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Top 5 Board and Card Games for Senior Citizens

Picture of Thomas Bay

Thomas Bay

Owner, Anita's Angels

Leisure time provides balance, relieves stress, and promotes mental health. Getting some board and card games for Senior Citizens is a great way to spend quality time together. Plus, it gives your loved ones a chance to relax, unwind, and socialize.

What are the best-selling board games of all time?

Checkers, chess, and backgammon are the best-selling board games of all time. Chess and backgammon are also two of the oldest games invented over 5,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia. Chess has its origins in a thousand-year-old game from India.

Benefits of Board and Card Games for Senior Citizens 

Table-top games promote socialization and help build relationships. They are enjoyable ways to spend time with your Senior loved ones. You can sit together and chat over a checkerboard or deck of cards.  

People who regularly play board games are less likely to develop dementia and depression. Taking time to relax and have some fun with others reduces stress, loneliness, and anxiety. Plus, games that involve strategy help keep seniors’ minds sharp. Research suggests that playing games slow the cognitive decline associated with aging.

Board Games for Seniors

1. Checkers

Checkers, also called draughts, is easy to set up and learn. This two-player game requires some strategy but is simple enough for casual conversation while playing. Players take turns moving their round pieces diagonally, trying to capture the other player’s pieces. 

2. Chess

Chess is one of the most popular games in the world. Millions of people play at home as well as in clubs and tournaments. This strategy-based game is played on an 8 x 8 grid. Two players control 16 pieces—one moves the white pieces, the other moves the black pieces. The goal is to trap the other player’s King in checkmate so that there is no legal move the opponent can make. 

3. Backgammon

This two-player game uses a combination of strategy and luck. Each player moves 15 pieces along 25 triangles according to a roll of the dice. The objective of backgammon is to be the first to move their 15 pieces off the board. 

Card Games for Seniors

4. Gin Rummy

This two-player game is played using a standard 52-card deck. King is the highest, and Ace is the lowest. In Gin Rummy, each player takes turns drawing and discarding. Players earn points by forming sets and runs of cards in their hands. 

5. Spades 

This trick-taking card game is usually played with four people in teams of 2. Before each hand, players bid on how many tricks or books they think they will take. Teams earn points by winning at least the number of tricks that they bid. In this game, Spades are always trump.

Socializing with Senior Care

Board and card games for Senior Citizens are an excellent source of companionship to combat loneliness and depression. If your aging loved one needs in-home companionship and care, Anita’s Angels’ Companions and CHHHAs are here for you. We are Families Helping Families. Learn how our family can help yours—call 908-788-9390.

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