10 Summer Activities for Seniors

While it might already feel like summer given the extreme humidity and the continuous sunshine here in Canada, the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere is officially on the twentieth of June. This past year has been quite hard for everyone, and this will be our second summer during the COVID-19 pandemic. That fact alone can induce feelings of sadness, as many people feel ready to return to their normal lives. However, with restrictions easing, stores slowly opening back up, and more and more people getting vaccinated, this summer might not be so bad after all. 

Since last summer was not your ‘typical’ summer, some improvisation was needed. The same applies this summer, as we are in a bit of an interim period between normality and irregularity. As such, it might be difficult to come up with ideas for engaging summer activities, especially as an aging adult or a senior. Older people still deserve to have fun, and can still have plenty of fun and enjoy themselves during the summer. 

Below are ten fun yet completely safe activities for seniors and aging adults to enjoy during the summer. Many of these activities might depend on the restrictions and regulations put in place in your area. Before engaging in them, please remember to read up on the rules in your area, and ensure that you and your friends and family are as safe as can possibly be. 

A hungry crowd standing in line at a fish and chips food truck

1) Visit Some Food Trucks

It’s finally food truck season! Here in London, Ontario, a food truck driving down the street or parked in a street corner or a park is a common sighting all year round. In fact, London is a popular food truck location, with its own proper food truck association. They stop all around London waiting to serve their loyal customers some wonderful, fresh food. However, they are much more enjoyable during the summer. 

Rather than buy something from a food truck and quickly race back to your car during the winter, you can now walk to the park or drive to a specific street corner at which they’re located on that day and get your hands on some awesome, creative food truck food. It is a fun spin on a traditional lunch, dinner, or even dessert. If you live in London and would like to know where the food trucks are on any given day, check out the London Food Truck Association Facebook page. Walk over to your local food truck spot, grab a nice cold treat or a saucy pizza and have an informal meal with your friends and family in the outdoors! If you would like to have a meal from a food truck but find that they are too far, our caregivers are happy to drive you and accompany you to the location. 

2) Have a Picnic

Summer is prime picnic time. There is nothing better than having a nice meal with friends and family in a grassy field, under a big tree. Establish a new summer tradition with your loved ones. Our caregivers can help you prepare one half of a healthy picnic meal, while your picnic partners or guests make the second half. Some common picnic foods are sandwiches, fresh fruit, and smoothies or freshly squeezed fruit juice. 

Picnics are a great activity for aging adults and seniors, as it is not a high-impact, strenuous activity that requires a lot of energy. Preparing the picnic snacks is great fun, and so is sitting in the outdoors and having a relaxed meal with your loved ones. It is a social activity that is suitable for people of all ages, and is best enjoyed during the summertime. If the ground is too hard, you can find a bench at your local park and eat there. If you have trouble with mobility, you can even set up a picnic or a makeshift garden tea party in your own backyard as opposed to your local park.

3) Nature Walking

While walking is not limited to the summer season, it is certainly a much harder and more dangerous feat in the winter, especially for seniors. The black ice that litters the pathways and subzero temperatures can cause you to fall or become sick, which can be life-threatening. Summer is therefore the season for nature walks, especially because of how lively everything is. The trees grow back, the critters come out and run around and chatter frequently, and the sun shines incessantly. 

Spending time outside lowers cortisol levels, blood pressure, induces quick healing, enhances your creativity, vision, immune system, and concentration, and boosts your energy and Vitamin D and serotonin levels. Exercising lightly – walking – has the added effect of circulating your blood and allowing you to lose or maintain weight. The stimulating combination of being outdoors and engaging in light physical activity means a lot of summer fun, leaving you in a good mood and a healthy state of mind. 

Our caregivers know the best, safest and most accessible walking trails and parks in London. Ask them to drive you and accompany you on your nature walk, and they will be happy to do so. There is no better time to walk outdoors and look around at the beautiful scenery! 

Two seniors walking in the park

4) Go Swimming

Here in Ontario, things are slowly opening back up. When they do, don’t forget to take a soothing dip in a lake or a pool before summer is over. Swimming and most water sports are completely safe for seniors, as long as you don’t exert yourself. The buoyancy lessens joint impact, thus minimizing the risk of injury. This makes water-based activities a wonderful option for aging adults and seniors with arthritis or otherwise stiff joints, and seniors with limited mobility. 

Swimming is much more fun in the summer, and can be even more fun with friends and family. When places open back up at a safe capacity, try enrolling in a swimming or water aerobics class at a community pool. It is a great way to lose or maintain weight, reduce pain, and increase strength, muscle, cardiovascular fitness, balance, and flexibility. You don’t even have to do all of this if it’s not your cup of tea – simply enjoy the water and float around in a lake, pool, or beach! Arrange a lake trip with some family and friends, and make a day of it. In Canada, this is something that is greatly missed during the wintertime, so take advantage of it as much as you can.

5) Have an Outdoor Barbecue

Just as fun as a picnic, if not more, is having a barbecue in the Great Outdoors! Barbecues are mostly restricted to the summer season, which makes them even more special when their time rolls around. Reminiscing upon those fond memories of you grilling and socializing with friends and family at your home or their homes, at the beach, and at the park no longer has to be just that. 

Invite your family and friends to a big outdoor cookout. Many parks and beaches have grills available – all you have to do is bring the meat, vegetables, and spice for a balanced meal. The great thing about barbecues is that they interest all ages; if you have a large family, this is the perfect opportunity to get them all together. The adults can grill together and chat while the kids play nearby. Grilling is not overly strenuous, either; many seniors love to grill and can still barbecue a mean chicken or steak. This maintained independence can be empowering. Don’t wait any longer – get barbecuing! 

6) Go Fishing

Fishing is another wonderful, safe summertime activity that is commonly enjoyed by seniors and aging adults. Assemble a group of friends or family members and go on a fishing excursion. You can even make a day trip of it and drive to a nearby river, pond, or lake for some ‘catch and release’ fishing. Perhaps you can even rent a boat, or stick to fishing on a pier. Many fishing enthusiasts often rent cottages near lakes to prolong the outing and have an even better time. It is great fun packing your gear and a picnic lunch and going off to fish under the sun with some friends. Either way, fishing is a great senior-safe activity that requires limited mobility. Of course, be careful if you’ve caught a bigger fish than expected; ensure that you do not strain your muscles while pulling, and let it go if its pull causes too much physical pain. 

A senior fishing

7) Visit Your Local Farmers’ Markets

While farmers’ markets are usually always around, they are great fun during the summer. We have many here in and around London, such as the Covent Garden Market and Phillips’ Farm. It is so much more enjoyable and personal to go to a local farmers’ market rather than a big grocery chain, and help your local economy by supporting farmers near you. They also sell amazing produce, and you can be sure that it is fresh and grown with love and care. It’s a great break from the usual bustle of grocery stores, and doing something different every once in a while is lots of fun. Interestingly enough, farmers’ markets are cheaper than regular grocery stores, but don’t let that be the motivating factor – support your local economy, have fun while looking at their offerings, and dive into some delicious food made from your purchased goods!

8) Read Outside

Any avid reader knows that reading is already quite fun. However, there is something incredibly special and relaxing about reading outside. It becomes much more calming and atmospheric. While immersing yourself in a fictional world or simply absorbing facts from a book or newspaper article, you listen to the sounds of nature – the trees rustling in the wind, the birds chirping, the squirrels scurrying around outside, and more. This is a unique experience that offers much more than reading inside, especially when an author is describing scenery at the same time as you’re reading about it. 

This is an experience that is sorely missed during the winter, although reading by the fireplace is an experience by itself. While engaging in stress relief and enriching your mind, you are equally boosting your serotonin levels and attaining some much-needed Vitamin D, especially if you reside in Canada. To mix it up a bit, try reading in a hammock if you have one, or stretching out onto a chaise-longue under an umbrella with a book in hand. If it interests you, you can even join or start a summer book club that takes place outside. Either way, reading outside is a special summertime activity that is fun and safe for seniors. 

9) Attend an Outdoor Sporting Event or Concert

Outdoor events are always fun, but can be difficult in the winter. Sporting events aren’t unique to the summer, but when they’re in the outdoors on a nice summer day, they feel much livelier. Events such as live sports or concerts are much rarer these days due to COVID, but things seem to be looking up with the vaccine rollout. It is true that many have been canceled, but perhaps there will be some local live outdoor events held later on in the summer. 

Despite these cancellations, sporting events, at the very least, have seemed to resume. When done properly, these can be quite COVID-safe. Visit your child or your grandchild’s soccer game, ballgame, or tennis match. You can even simply go watch a local sports team play without having to know anyone. Many of them actually offer senior discounts, so make sure to call in advance and ask. It is likely that there may be limits on capacity, and regulations put in place that ask everyone to sit six feet apart. That is no problem; when you hear the wild cheers from the crowd, you will still feel united with the team and the swarm of people watching and cheering alongside you. 

Many musicians are beginning to play live again, too, with similar rules and restrictions put in place. As long as you abide by those rules and keep yourself safe by wearing your SPF and keeping your distance from others, you will be fine and be having a great time. Sporting events and concerts are always fun, but especially so in the summer. 

10) Take Up Gardening

Gardening is not an activity that is restricted to the summer months, but it is particularly fun in the summer. If you have never gardened before, this summer might be a great time to start, as gardening has many benefits. If you have, bring your harvest outside! The good thing about gardening is that it doesn’t have to be difficult; it is actually quite accessible once it is modified to fit your abilities and needs. Aging adults and seniors with mobility issues or body pain can continue to garden. Our caregivers can help make your garden safer and more accessible for you by moving things around – adding benches, standing tables, raised flowerbeds and pots, and purchasing tools that will ultimately help rather than hurt you. Gardening is much more fun under the sun, and can even feel more rewarding and motivating as you watch your trees, fruit, and vegetables grow under the sun’s warmth. 

An elderly man gardening outside

We hope that you are able to have an amusing summer despite the current global circumstances. The activities listed above are safe for everyone and can be conducted while remaining six feet apart from strangers, and are all perfect for the summer. Remember to wear your SPF and a hat, remain conscious of signs of dehydration, stay six feet apart from other people, and avoid overly strenuous activities. If you are in need of aid for any of these activities or in general, such as with your physical or mental health, contact us or our caregivers – we are always here to help. For more senior-safe tips, advice, and information about our services, make sure to check out and follow our Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest pages.