Indoor activities for seniors on rainy days

Key points:

• You can still keep active in your own home during the cold and wet winter months through easy indoor exercise
• Rainy days can be a good time to revisit old hobbies you may not have had time for
• Make a fancy dinner or host a social gathering with family and friends

You may be able to take the time to read a favourite book or get round to starting a new hobby, dreary days can be brightened by engaging in ‘you-time’!

Here are ideas for keeping yourself busy on a rainy day:

Exercise

Any exercise that can be replicated inside means you don’t have to worry about missing your morning health walk!

Sometimes it’s just too cold to go outside for a walk, and if it’s wet outside it may make your regular walk more perilous.

Instead, opt for easy indoor exercises. This could involve a stint on any indoor exercise equipment you have, like an exercise bike, treadmill or elliptical.

A rainy day is also a great time to roll out the mat and do yoga or pilates. However, if you struggle to get up and down on a floor, you may find chair yoga more your speed.

For more chair yoga ideas, read our article, ‘Five easy home exercises for older people‘.

There are also a lot of videos and other resources available online that you can follow, like dance exercise videos or pilates.

Arts and craft

During a stint indoors, it can be fun to throw yourself into the hobbies you have been letting gain dust!

Why not crack out the paints and watercolours and capture the dreary rain scene of your garden?

Or get to knitting or crocheting a promised gift for your niece and nephew. The rainy season is also the perfect time to create a comfy patchwork quilt, as it can also keep you warm during winter.

If you have a musical side, take the time to practice your instrument and fill your home with the sounds of Bach or more contemporary rhythms if that takes your fancy.

Otherwise, rainy days can also be an ideal time to try your hand at something new, like learning a new language.

Brain teasers

Crosswords, sudoku, find-a-words and quizzes are a great way to keep your brain engaged and the cogs spinning.

Did you know training your brain can help retain and reduce your likelihood of losing cognitive function?

Brain teasers and quizzes can test your knowledge and make your brain problem solve, keeping your mind active and helping the hours pass.

Try a new recipe

A cold day is a great time to test out a new warm winter meal. Push your Masterchef limits at home and try a new recipe from a cookbook that has caught your eye but you haven’t had time for.

Maybe it’s a winter stew or a 12 hour slow cooker recipe to keep your belly full for the next three days.

Or, on the sweeter side, why not try your hand at a complicated dessert-like macarons or a decadent carrot cake.

Spend quality time with family and friends

Socialising can be a bit harder on a wet and dreary day, so why not host some friends and family at your house?

This means you can show off the fruits of your labour! Whether that is a newly knitted scarf or your fancy carrot cake!

A rainy day doesn’t have to dampen your social calendar and hosting in the comfort of your own home can be just as fun as out and about in the community.

Relive your favourite book or movie

Nothing is better on a rainy day than kicking up your heels, rugging up with a nice tea and watching your treasured childhood movie or reading your favourite book.

From the classics by Enid Blyton and J.R.R. Tolkien to the newer authors filling the book space, there are so many great reads to choose from. Whether you are looking to be taken on a fantastical adventure to another world or to read something that makes you think about how to improve yourself, there is always a book for every occasion.

Similarly, there is no easier way to escape a wet winter day than escaping through your TV screen. Settle in for a movie marathon rewatching some old classics or take the opportunity to watch that movie or show you never got around to seeing.

Movies and TV shows can transport you to another country, world or galaxy, and can be a perfect way to forget about the wild weather outside.

What do you like to do on rainy days to keep yourself entertained? Tell us in the comments below.

Related content:

Slips, trips and falls: Wet weather safety for older people
Keeping protected from winter sicknesses
Keeping your brain healthy as you age
Mental benefits of puzzles and brain games for older people