[For Seniors] Recreations to Experience in August
At day service centers and other senior facilities, staff are always thinking up recreational activities that elderly participants will enjoy.
We recommend seasonal activities that help stimulate both mind and body.
In this article, we’ll introduce recreational ideas that are perfect for August!
Speaking of August, Japan is full of unique seasonal events like festivals and Obon!
We’ve gathered many activities inspired by the classic sights and sounds of summer.
There are also refreshing ideas you can only experience during the summer, so please use them as a reference.
- [Elderly Care] Summary of Ideas and Recreational Activities Linked to August Events
- [For Seniors] Fun Activities That Liven Up Cool Evening Festivals and Summer Festivals
- [For Seniors] Enjoy September’s Autumn Fun! A Collection of Craft, Game, and Exercise Ideas
- Activities perfect for July for seniors: Introducing games and recreational options
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Enjoy Summer to the Fullest! Fun Summer-Only Activities Introduced
- Snacks for Seniors: Refreshing Chilled Sweets Recommended for August
- For Seniors: Festive Attractions to Liven Up Festivals—Games and Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
- [Day Service] August Craft Ideas That Seniors Will Enjoy
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Day Service: A Collection of Fun Event Ideas
- August quizzes that seniors can enjoy!
- [For Seniors] August Health Tips: How to Enjoy and Stay Comfortable During the Hot Summer
[For Seniors] Recreations You’ll Want to Experience in August (61–70)
Healthy Mahjong
Have you ever played mahjong? August 1 is considered “Pai Day” by wordplay, so it’s celebrated as Mahjong Day.
Lately, “health mahjong,” a wholesome, non-gambling style of mahjong, has been growing in popularity.
Mahjong fully engages the brain as you plan your next moves, and it keeps your hands active, making it very effective as brain training.
If you’ve never tried it, why not give it a shot?
paper cutting
August 3rd is said to be Scissors Day in Japan because of a wordplay on the date.
How about trying papercutting using scissors and paper to celebrate? If you fold colored construction paper a few times and cut along the edges or the center, you can easily make flowers.
There are many kinds of papercutting, so everyone’s individuality can really shine through.
Recreational activities that require this kind of fine motor work are also perfect for hand dexterity rehabilitation.
Let’s hang the laundry!
August 1 is Water Day, established by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
Because of its close connection to water, it’s also Washing Machine Day.
In honor of Washing Machine Day, let’s play a laundry-hanging game! Hold laundry items like towels and T-shirts in your hands, and toss them onto the clothesline stretched out in front of you.
If they catch on the line, you succeed.
How many pieces can you hang on the line?
Watching a game at Koshien
How about watching the Koshien tournament, where the intense summer battles have you sweating with excitement and the high school ballplayers’ passion leaves a lasting impression? If they used to play baseball, they might enjoy it even more.
Watching on TV is of course fine, but if you have access to a facility with a projector or screen, you might as well go big and enjoy it on the large display.
If your own prefecture’s team is playing, it’ll get really exciting! Watching sports with a big group and cheering at the top of your lungs is a lot of fun.
Making spirit horses (shōryō-uma)
During Obon, we display shoryoma (spirit animals) because it’s believed our ancestors return home.
Cucumbers are made to represent horses, so they can come back to us as quickly as possible, and eggplants are made to represent cows, so they can carry lots of gifts and return slowly.
Let’s try making these shoryoma! It’s very simple—just stick chopsticks into cucumbers or eggplants and you’re done.
Choose vegetables that look like horses or cows, and have fun making them while sharing lively stories about your ancestors.
Fishing game
How about enjoying a fishing game to get into the summer festival spirit? You know how there’s goldfish scooping at festival stalls.
Let’s try fishing with that festive feeling! Of course, we won’t be catching real fish—prepare fish made from paper or plastic bags, and attach magnets to the tip of the fishing rod and to the fish’s mouth.
Can you manage to hook the fish onto the magnet at the end of the rod?
Shooting game
When it comes to must-have summer events, many people think of festival stalls, and among the classic games there, shooting galleries come to mind.
How about making your own shooting game to try, sharpening your focus on the targets while soaking up the summer atmosphere? The ammo is made by attaching a rubber band to a toilet paper roll core, and you launch it from a plastic wrap core to knock down the targets.
Be mindful of the targets’ size and weight, and enjoy the strategy of choosing which ones to aim for.
