For Seniors: Games and Recreational Activities to Enjoy in April
When April arrives, the temperature rises and grasses and flowers begin to bloom, and we often find ourselves thinking, “Spring is here,” don’t we?
This time, we’re introducing fun activities and recreations recommended for April, especially for older adults!
We’ve gathered a wide range of options—things that get the body moving, engage the mind, and use the hands—so why not try the ones that look enjoyable to you?
At day-service centers and other senior facilities, please enjoy these recreations together while feeling the warm spring sunshine.
- [For Seniors] Fun Spring Recreational Activities: A Collection of Games and Play Ideas
- [For Seniors] Enjoy a Warm Spring! April Health Topics Roundup
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Recommended for day-service centers. A collection of craft ideas for April
- [For Seniors] Liven Up Cherry-Blossom Viewing! Fun Games and Recreational Activities
- April events and observances that seniors can enjoy
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
- [For seniors] April haiku. Exciting
- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Day Service: A Collection of Fun Event Ideas
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- [Elderly Day Service] Let’s all have fun! Games and recreational activities
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Indoor Activities! Recreations and Games That Engage the Mind and Body
[For Seniors] Fun for April! Games and Recreational Activities (61–70)
Spring Flowers Quiz 1
As spring arrives and the weather warms up, we start seeing more and more vividly colored flowers, don’t we? This is a quiz to test how many spring-blooming flowers you can recognize by looking at photos and thinking of their names.
First, check whether you can connect each photo with the correct flower name, and from there we recommend diving deeper into learning about each flower.
If you firmly learn their blooming seasons and characteristics, you might find yourself paying more attention to flowers when you look outside.
Spring Flower Quiz 2
Spring is the season when it gets warmer and animals and plants become more active, and there are flowers you often see around this time.
This is a quiz that tests how many spring-blooming plants you know by having you identify their names from photos.
Even for flowers you always see in that season, there may be some whose names you’ve never really paid attention to.
In such cases, use hints—like fill-in-the-blank names—to think them through carefully and turn it into an opportunity to gain new knowledge.
Difficult-to-read kanji of spring
This is a quiz that presents items commonly seen in spring—such as foods and animals—written in kanji, and asks you to think of their readings.
Even if you know the words, you might not often see them in kanji, and some may be more strongly associated with being written in katakana or hiragana.
The fact that they’re related to spring is a major hint, so you might find the answer by picturing springtime scenes.
It may help to consider the meanings of each kanji used and think of things associated with spring that fit those meanings.
Sakura Quiz
When it comes to flowers that symbolize spring, cherry blossoms are the first that come to mind—their beauty evokes a sense of Japanese tradition.
This content invites you to take on a quiz about cherry blossoms, which are strongly associated with the image of spring in Japan, to deepen your interest in the season even further.
In Japan, cherry blossoms are used as motifs in many places, so a wide range of quiz genres seems possible.
By deepening your knowledge about cherry blossoms, you’ll also feel more inspired to go outside and see them in bloom.
Ball Grabbing Game
Let’s play a game where you grab balls using newspaper.
All the tools used in the game are made from newspaper.
Make the balls by crumpling newspaper into a sphere, and make the grabbing sticks out of newspaper as well.
You can create everything you need for the game using everyday materials.
Place several balls inside a circle, grab them with the stick, and put them into a basket.
If you set a time limit, the game gets more exciting.
Forming teams and competing for the best time will make it even more fun.
Quick brain training, “Ready, set!” game
Here’s a simple brain-training game you can do while seated, with no prior preparation.
Pair up in twos.
When one person calls out a number—like “Ready, five!”—both of you raise your hands or feet.
If the total number of raised hands and feet matches the number that was called, you’re correct.
You can make it more game-like by intentionally raising more hands or feet to throw off your partner’s guess, and enjoy training your brain as you play.
It also helps to create a cheerful atmosphere where mistakes lead to laughter.
Since raising hands and feet doubles as light exercise, try it together with older adults.
Matching game
This is a game where you look at the pictures drawn on the bottoms of arranged paper cups and find and match the ones with the same picture.
By searching for matching pictures, you can train concentration, and by quickly stacking the paper cups, you can also encourage awareness of hand movements.
It’s also important to decide what kind of pictures to draw; for example, limiting them to a spring theme lets players enjoy the game visually as well.
Adding trick elements, such as pictures that look similar but are slightly different, is recommended, as it helps players focus even more on their hands.