With its warm sunny weather, summer is the perfect season to spend extra time with your elders and loved ones. When it comes to brainstorming activities for senior citizens, however, you need to keep in mind the age difference and the fact that some activities may more difficult for them than others. Here are 3 ideas of fun things that you can do with your elders:

  1. Trip to the zoo- Going to the zoo is a fantastic activity that you can do with elderly people. There are tons of great animals to see, and no matter how old you are there is plenty to enjoy. Before you take a senior citizen to the zoo you should find out whether or not they feel comfortable walking long distances. If they don’t, that’s no problem, just be sure to make arrangements beforehand. Most zoo’s will have karts that you can push or other wheel chairs that they can lend to you for the days use. It is a good idea to call ahead of time, however, to make sure a wheel chair will be saved for you.
  2. Picnic at the lake-If you have a lake nearby, whether natural or manmade, you can head there for an afternoon picnic with your elderly loved one. Being by the water and enjoying the warm sun can be very relaxing. Getting out of the home can provide senior citizens with a good change of pace and help them to feel happier. Staying inside all day long can be depressing so it is good to include outdoor activities in weekly schedule. Make sure that you have extra blankets in case the ground isn’t very soft.
  3. Visit garage sales- One really good activity that you can do with a senior citizen is visit local garage sales. Most garage sales get started early in the morning which makes them the perfect activity if you are trying to avoid the heat. Another great part of going to a garage sale is that you don’t have to bring much money and you can still come home with a lot of great items. You can even make a weekly activity out of going to garage sales. Set a limit for yourself every week and see who can find the best items without going over the spending limit. After a few weeks you should have quite the collection of stuff. Go to enough garage sales and sooner or later you’ll be able to hold your own!

If you aren’t sure what your elders will be comfortable with, a good solution is to simply make a list of all your ideas and then get their opinion on which things interest them the most.