot for us to learn.
12. Get new cultural input. Cinema, theater or maybe even a music festival together.
13. Have a calm and relaxing evening/day/morning at home. Watch a movie together, read newspapers and talk politics, gossip or look at old pictures together and hear stories from good old days.
14. Teach them something you are good at or something you know that will be useful for them. As simple as how Skype works and maybe trying to talk to a family member.
15. Do a special beauty treatment together. Your grandma will for sure enjoy having her nails done, having a facemask or maybe even a mini foot spa?
And the last but not the least you can go even further. Here are some things we think is quite crazy, but our elderly would still agree doing it together with us.
1. Go to an amusement park.
2. Travel or go on a road trip.
3. Give them a make over and take a photoshoot.
4. Go together to a public dance event. Some line dance or folk dance by the beach or on the square in your city?
5. Go skydiving or parachuting.
And most importantly: talk to them, ask them what they would like to do and try not to be critical right away. Try doing it, it might be an activity you would love, but you just don’t know it yet.
With love and respect to all generations.
Nadiya
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