[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
Balance Training Games (11–20)
Total Concentration PET-bottle Kendama
Did you know that May 14 is Kendama Day? It’s said that when older adults play kendama, it brings back memories and activates the brain.
Also, moving the arms and fingertips and guiding the body to a target position is very good for both the brain and the body.
Why not try making this kendama yourself and playing with it? It’s easy to make: tie a string to the opening of a plastic bottle, and attach a paper cup to the other end of the string.
That’s it! Hold the bottle by the body and try to catch the opening side with the paper cup to play.
Hishimochi Tower Game
This is the perfect game for Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day): the Hishi Mochi Tower Game.
It’s an easy, tabletop game you can play while seated, so it’s great for older adults.
Cut thick paper in pink, white, and green into strips and form them into rectangles.
You can also repurpose empty milk cartons.
Once they’re ready, stack them like a tower, alternating colors one layer at a time.
If the hishi mochi tower falls, you lose.
By the way, the colors of hishi mochi have meanings: pink represents peach blossoms, white represents snow, and green represents fresh greenery.
It might be nice to stack them in that order, too.
Since preparation is simple, why not give it a try for Hinamatsuri?
balance board
The heart-pounding, nail-biting game is the Balance Board Game.
You make the balance board using square pieces of cardboard in different sizes, and you also create the pillars by rolling cardboard into cylinders.
If you intentionally make the cylinders a bit unstable so the board wobbles, it enhances the thrill.
By alternately stacking the pillars and the square cardboard pieces, you complete a tower! Then, throw or place balls onto it without knocking the tower down.
The score changes depending on where you place them, so you’ll want to aim for high-scoring spots—but those are, of course, less stable.
It’s a game of strategy and risk.
Wobbly Beanbag Game
Create it by arranging everyday materials! Here are ideas for a wobbly beanbag game.
What you’ll use: beanbags, a plastic tray, and an empty plastic wrap core.
The great thing is you don’t need to buy special materials, so it’s easy to try! To set up, stand the wrap core upright on a table and place the plastic tray with the beanbags on top.
That’s it! Participants then take turns removing beanbags from the tray.
The unstable wrap core wobbles, adding a thrilling challenge!
Ping-pong ball transfer
Here’s a simple, hands-on game you can enjoy casually.
Make a hole in a paper plate that’s slightly larger than a ping-pong ball, and attach a pair of chopsticks to the back.
You might reinforce the rim of the paper plate with vinyl tape or similar.
Put ping-pong balls in a shallow basket or tray, and use the paper plate with chopsticks you made to scoop them up.
You can compete to see who scoops a ball the fastest or who collects the most balls.
Of course, it also works as a solo game you can focus on by yourself.
Wobbly Disc Game
This is a game called the “Wobbly Disc Game,” where you stack cardboard tubes and boards in an unstable arrangement and place discs on top.
It’s challenging to throw the discs while keeping the platform from tipping over, requiring both control and strategic thinking.
You can take turns throwing discs with a large group, or compete solo to see how many discs you can stack.
If the tubes and boards are poorly balanced, the difficulty increases, so it’s fun to adjust the setup depending on the players.
Balance Training Games (21–30)
Demon Balance Game
@chooobo2 Balance game 👹 This material will be distributed via an Instagram subscription ✨ You can also play by stacking plastic bottle caps or sponges 🌼Made in FebruarySetsubun craftSetsubun#HandmadeToyspaper plate#AtHomePlayPaper Plate Craft
Oria – niKu
Let’s try playing a Setsubun balance game where you place little ogres (oni) on a base made from a paper plate.
The base is shaped like a semicircle, so each time you add an oni it wobbles, keeping players on edge.
Players take turns placing oni, and whoever causes the balance to tip and makes the oni fall loses.
This game is easy to make with just a paper plate and a single sheet of paper printed with oni illustrations.
Fold the paper plate in half, then add parallel creases to the left and right of the center fold to fix it into a semicircle.
For the oni, print the illustrations on paper, cut them into strips, and fold them into rectangular shapes.
