[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
- [For Seniors] Fun Small-Group Recreation
Seated Throwing and Rolling Activities (11–20)
Let’s play frisbee
Here’s a game using a frisbee.
Stand empty plastic bottles on the floor, and have the seniors throw a frisbee to knock them down.
Frisbees had a bit of a boom in Japan from the 1970s to the early 1980s, so some seniors may have played with them back then.
The game might also bring back fond memories.
Forming teams and competing for points can make it more exciting, but of course, it’s plenty of fun to play solo as well.
Put the ping-pong ball in
In elderly care facilities and similar settings, recreation is held every day, but preparing large-scale activities can be a lot of work.
This time, we’d like to introduce a simple and fun activity you can play with everyday items: the “Ping-Pong Ball Toss Game.” Set up walls on both sides of a table using empty tissue boxes, and place paper cups on the table.
Have participants throw ping-pong balls and try to land them in the cups.
If you write point values on the cups and make it a scoring competition, spectators can join in the excitement and everyone will have fun together.
Ping-Pong Ball Cup-In Game
Here’s an easy, fun table game.
Place paper or plastic cups on a table.
Then have the older adults who are seated try to get a ping-pong ball into the cups.
They can throw the ball or bounce it—either is fine.
It’s also nice to think about different ways to get the ball into the cup and approach it like a game.
Grasping the ping-pong ball may help train finger strength as well.
It’s a simple game, but it’s delightful when the ball lands in a cup, and it can be refreshing, too.
Please give it a try!
Korokoro Pon Game
Here’s a tabletop game that uses balls.
Prepare balls of different sizes, such as ping-pong balls or rubber balls about the size of a fist.
An older adult rolls a ball from one end of the table.
On the opposite side of the table from where the older adult is rolling, hang a basket.
The game is to roll the ball and get it into this basket.
It can be played while seated, so it seems suitable for older adults who use wheelchairs as well.
Moments like “It almost went in but didn’t!” are likely to make it exciting for the participants.
Marble Shoot
How about a nostalgic marble game? Set up a long table and build walls at both ends so the marbles don’t fall off.
Create a tunnel out of construction paper and place it at one end, then have participants roll marbles from the opposite side, aiming to send them through the tunnel.
You can vary the rules—specify the number of marbles, or see how many can pass through within a time limit—to keep things fun.
Along with trying a new twist on the game, it might spark conversations like, “This is how we played when we were kids.” Give it a try!
Marble Chiki-Chiki Race
This is a game where you roll a cup containing a marble toward the far side of the table, aiming to stop it as close to the edge as possible.
Encourage players to focus on precise force control—how hard they roll determines how far it goes.
The difference in size between the cup’s opening and the marble, and the unexpected movements caused by their collisions, also seem to make control more difficult.
Like curling, it helps to practice the flicking/knocking motion repeatedly so players can get a feel for it through multiple attempts.
Ping-pong
Here’s a simple game you can try that only requires two items.
It’s playable on a table using paper cups and ping-pong balls.
Bounce the ping-pong ball into the paper cups, or toss it in without a bounce.
Each cup has a score written on it beforehand, so you can compete by points.
Try several rounds and add up your scores—it can also serve as brain training.
Because ping-pong balls are light, they require little strength and are less likely to cause injury if dropped, making this a great option for older adults.
Throwing the ping-pong balls also works as an arm exercise, so you can enjoy some training while having fun.