Games for seniors: what to play, picked by the size of your group

The best game for older adults is usually the one that fits the number of people in the room. Rules matter less than you would think. A great card game falls flat with eleven people, and bingo feels thin with two.

So this guide starts with the head count. For each size of group there are a couple of games that work, what you need to play them, and a free large-print sheet from this site where one helps.

The quick answer

A full room: bingo, and a crossword read aloud

Bingo is the obvious pick for a big group, and for good reason. Nobody has to learn anything. People who have never met can play side by side. Someone who drifts off for a few numbers can check the board and catch up.

Our bingo card generator prints up to 30 different cards at a time, either 75-ball (the usual American card) or 90-ball tickets. For anyone with weak eyesight, choose one card per page; it is the biggest layout. The bingo number caller runs on a laptop, tablet or TV, shows each number very large, keeps a board of every call and can read the calls out loud, so the person running the game can walk the room instead of reading balls.

If plain bingo gets old, there are plenty of ways to change it up. We collected 12 bingo variations for care homes, from picture bingo to music bingo.

A crossword works for a crowd too, as long as only one person holds the pencil. Read a clue, let the room call out answers, and fill the grid on a big sheet or a screen everyone can see. People who would never sit down with a puzzle alone often join in.

A table of four: the partnership card games

Four people around one table is the classic card-game setup. Hand and Foot, Canasta and Pinochle are all usually played as two teams of two. That suits people who come for the company, since nobody plays alone. Agree before you start on how much table talk is allowed.

Hand and Foot is the most relaxed of the three. Each player gets two piles of cards and works through one before picking up the other, and the scoring adds up over four rounds. Canasta is its close relative, played until a team reaches 5,000. Pinochle has bidding and tricks, so it rewards players who already know it.

New to the first two? Our plain-language rules for Hand and Foot, Canasta and Mexican Train walk through how a turn works and how to score.

The score is where these games trip people up, mostly because the pads that come with card games are tiny. Our Hand and Foot score sheet prints the meld minimum for each round right on the page.

Two to six players, mixed ages

For a family visit or a small club, pick a game where everyone plays for themselves and a turn is short. Grandchildren can join without being anyone’s partner.

• Phase 10 is a card game for 2 to 6 players. Each hand you try to lay down a set combination of cards, working from phase 1 to phase 10. The first to finish phase 10 wins. Our printable Phase 10 score sheet lists all ten phases at the bottom, so nobody has to ask what phase 6 was.
• Yahtzee needs five dice and a score sheet, and each player gets 13 turns. There are no cards to hold, and the large-print Yahtzee sheet shows what each box is worth.
• Mexican Train is a dominoes game for 2 to 8 players using a double-12 set. Everyone builds their own train, and the lowest total after 13 rounds wins.

Of these, Yahtzee has the least to learn. You can explain it in the time it takes to find the dice.

One-to-one, or on your own

When it is just you and one other person, or someone playing alone, puzzles fit better than games. They can be put down halfway and picked up after lunch.

The word search maker has 20 themes, such as Gardening or The 1950s and 60s. You can also type your own word list. Family names or the streets of an old neighborhood can get a good conversation going. The Easy level uses a 10 by 10 grid with words that run only across and down. The crossword maker has 60 ready-made puzzles in 10 themes, at three levels, and each one prints with an answer key on its own page.

Some people would rather use a tablet than paper. Play word search online and play crosswords online both work with a finger, and full screen makes the letters bigger.

For more ideas in this vein, see our list of free printable brain games for seniors.

Making any game easier to see and to hold

Small print and fiddly cards put more people off games than the rules do. Most of the fixes are cheap.

• Print score sheets and cards at the biggest size the layout allows, and check one copy at arm’s length before you print twenty.
• A card holder keeps a hand of cards upright on the table, which helps anyone with stiff fingers.
• Dominoes with colored dots are easier to match than plain white ones.
• Pick one scorekeeper per table who reads each score out loud. Or keep score on a tablet: each score sheet page has an on-screen keeper that adds up the totals.
• Good light makes a big difference. Seat people facing away from bright windows.

Keep sessions short. Stop while people still want one more round.

Frequently asked questions