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.
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[For Seniors] Fun for April! Games and Recreational Activities (71–80)
Dropping Colored Balls
We would like to introduce a color ball drop activity for pairs.
Have two older adults sit facing each other, each holding two sticks by their tips.
Place baskets labeled with colors between them.
Roll balls along the sticks and drop each ball into the basket with the matching color label.
This game emphasizes cooperation between the two participants.
Encourage them to communicate and synchronize their movements.
It’s a fun activity that can spark conversation and help expand social connections.
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.
Let’s make a smartphone case with cherry blossoms.
Here’s a spring-themed DIY using resin—an essential material for handmade goods.
How about picking up some cherry blossom petals and making your own original cherry blossom petal smartphone case? With resin, the blossoms won’t wilt, and you’ll end up with an adorable keepsake full of memories!
Shiritori
It’s a recreational activity where you play shiritori using a grid to draw out various topics.
By gradually adding rules through discussion and making the game more complex, you get to think in different ways, and it also seems like good brain training.
It’s fun that a single game can create so many points to think about.
Make dorayaki
Do you prefer tsubuan (chunky red bean paste) or koshian (smooth red bean paste)? There are many kinds of anko beyond those, like uguisu-an (green pea paste) and imo-an (sweet potato paste).
And guess what—April 4 is Dorayaki and Anpan Day.
Even those who don’t usually spend time in the kitchen, let’s get excited and make dorayaki together.
Leave the job of cooking the pancakes to someone skilled in the kitchen, and once the cakes have cooled, it’s all fun from there! Let’s chat and have a good time while sandwiching the anko together.
As for the origin of the name “dorayaki,” one theory says it comes from its resemblance to a dora (a gong).
Be sure to share some fun trivia about dorayaki, too!
Rock, paper, scissors
It’s a game where you change the order of rock, scissors, and paper—or add variations—as you go.
Since the mouth and hands are closely connected, saying it out loud while moving your hands is said to be especially effective as brain training.
Increasing the tempo boosts motivation, too.
Even a simple game can yield better results if you build in a structure that raises everyone’s motivation.
Looking for a four-leaf clover
Have you ever found a four-leaf clover, which is often said to be a symbol of good luck? Clover leaves—specifically white clover—normally have three leaflets, but there are said to be two patterns that result in four: one is due to inherent genetics, and the other occurs when some kind of abnormality, such as being stepped on, causes an extra leaflet to grow.
There are even people who are especially good at finding four-leaf clovers, making you wonder how they can spot so many.
I think it’s fun to look for them together, chatting as you go on a lively walk.
