[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
Finger play that trains dexterity and the brain at the same time (1–10)
Shake and shoot
To enjoy moving your upper body, “Shake and Shoot” is a perfect fit.
This is a seated recreation idea.
First, prepare a large piece of cardboard and cut out random holes with a utility knife.
Then place plastic bottle caps in two different colors on the cardboard, and you’re ready to go.
Two people hold the board while seated, gently shake it, and try to drop caps of their own color into the holes.
By the way, if you layer two pieces of cardboard, it’s less likely to bend and will last longer.
Count numbers alternately
Aren’t there many senior and welfare facilities that incorporate finger exercises? Counting with your fingers is said to be a simple yet very profound exercise.
Make a fist with one hand and, with the other hand, raise the same number of fingers as the number you say out loud.
Alternate between left and right.
Once you get used to it, try adding movements such as clapping in between or crossing your hands.
This increases the difficulty.
Performing multiple actions at the same time is also said to help prevent falls.
Flag-raising game
This is a game where you move red and white flags in your hands up and down according to given instructions.
Your ability to listen carefully and then move—distinguishing between commands like “raise” vs.
“don’t raise” and “lower” vs.
“don’t lower”—is put to the test.
Once you get used to it, it’s recommended to gradually increase the speed of the instructions.
By requiring quicker decisions, you can further stimulate the brain.
To help players focus on listening and moving, it’s also a good idea to make the flags easier to hold—for example, by forming them into rings.
PET bottle cap grab game
Here’s a game that uses PET bottle caps to train finger dexterity.
Pick up PET bottle caps and drop them into paper cups.
However, you’ll use clothespins to pick up the caps.
Handling clothespins requires a certain amount of strength.
Simply using clothespins can also improve fine motor skills by encouraging nimble finger movements.
Let’s not only aim for brain-training benefits through finger use, but also strengthen the fingers and hands.
By making it a game, older adults can enjoy themselves while getting in some training.
Give it a try!
Brain-training hand game drawing different shapes with each hand
In everyday life, we rarely make different movements with our left and right sides.
So when we do, the unfamiliar motions stimulate the brain and help activate it.
This time, try making a right triangle with the fingers of your right hand, and move the fingers of your left hand up and down.
It’s a simple motion, but surprisingly challenging.
Your right and left fingers might end up doing the same thing.
Still, by thinking through the movements, you activate your brain.
When you’re doing something you’re used to, the brain supposedly doesn’t get activated.
Plastic Bottle Cap Scavenger Hunt
It’s a game where lots of paper cups are lined up upside down, and you try to find the one with a red plastic bottle cap hidden underneath.
You split into teams and compete.
Each team discusses where the red bottle cap would be hard to find and then hides it under the other team’s paper cups.
Players take turns flipping cups over one by one, and the team that finds the red cap first wins.
All you do is pick up paper cups, but it’s a bit thrilling—like a treasure hunt.
Rock, paper, scissors
Movements of the hands and fingers are closely connected to the brain’s nerves, so they have a deep relationship.
It’s said that moving the hands and fingers can help prevent dementia and reduce the risk of falls.
Many senior care facilities likely incorporate activities that move the fingers, such as the rock–paper–scissors exercise.
So, let’s add a little twist to your usual finger exercises.
Try doing rock–paper–scissors gradually faster, or go in reverse—paper, scissors, rock—while speeding up.
It’s also great to add handclaps in between, or make a fox shape with your hand.
It’s okay to make mistakes with this exercise, and not doing it perfectly will probably bring some laughs.
It’s a finger workout you can enjoy while having fun.