[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] Recreational Activities to Experience in August (1–10)
fireworks festival
How about enjoying a summertime tradition: a fireworks festival? The huge blooms that blossom across the night sky are a sight everyone looks forward to during the hot season.
If there’s a local fireworks show, it’s great to go attend; or you can make your own small festival by using available space, like the parking lot of a care facility.
Another option is to skip the big set-piece fireworks and savor the refined charm of sparklers.
The glittering showers of light will become an unforgettable memory.
flowing somen (nagashi-somen)
Speaking of summer, it’s the perfect season for somen noodles.
A lot of people probably get tired of eating just somen all the time, though.
That’s when I recommend nagashi-somen—the flowing somen setup that can really switch up the mood, or rather, change it a lot! These days there are all kinds of nagashi-somen gadgets for sale.
Some swirl the noodles around in a circle, while others let them slide down from the top like a water slide.
It’s so much fun to eat together while everyone chats and laughs.
Shaved ice with whole fruit
Shaved ice made by freezing fruits like strawberries and mandarins as they are and shaving them is steadily becoming popular! It might feel like an unfamiliar snack for older adults, but new experiences can stimulate the brain.
Scoop out the insides of your favorite fruits—such as melon, apple, or orange—and put them straight into the freezer! Keep the skins after scooping, since they can be used as bowls.
If it feels a bit low on moisture, it’s also great to freeze the fruit together with store-bought juice.
Doesn’t this sound like the perfect menu for a summer snack activity?
[For Seniors] Recreational Activities to Experience in August (11–20)
Target shooting
When it comes to summer fun, nothing beats the festival night stalls.
They’re enjoyable not just for kids, but for adults too.
How about setting up a target-shooting game that’s full of that festival mood? You can use anything as a target, but to give it that nostalgic fair vibe, prepare items with classic designs like Hyottoko, Daruma, or Maneki-neko.
For the gun, instead of one that shoots pellets, a simple rubber band shooter—like a chopstick gun—is recommended.
Diorama
The word “diorama” is often heard in the world of plastic models.
If you’re a man, you might have built diorama models of Mobile Suit Gundam or Space Battleship Yamato when you were younger.
The history of dioramas is actually quite recent—the first use is said to have been in 1915 as a display device at the Baroque Museum in the UK.
Here, we’ll introduce an easy-to-make shoebox diorama.
Cool, refreshing themes like the ocean are recommended.
For example, for an undersea scene, paste a photo of the sea on the bottom inside of the box.
It’s fine to use real rocks or sand for the stones and sand scattered on the bottom.
You can make submarines and fish out of paper clay or use store-bought miniatures—the ideas are limitless.
Create it with the mindset of recreating a real landscape.
For women, making a diorama of a palace or a grand garden could also be lovely.
Wordplay with summer vegetables
There are lots of vegetables that are in season during summer, like cucumbers, corn, and pumpkins! Let’s try a word game using the names of these summer vegetables.
Take a vegetable’s name, break it into parts, and make other short words of about 2–3 characters.
For example, with “きゅうり (kyuuri),” you can split it into “き・ゅ・う・り” and make words like “うり (uri)” or “きり (kiri).” It’s best to choose vegetables with longer names! Thinking about what words you can create serves as brain training for older adults, so please give it a try.
Treasure Hunt with Water Beads
A treasure-hunt game using water beads that was popular among YouTubers! Water beads start out as tiny pellets, but after soaking in water for several hours, they become soft and about the size of marbles.
In this game, you mix marbles into the softened water beads, and participants have to find all the marbles by feel.
It’s a visually refreshing activity that’s perfect for summer!
