If you are looking for some quality entertainment for senior citizens, trivia is always a good idea. Not only are trivia games for seniors a great party idea and loads of fun for grandparents, but it also offers a chance for a mental workout for the brain, helping to keep everything sharp.
These questions go way back, so the chances are that many of the seniors playing the trivia games lived through these times.
The questions are challenging and require a little thinking, but easy enough to keep it light and fun.
Whenever I visit my grandparents, and we need a fun activity with the whole family, I always suggest a trivia game. The questions may go back in time, but allow everyone else to get involved.
It helps to create a wonderful memory and entertaining time for when the entire family to play games together.
These trivia games for seniors are easy to play as well. You can dig around the different categories or stick with one to see if you can nail a certain topic. The trivia questions have the answers below, so you’ll know right away if you got the question correct.
If you are looking for a fun activity to for any age, these party trivia games are also a great place to start.
Table of Contents
Easy & Fun Trivia For Seniors
Seniors need exciting entertainment, too!
Trivia questions are a quick way to provide a solid form of entertainment. The games can be long or short and can be played in teams or individually.
We’ve loved doing this with our grandparents and their friends. Here’s a list of the best printable game ideas.
Song Trivia
My favorite way to play trivia games with grandparents is to do it in song!
Party Tip: Often times when memory fails, things can be remembered in song. So song Trivia is a great way to engage your elderly friends.
An easy way to do this is to make a spotify playlist of popular (and some not so popular) oldies songs and run it through the speaker system of the event.
- First one to guess the artist gets one point.
- Award an extra point if they can name the song title as well.
You’ll have a blast watching everyone hum to the beat and jog their memories. Songs just have a way of taking us back somehow.
Also check out these brain games for seniors as they’re having fun, maybe even include prizes at the end.
How To Play Trivia
There are many ways that you can play trivia for seniors. The game can be played randomly just by asking questions 1-on-1. It can also be played by splitting into teams and going head-to-head on the questions.
You can also just ask the questions and have someone call back the answer. There are no real rules to playing trivia for seniors, so go with whatever seems easiest with the group around you.
Trivia From The 1940s, 50s, 60’s
1. Which year did World War II begin?
Answer: 1939
2. What event triggered the U.S. to enter WWII?
Answer: Pearl Harbor
3. What was the date of D-Day?
Answer: June 6, 1944
4. Who was the British Prime Minister during the majority of WWII?
Answer: Winston Churchill
5. Which countries made up the Axis Powers in WWII?
Answer: Germany, Italy, Japan
6. Who directed “Citizen Kane”?
Answer: Orson Welles
7. Which actress starred in “Gone With The Wind”?
Answer: Vivien Leigh
8. Who won the World Series in 1940?
Answer: The Cincinnati Reds
9. What major sporting event was cancelled in 1940 and 1944 due to WWII?
Answer: The Olympics
10. Who won the NFL Championship in 1940?
Answer: Chicago Bears
11. What member of the royal family became head of state in 1953?
Answer: Queen Elizabeth II
12. Who became Premier of the Soviet Union in 1958?
Answer: Nikita Khrushchev
13. Who first climbed Mount Everest in 1953?
Answer: Sir Edmund Hillary
14. What year did the Grammy Awards first take place?
Answer: 1959
15. Who had a major song titled “White Christmas”?
Answer: Bing Crosby
16. Which film won Best Picture in 1950?
Answer: All About Eve
17. Which band had a song called “Wild Things”?
Answer: The Troggs
18. What body part was Thing in The Addams Family?
Answer: Hand
19. What musician headlined the Woodstock Festival in 1969?
Answer: Jimi Hendrix
20. What year was Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated?
Answer: 1968
21. What did the U.S. Postal Service add in 1963 that is part of every address today?
Answer: Zip codes
22. What was this famous boxer’s name before he changed it to Muhammad Ali?
Answer: Cassius Clay
23. What year did the Woodstock Festival take place?
Answer: 1969
24. What famous band came to the United States from England in 1964?
Answer: The Beatles
25. What famous actress was found dead in her bathroom in 1962?
Answer: Marilynn Monroe
Holiday Trivia For Seniors To Play
26. What country was the first Christmas tree recorded?
Answer: Germany
27. In what year did the song “Frosty the Snowman” first appear?
Answer: 1950
28. What is the traditional Christmas plant in the United States?
Answer: Poinsettia
29. What is the name of the reindeer with a red nose?
Answer: Rudolph
30. What is the name of the character in “It’s A Wonderful Life” who is visited by three ghosts?
Answer: Ebenezer Scrooge
31. What image is typically carved into a Jack-o’-lantern?
Answer: A face
32. Who is the character associated with Mr. Hyde?
Answer: Dr. Jekyll
33. Who wrote the novel “Frankenstein”?
Answer: Mary Shelly
34. What does Charlie Brown get in his tick-or-treating bag?
Answer: Rocks
35. How many eyes does the monster called Cyclopos have?
Answer: One
36. What event sparked the modern Civil Rights Movement in the U.S.?
Answer: The Montgomery Bus Boycott
37. What Supreme Court decision in 1954 declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional?
Answer: Brown v. Board of Education
38. What is Hanukkah commonly known as?
Answer: The Festival of Lights
39. How many nights does Hanukkah have?
Answer: 8 nights
40. What day was Memorial Day first recognized?
Answer: May 30, 1868
41. What was Memorial Day originally called?
Answer: Decoration Day
42. Which state was the first to make Memorial Day an official holiday?
Answer: Michigan
Senior Citizen Sports Trivia
43. In which sport is there an ace, volley, and love?
Answer: Tennis
44. Mark Spitz won 7 gold medals in which sport at the 1972 Olympics?
Answer: Swimming
45. The Bears, White Sox, and Blackhawks all play in what city?
Answer: Chicago
46. The Triple Crown award is given to a horse at what three races?
Answer: The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes
47. In the 1971 Olympics, who got a perfect score in gymnastics?
Answer: Nadia Comaneci
48. What does the NBA stand for?
Answer: National Basketball Association
49. How long is a marathon?
Answer: 26.2 miles
50. What is it called when a bowler gets three strikes in a row?
Answer: A Turkey
Funny Trivia That Will Make Every Age Laugh
51. Why don’t skeletons fight each other?
Answer: Because they don’t have guts
52. How do you organize a space party?
Answer: You planet!
53. What do you call a bear with no teeth?
Answer: A gummy bear
54. What has a heart but doesn’t beat?
Answer: An artichoke
55. What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary?
Answer: A thesaurus
56. What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Answer: Frostbite
57. What superhero does not need a phone charger?
Answer: The Flash
58. What is an astronaut’s favorite dance?
Answer: The moonwalk
59. Why did the cookie go to the doctor?
Answer: It was feeling crummy
60. What did the ocean say to the other ocean?
Answer: Nothing, it just waved
General Trivia Questions
61. What is the largest country in the world?
Answer: Russia
62. What is an eight-sided shape called?
Answer: Octagon
63. Who was the shortest president?
Answer: James Madison
64. What famous novel was published by J.D. Salinger in 1951?
Answer: The Catcher in the Rye
65. What American musician is known as “The King of Rock and Roll”?
Answer: Elvis Presley
66. Who was the first man to walk on the moon?
Answer: Neil Armstrong
67. Who painted the Mona Lisa?
Answer: Leonardo da Vinci
68. What is the largest organ in the human body?
Answer: Skin
69. Who invented the polio vaccine in the 1950s?
Answer: Dr. Jonas Salk
70. What is the largest planet in the solar system?
Answer: Jupiter
71. What countries make up the United Kingdom?
Answer: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
Trivia FAQs
How many people do you need to play trivia games with seniors?
You can play with as many people as you want. Play the games one-on-one or split up into teams. If it is a large group, it might be helpful to assign one person to ask the question and check the answers.
Do I need any supplies to play trivia with seniors?
Paper and pens will be enough to play trivia with seniors. Have enough of each so everyone can write down their answers.
The trivia questions for seniors are a great way to spend time having fun. The questions provide a strong brain exercise, test thinking skills, and keep it fun all at the same time. These questions here are just to get you started, so feel free to add your own if you make it to the end of the list.
Should I have prizes for Trivia games?
Prizes are great for games of all types! My favorite prize for my grandparents generation is something useful, (they’ve collected enough stuff along the way). Think about a book, a free dinner out or possible a treat they could consume that day. The best option is to allow them to enjoy the winnings in the moment!
I am so excited to play a trivia game with my grandparents and older friends. I can’t wait to test their knowledge and see which category they know best and which one I might win at! 😉
P.S. If you found these trivia games exciting, you might want to check out our 1980s trivia games and printable trivia birthday party games.