Games for a senior citizens party

Like cards, dice are ultra-portable. And dice games offer the chance for just as much enjoyment and social bonding. Plus, there's something uniquely satisfying about rolling the dice and watching them all land in exactly the way you had hoped.

Try popular dice games like:. Bunco : Win as many points as you can by rolling numbers that match each numbered round of play. Mexico : Be the last player standing by avoiding the lowest roll in each round. Liar's Dice : Outlast your opponents by successfully deceiving them and recognizing when they are bluffing you. Farkle : Race your opponents to a predetermined scoring level by constantly deciding between taking a risk or playing it safe. Yahtzee : Defeat your competition by rolling the highest-scoring combinations you can.

Can't Stop : Beat the other players by taking risks, getting lucky, and avoiding the trap of being too much of a gambler for your own good. A lot of seniors enjoy keeping their math or language skills sharp by playing fun games or solving satisfying puzzles related to words or numbers. Great options are available for playing solo or as part of a group. Consider these examples:. Crossword Puzzles : Solve clues to fill out a grid of squares with interconnected words and phrases.

Word Search : Discover and circle all of the hidden words in a grid of letters. Sudoku : Fill out a partially completed grid of numbers so that each row, column, and sub-grid contains all of the numbers from one to nine. Kakuro : Fill out each white square of the puzzle with a number from one to nine so that the sums of the entries in each row or column match the clues associated with them. Scrabble : Outscore your opponents by strategically forming new words or adding to existing ones on a crossword-style board.

Boggle : Shake a tray of 16 letter dice and spot more words in the randomized grid of letters than your opponent does before the time runs out. Scattergories : Partner up and defeat the other teams by coming up with creative answers that all match a specific category, contain the same first letter, and won't be thought of by your opponents. Balderdash : Fool the other players by trying to make them believe that your fake answers or definitions represent the truth about things like obscure words, people, and movies.

Many nursing homes and assisted living communities regularly organize fun games that large groups of residents can participate in. The best activities directors try to keep things fresh by changing things up on a frequent basis.

In fact, most games in this category are homemade and just require an investment of time and creativity to pull together. You can put your own spin on any of them. Plus, many of them can be used as fun party games for seniors or elderly residents who are celebrating birthdays or other milestones.

Use the following examples as inspiration:. Bingo : Be the first player to match five numbers in a row or in another pattern in this popular game of chance. Smile Toss: Prepare to laugh when playing this great balloon game for seniors. Draw a smiley face on a balloon. Sit in a circle with the other players. Have someone be in charge of playing some recorded music and stopping it at random times.

As the music plays, pass the balloon around the circle to each other. If you're left holding the balloon when the music stops, you must try not to smile for at least 10 seconds. If you do smile, you'll have to leave the circle.

The last person remaining wins the game. Pass out slips of paper and have everyone write down the best advice they ever received from their mom or dad.

Have the judge collect all the answers, read them out loud, and select the top three. Then get each of those three winners to write down the worst advice they ever received from either of their parents. Have the judge collect them, read them aloud, and select the final winner. Fact or Fiction? Select five weird facts from the books, make up five other fake facts, and randomly number them from one to Pass out a sheet of paper to each player that is numbered from one to One by one, read each strange or fake fact out loud and ask the players to write down whether it is fact or fiction.

To determine the winner s , collect the sheets and find out who had the most correct guesses. The Price Is Right: Go to the store and buy four common, lower-priced items as well as four mid- to higher-priced items to use as prizes, being sure to write down their prices. Put everyone's name in a bowl. Draw four names to become the first contestants.

Showcase your first item and have them each guess its price. The person who is closest to the actual price without going over is the winner of that round. Draw another name from the bowl to replace that winner.

Continue the process for the other common items until you have four winners. Then, have each of the four winners guess the total of the four higher-priced items to determine the final winner of those prizes. Photo Puzzle Race: Get large color prints on heavy stock of various photos, preferably of the people who will be playing the game. Cut each of the photo prints into relatively small puzzle pieces. Split players up into different teams and have them compete to see which team can solve its puzzle the fastest.

Name That Tune: Choose a selection of songs that will create feelings of nostalgia for the seniors who will be playing the game. Gather everyone together a day ahead of time to listen to each of the songs and to learn the artists and song titles. On game day, start playing one of the songs, pausing the music after a few seconds.

See if anyone can guess what it is. Keep playing and pausing the song until someone makes a correct guess. Do the same thing for the remaining songs. Give prizes to each of the winners. Year of Invention: Collect 10 everyday objects and find out when they were first invented. If you're hosting an adults-only New Year's Eve party or the kids won't be staying up until midnight , be sure to plan some New Year's Eve party games just for adults.

These games are simple and inexpensive to put together; for some, you might already have the items you need on hand. And all of them will allow your guests to let loose and have some fun as you celebrate the new year. Here are eight New Year's Eve party games for adults to enjoy. This New Year's Eve party game is all about getting the conversation going at your party and hearing about everyone's favorite moments and memories from the past year.

Some of the categories include the hardest they laughed this year, the best movie of the year, the event of the year that had the most impact, the most overrated celebrity story of the year, and many more.

The Name Game from Activity Village is an easy New Year's Eve party game that's great for a large group of adults looking for a fun but laid back game to play. For this game, each guest will need to contribute some names to a large bowl. They can be names of celebrities, fictional characters, historical figures, and even people in the room.

Then, guests should divide into teams and take turns trying to guess the names on each slip of paper by giving each other clues. Keep track of points for correct guesses if you wish, or simply enjoy the fun of the game. Based on the popular box game by the same name, Loaded Questions is a hilarious New Year's Eve party game. It works best for adult couples. The Dating Divas website offers a version with free questions that you write down on slips of paper.

The questions are aimed at finding out what the partners really think. You'll find questions such as "What would embarrass your partner? Uncommon Designs. These New Year's Eve photo props aren't necessarily a game, but they are a great way to get your guests to loosen up and have a fun night. The photo prop signs from Uncommon Designs can be printed and then placed on popsicle sticks. Give them to your guests, and let everyone have fun snapping photos of each other. The retail games Trivial Pursuit and Scene It?

Or, you can search online for trivia games and questions. For example, you could test your knowledge of s trivia or s trivia. You can also customize trivia party games for seniors celebrating a special birthday or anniversary. Adapt the rules and ask questions that relate to the life of your guest of honor. You could also try Fact or Fiction. Check out a library book on weird or historic facts, perhaps from a particular era.

One sneaky player will either read a fact from the book or make something up while pretending to read. Afterward, the players will decide if the statement is fact or fiction. For the nostalgic Name That Tune game, gather popular recordings from musical eras your guests know and enjoy. Play a small section of each song. The first player to name the song wins that round.

To switch up the game a little, ask players to write down their answers individually or play it like charades and answer as a team.

The game Guess Who is a great ice-breaker. Guests bring a childhood photo of themselves to the party and write their name on the back. The host puts the photos on a board and adds a numbered sticky note to each. Then, partygoers guess which photo goes with which guest.