[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
Simple handmade recreations using newspaper (11–20)
Stick Catch
We all want to stay healthy and live long, don’t we? Try using a newspaper-stick catch game as a way to help prevent the need for care.
Divide older adults into pairs and have them sit facing each other in chairs.
One person throws a stick made from rolled-up newspaper with one hand to their partner, who catches it with one hand as well.
In the actions of throwing and catching, it’s important to see how well the pair can synchronize with each other! Why not try this recreation activity, which lets you enjoy communication while addressing lack of exercise and working on care prevention?
Balloon volleyball with newspaper-stick bats
Balloon volleyball played using rolled-up newspaper sticks lets you reach farther with the tool, while also challenging more delicate control of force.
It’s also important to treat the table like a volleyball court: set up a proper net in the middle so you can enjoy the volleyball atmosphere.
The higher the net, the more it encourages players to hit the balloon upward, which naturally directs their gaze up and can help improve posture.
Rather than focusing on winning, encouraging players to keep the rally going will likely help them enjoy it for longer.
tug-of-war
Pull-the-paper is a simple game where you just tug on a sheet of newspaper.
Sit facing each other and hold the newspaper by its two ends.
At the start signal, both of you pull at once.
The newspaper will of course tear, but the winner is the one who ends up with the larger total area of newspaper.
There are probably tricks to how you pull and how you hold it, so it’s a good idea to play a few times and get the hang of it.
It doesn’t seem like brute force alone will do the trick.
Paper ball throwing
An easy game you can play with just newspaper and a box: paper ball toss.
Place several quarter-sized sheets of newspaper stacked on your lap.
At the start signal, crumple a sheet into a ball and throw it into your team’s cardboard box.
The team with the most paper balls in their box wins.
If you crumple in a rush, the balls will be too soft and hard to aim into the box.
The trick is to squeeze the newspaper tightly to make a firm ball before throwing.
Newspaper scooping
Let me introduce “newspaper scooping,” where you scoop up cut pieces of newspaper with chopsticks! First, cut the newspaper into small pieces.
Then use chopsticks to scoop up the tiny pieces and place them into a container.
Because you’re using tools, it also serves as fine motor exercise.
If you set a time limit and have everyone do it together, it adds a bit of tension and makes it more fun.
Cheering each other on with things like “So close!” will make it even more exciting.
Since you’ll be using scissors to cut the newspaper, be careful to avoid injuries.
Newspaper-pulling-with-your-feet game
Here’s a game that gets you moving your feet while having fun and training at the same time.
Have older adults sit in a chair and pull a sheet of newspaper with their feet.
They can pull it with one foot or with both feet together.
You can also have two older adults sit facing each other at a distance and compete—it should be fun.
Besides providing leg exercise, it’s likely to increase interaction among older adults and bring more smiles.
It can also help with a change of pace and stress relief.
Please give it a try.
stick throw
Throwing something is a great way to relieve stress, isn’t it? One activity I’d love for you to try is a recreation called “stick throwing.” You make it by rolling up a newspaper into a stick and securing it with tape, then tossing it into an empty cardboard box.
Unlike a ball, it may take a bit of technique to throw well, but that unique feel can be pretty addictive.
I introduced it using a cardboard box, but you can substitute a smaller box or even a bucket.
One extra tip: if you add a small weight—like some tape—to the tip of the newspaper stick, it becomes easier to throw.
