[Respect-for-the-Aged Day Celebration] Laughter All Around! Ideas for Performances and Games You Can Enjoy While Seated
The program for Respect-for-the-Aged Day is a precious time that will become a special memory for our seniors.
Through performances and games, let’s create heartwarming moments of connection.
We’ve prepared a wide variety of activities for everyone to enjoy together—lively conversations over a meal, the light rhythm of dance, the laughter of comedy improv, and the excitement of magic.
All ideas are designed to be enjoyed while seated, so participants who use wheelchairs or walk with canes can join with ease.
Between programs, conversation will naturally flow, creating wonderful memories.
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Respect-for-the-Aged Day: Laughter All Around! Ideas for Seated Performances and Games (11–20)
Japanese taiko drum
If you want to liven up a Respect-for-the-Aged Day gathering, a Japanese taiko drum performance is highly recommended! The powerful sound of the drums fills the venue with excitement and brings smiles to everyone watching.
A big plus is that people can also enjoy bon odori dancing to the drum rhythms.
Even those who aren’t keen on moving around will likely find their bodies swaying naturally when they hear the familiar beat.
Drumming together, dancing, and sharing the excitement will create the best memories of the celebration.
Give this lively, high-energy idea a try to make your event truly unforgettable!
Let’s play the Same Answer game
A popular game also enjoyed on the variety show “Hanadai-san to Chidori-kun.” It’s really easy to play and works with both small and large groups, so it’s sure to come in handy in all kinds of situations.
The rules are simple: first decide on a prompt—for example, “red foods.” Everyone imagines something and writes their answer, and if everyone matches, that’s a success.
If most people write “apple” but one person writes “tomato,” that alone somehow gets everyone excited.
It’s a fun, brain-training recreation that livens up gatherings like parties with lots of people.
Treasure Hunt Game
It’s a “treasure hunt game” where you hide a beanbag under a paper cup and guess where it is.
The rules are simple, so it seems likely that many older adults would be able to join.
Preparation is easy too—just get some paper cups and a beanbag.
Remembering which cups don’t have the beanbag helps stimulate the brain.
Lifting the cups also serves as hand and arm training.
This time it’s a game to guess the hidden beanbag, but you can enjoy it with variations.
Draw pictures, such as fruits or fish, on the bottoms of the paper cups.
You can devise games where you try to find the picture that matches a given theme from among the cups.
It’s fun to play solo, and it’s also an engaging game to compete in pairs.
Newspaper ball rolling relay
This is a recreation activity where you compete to see how fast you can roll a ball placed on a sheet of newspaper.
It’s suitable for small to large groups, so it’s also recommended for situations where you want to promote interaction among older adults.
Arrange chairs facing each other in alternating rows, and have two people hold the ends of a sheet of newspaper.
Roll the ball you’re given onto the next person’s newspaper, and if it makes it into the basket, that’s a goal.
You can enjoy variety by rolling different types of balls, such as a regular ball, beanbags, or a beach ball.
Give this event a try to experience the fun and sense of unity that comes from doing an activity together.
Flag-raising game
A flag-raising game where you hold a red and a white flag in your left and right hands and move them according to the given instructions.
The rules are simple yet surprisingly deep, so people of all ages—from children to seniors—can enjoy playing together.
It’s also a great idea to use plush toys or illustrations themed in red and white instead of actual flags.
By gradually increasing the speed of the instructions or adjusting the difficulty, it becomes a good brain exercise.
Since it’s a game that can be enjoyed regardless of age, it’s especially recommended for Respect-for-the-Aged Day gatherings where multiple generations come together.
Ogiri (Japanese improv-style comedy wordplay game)
An ogiri game where respondents come up with unique answers to prompts given by the host.
It’s recommended to invite seniors to be the audience and set up the stage in a Shoten-style format with participants lined up.
In addition to wearing colorful traditional Japanese attire, preparing floor cushions will further enhance the ogiri atmosphere.
If you make it a participation-based program, you can solicit themes or have seniors who think of answers share them.
Incorporating elements of theater and rakugo will make it enjoyable for a wide range of people.
Respect-for-the-Aged Day Gathering: Laughter Abounds! Seated Entertainment and Game Ideas (21–30)
Rock-Paper-Scissors Relay
It’s a relay-like game that uses rock-paper-scissors rules, where not only speed of movement but also quick situational judgment is tested.
While holding a ring made of newspaper, you play rock-paper-scissors with the next person; if the next person wins, the ring passes to them—this is the flow.
Under the pressure of trying to pass the ring to the next person quickly, you’re tested on repeatedly judging the outcome of rock-paper-scissors while performing the actions over and over.
The fact that situations where rock-paper-scissors doesn’t progress smoothly can potentially be overcome by the speed of repetition also enhances the game’s playability.
