Not every moment of retirement is filled with pre-made fun, sadly. And sooner or later, every senior finds themselves with a bit too much time on their hands.
Rather than getting bored, you can fill that time with fun you make yourself and these games for seniors to play alone will have you smiling in no time.
Online/Smartphone Games
We’re into the 2020s and many seniors are savvy enough about the internet to find games that they want to play.
You can, of course, find plenty of clones of classic games online but you could always follow in the footsteps of Shirley Curry and start playing Skyrim too.
That’s a famous role playing game that made Shirley something of a world class celebrity. Check out this YouTube video of what she does.
Jigsaw Puzzles
We’ve got a great list of jigsaw puzzles with large pieces if you’ve got mobility or visual challenges to overcome.
But if not, then any old jigsaw will do. Jigsaw puzzles have scientifically proven benefits for your mood, mind and more and everyone knows how to do a jigsaw, right?
Word Puzzles (Crosswords, etc.)
You can always fall back on old favorites too such as crosswords and word puzzles. If you still get a newspaper delivered, then you can probably find some puzzles in that.
Most bookshops will carry some puzzle books too. You can even hunt around online and find free puzzles to print off and complete at home.
We like this large print set of word puzzles from Mirriam-Webster on Amazon.
Number Puzzles (Sudoku Etc.)
And if words aren’t your bag, maybe it’s time to start doing some number puzzles. Most number puzzles aren’t about mathematics, so you don’t need any algebra to be great at sudoku.
There are phone apps that can teach you to play for free, books of puzzles, newspaper puzzles and so many more.
You could always try The Ultimate Brain Health Puzzle Book for Adults if you want a mix of different puzzles.
Trivia
Trivia is always a good way to pass the time. You can find podcasts stuffed full of trivia questions (including one in our best podcasts for seniors list).
There are also plenty of ways to find quizzes online and, of course, you can find trivia books at Amazon too.
Like Timeless Trivia Volume One which got us hooked on the whole series of Timeless Trivia books. You can grab a copy online here.
Card Games (Solitaire, Etc.)
If you love card games, then there are plenty of versions of solitaire, that you can play by yourself and all you need is a pack of cards.
Chess (Correspondence Or Computer)
We love chess as a way to pass the time. You could join an old school correspondence chess game if you want to play with someone else and really think about your moves.
Or you could buy a chess computer, like this one here.
Solitaire (The Marble Game)
This classic marbles game never gets old and it’s not expensive to purchase a solitaire game for home, either. Check it out!
Dominoes
Yes, you can play dominoes alone. All you do is keep them all face down and draw at each turn. Of course, you’ll also need a dominoes set, like this one!
Logic Games
And, of course, there are also plenty of options for solo logic games on Amazon and in retail stores to choose from.
We’d go with a classic Ruik’s cube to get you started though, it’s cheap and it takes a while to learn to solve it properly.
Final Thoughts On Solo Games For Seniors
Hopefully, you’ve found something on this list that you’d like to do in your spare time.
Games for seniors to play alone help to prevent loneliness and keep your mind active, which may help to prevent dementia.
So, don’t be bored, make sure you have some fun options to hand for the next time you have some alone time.
Of course, you might also want to check out our fun and interesting activities list for seniors, as well as hobbies you can make money from or even low-stress jobs for retirees, they can all help the time pass happily too.