[For Seniors] Enjoyable Indoor Activities! Recreations and Games That Engage the Mind and Body
Have fun moving your body together while giving your brain a workout, too! If you’re looking for games that train balance, indoor recreation is highly recommended.
We’ll introduce ideas you can fully enjoy even while seated, such as the Chopstick Pick-Up Game, the Balance UFO Game, and Ping-Pong Ball Transfer.
In particular, the actions of carefully pulling out chopsticks and placing items on a disc naturally build concentration and a sense of balance.
These ideas are perfect for seniors to enjoy together, so why not give them a try?
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- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- [November Health Topic] Indoor Recreation Ideas for Older Adults
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
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Games with a Ball (1–10)
Roll the ball game
The Roll-the-Ball Game is a simple, tabletop recreation you can enjoy easily.
You place a frame on the desk, put a ball inside it, and pull the ball using a string.
It’s played one-on-one, and because you can do it while seated, it’s easy on the body.
As you pull the ball, you wind the string around and around, which can help develop fine motor skills.
It’s also a bit thrilling, since you’re disqualified if the ball leaves the frame.
The key is to pull the ball without letting it slip out of the frame.
Thinking about how to pull the ball effectively can also help improve both mental and physical functions.
ball rec
Recreational activities using soft, lightweight balls are recommended for older adults.
Throwing and catching a ball engages various physical and sensory abilities, such as muscle strength, grip strength, and dynamic visual acuity.
Simply touching balls that can roll or be squished is enjoyable for their tactile sensation as well.
For this reason, they’re also said to have positive effects on the brain.
There are ball-based activities that can be done while seated, so many older adults can participate.
Have the participants sit in chairs in a circle and pass the ball forward and backward around the circle.
If someone can stand steadily, have them walk to the next person and hand the ball to their neighbor.
This helps improve core balance.
Have fun catching the ball with your body
A recommended rubber-ball recreation activity for seniors.
Rubber balls are less slippery, so they’re easier to catch.
This time, pair up and throw the ball back and forth, catching it by clamping it between your hands.
It seems like it can train your reaction speed more than catching with your palms.
You can also spice it up by changing the rules—like one-handed catches or knee catches—which makes it more exciting.
Receiving the ball in various ways helps stimulate both body and mind.
A key tip is not to overinflate the ball so it’s easier to grip.
Get it with dice
Here’s a dice game you can enjoy using items from a 100-yen shop.
All you need are a die, some balls, and three baskets.
Put the balls into one of the baskets, then place one basket for yourself and one for your opponent—now you’re ready! Take turns rolling the die and move the number of balls shown into your own basket.
Continue until there are no balls left.
The player with the most balls at the end wins.
Because luck plays a big role, differences in ability are minimized, so anyone can enjoy it.
Rolling the die and picking up the balls also serve as upper-limb functional training, and counting the numbers can provide cognitive training benefits.
Give it a try!
Sheet Valley
It’s a game where two teams form one large ring and hold a sheet, aiming to move a beach ball placed on top into the opponent’s territory.
To successfully push the ball toward the other side, your team needs to lift the sheet higher than the opponents, which really trains explosive power and arm strength.
Another key point is that it doesn’t work if only one person tries hard—teams need to synchronize their movements and timing.
When the time limit is reached, the team holding the ball loses, so it also tests your stamina to keep moving throughout the game.
Ball games (11–20)
Recreation involving hitting with balls and sticks
This is a recreational activity for large groups using balls, sticks, and buckets.
First, split into two teams.
Each person connects their bucket and stick with the person next to them, and the teams compete to see who can strike the ball faster.
The appeal of this game is that it trains quick reaction time.
Since you lift the items during play, it also helps build muscle strength.
It could also be fun to pass to the person in front and connect in a random order.
Depending on the participants’ age or abilities, you might adjust the speed of connecting.
Competing as teams encourages everyone to help one another and fosters cooperation.
ball catcher
This is a game where you use a stick with a paper cup attached to the tip to collect balls lined up on a table.
There are also walls on the left and right sides of the table, so make good use of them to smoothly collect the balls.
A face-to-face match across the table is recommended, and trying to collect more balls than your opponent within a time limit tends to increase the speed of movement.
The longer the stick, the harder it is to handle, so once players get used to it, it’s also recommended to add variations such as changing the distance.