[For Seniors] Enjoy Your Alone Time: Perfect Ideas for Passing the Time
Among elderly people, there are likely some who have more alone time than they know what to do with.
Some live by themselves, and others spend much of the day alone because their family members are at work.
There may also be those who are thinking about how to spend their alone time while they’re in the hospital.
In this article, we introduce recreational activities that are perfect for passing the time and enjoying solo moments.
We’ve gathered easy options that you can start as hobbies without much effort.
If you find something here that seems suitable for an older adult you know, please share it with them.
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[For Seniors] Enjoying Solo Time: Perfect Ideas to Kill Time (41–50)
painting
Painting, considered effective for preventing dementia, is incorporated as recreation in various facilities.
As people proceed while simultaneously thinking about multiple elements—what shape the subject has, what colors it involves, and which colors to mix to express a particular hue—their brains are said to be activated.
In addition, hearing “That’s great!” from family and friends who see the finished work can brighten older adults’ spirits.
Grab a sketchbook and colored pencils, and give painting a try!
Rakugo appreciation
There must be many older adults who regularly enjoy listening to rakugo to pass the time! Listening to rakugo isn’t just a way to kill time—it can also help you relax through laughter and may even help prevent cognitive decline.
Plus, many rakugo pieces are hard to fully grasp after just one listen; hearing them multiple times can strengthen comprehension and memory.
For those who find the content difficult or struggle with older language, modern pieces like “new rakugo” or original works are recommended, as they’re easier for contemporary audiences to understand.
Give it a try—you might find yourself completely hooked.
Goo-Paa Exercise
The Goo-Paa exercise starts with deep breathing! Doing the routine after relaxing your mind and body makes it more effective.
Stepping in place while making the goo and paa hand motions gives your brain good stimulation.
Moving your feet and hands alternately activates the brain even more.
Adding clapping makes it easier to keep the rhythm and more fun to continue.
By arranging goo, choki, and paa, you can create a variety of finger exercises.
Seated sing-along exercises are also recommended.
Moving your body to nostalgic children’s songs can energize both your mind and body.
It might be fun to enjoy them together with your grandchild.
Kongming Puzzle
The Kongming puzzle is a wooden 3D assembly toy made by putting together interlocking pieces.
It is said to have been invented by the Chinese general Kongming, who lived during the Three Kingdoms period, using his expertise in the Eight Trigrams.
Today, it’s also popular as an educational toy and brain-training item, with many colorful versions and puzzles available in varying levels of difficulty.
The completed forms range from cubes to chrysanthemum-like shapes and intricately interlocking structures.
Once you get hooked, time flies by in an instant! It may be well-suited for people who enjoy fine, detailed work or those with long experience in making things.
origami
Many of you may remember getting so absorbed in origami as a child that time just flew by.
Focusing with your fingertips to complete each piece makes origami a perfect solo activity for a brain workout.
While folding along with a book can be quite challenging, there are now plenty of videos with clear explanations, making it easier to tackle intricate creations.
It’s also fun to slip your origami pieces into an album and build a collection! Watching your collection grow piece by piece will make your time alone anything but boring.
Tsume Shogi (checkmating shogi problems)
Thanks to Sota Fujii’s success, a new shogi boom has arrived in the Reiwa era.
Shogi-themed manga and films are back in the spotlight, and interest is surging.
The rules are surprisingly simple, so even if you start now, you’ll surely have fun! Of course, you’ll want to practice on your own before playing matches.
That’s where tsume-shogi (checkmate puzzles) come in.
Sharpen your skills with tsume-shogi, which you can enjoy solo.
There are plenty of shogi apps for smartphones, and books of tsume-shogi are also available, so be sure to make good use of them.
Solitaire
When it comes to Solitaire, many long-time Windows users probably think of it as a familiar free game.
In older versions of Windows, Solitaire came preinstalled by default.
The term “solitaire” itself broadly refers to games intended to be played solo, but in practice it most often means card games using playing cards or name cards.
Among the many types of solitaire, one of the most famous is Klondike, where you arrange the cards according to set rules and stack all cards by suit from Ace to King; you clear the game once all cards have been placed onto the foundations.
With just a deck of cards, you can enjoy a variety of solitaire games—something every household should keep on hand!
