Holiday Activities for Seniors: Easy Puzzles and Games from Thanksgiving to New Year
Low-prep holiday activities for seniors: large-print Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year word searches, Sudoku, card games and ideas for groups.
Sunroom Games · Updated
The months from Halloween to New Year's are full of gatherings, and full of quiet afternoons in between. Simple puzzles and card games fit both. They need almost no preparation, everyone already knows how to play, and a large-print sheet or a big-card game on a tablet works for people whose eyesight isn't what it was. Everything below is free on Sunroom Games, with nothing to sign up for.
A season of word searches
Our printable word searches come in themes for every part of the season, each with an answer key on the second page:
| When | Themes to print |
|---|---|
| October | Halloween, Autumn |
| November | Thanksgiving, Baking Day, On the Farm |
| December | Christmas, Hanukkah, Musical Instruments |
| January | New Year's, Winter |
Each sheet prints on ordinary Letter paper, the puzzle on page 1 and the answer key on page 2. For bigger letters, choose the Extra large 10 × 10 size before printing. Every printable puzzle can also be played on screen with its "Play it online" button, which suits a tablet passed around the table.
Every theme also comes as a word scramble: twelve words with their letters mixed up, in big letter tiles, with a line to write each answer. Show the word bank for an easier sheet. Try the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's scrambles.
And every theme comes as a crossword: twelve answers in a friendly criss-cross grid with squares about half an inch wide, and plain clues printed in 18-point type on a page of their own. The answers are all about the theme, so they're a good fit for a holiday gathering. Try the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's crosswords.
For the big holidays, our puzzle packs put all three together: a word search, a word scramble and a crossword in one printout, with every answer key at the back, so you can hand out the puzzles and keep the answers. Try the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas packs.
Ideas for a group
These work for a family table, a club, a church hall or an activity room.
A word search with a theme of the day
Pick the theme that matches the occasion: Thanksgiving on the week of Thanksgiving, which falls on the fourth Thursday of November, Hanukkah or Christmas in December, New Year's on the first of January. Hand out copies, keep the answer keys aside, and let people work alone or in pairs. Pairs are often more fun: one person reads the word list while the other searches.
Team word search
Split the group into two or three small teams, each with one sheet and a pencil. Teams take turns calling out a word they've found and showing where it is. It turns a quiet puzzle into a conversation, and people who struggle to see the grid can still help by reading out the list.
A Sudoku corner for the puzzle lovers
Some people would rather work with numbers. Print a few copies of Easy or Medium Sudoku for them. Each puzzle has exactly one solution and can be solved by logic alone, with the answer key on the second page.
Teach a card game before the big day
Holiday gatherings are a classic time for cards. If the family plays Hearts or Spades and someone is rusty, or has never learned, a few games against our friendly computer players are a gentle way to practise first. Hearts and Spades both explain any card you can't play, and the Hint button suggests a good card and says why. Spades is a partnership game, so it pairs grandparents and grandchildren nicely at a real table.
For more on running a puzzle session for a group, see our guide to large-print puzzles for groups.
Ideas for one
The holidays can also bring long, quiet stretches. A few ways to fill them:
- A daily puzzle with your morning coffee. Our daily puzzles are the same for everyone each day, with one for every game: the solitaire games, Hearts and Spades, Mahjong, Sudoku, and a word search with its own theme. Finish one a day to build a streak through the season, and compare notes with a friend on the phone.
- Solitaire with seasonal cards. The card backs on Sunroom Games change with the calendar: an autumn pattern in October and November, and a snowy winter one from December through January.
- A Mahjong board on a winter afternoon. Every Mahjong deal we offer can be cleared, so there's always a way to the end.
Practical tips for printing
- Print a day ahead. It gives you time to check the copies and find enough pencils.
- Use good light. A puzzle that's easy to read by a window can be hard under dim evening lamps.
- Offer the extra-large size. It has fewer words and bigger letters, and it's the better choice for anyone with low vision.
- Keep the answer keys handy. Nobody wants to spend the afternoon hunting for the last word.
- Pencils with erasers beat pens. Everyone can loop a word, change their mind and try again.
If a screen is easier than paper, our guide to making games easier to see on a tablet explains how to make the letters and cards larger on any device.
Free to copy
You're welcome to print and copy our puzzles for home, classroom, library, club and care-home activities without asking. Please don't sell them or post them on another website. That's all our terms ask.