[For Seniors] Fun Autumn Activities: Recreation Games
We’d like to introduce autumn-themed activities and recreation games for seniors.
Autumn brings pleasant weather that makes you want to go out.
It’s great if you can just decide, “Alright, let’s go!” and head out, but some people find it difficult to go out as they’d like.
So in this article, we’ll introduce enjoyable recreation games you can play indoors.
There are plenty of crafts and team-competition games that are useful in settings like day service centers, so please make good use of them.
Let’s play and feel the autumn season!
- For Seniors: Simple and Fun! November Recreation Ideas
- [November Health Topic] Indoor Recreation Ideas for Older Adults
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Enjoy September’s Autumn Fun! A Collection of Craft, Game, and Exercise Ideas
- [For Seniors] Recreation Games Related to October Events
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
- September Health Topic: Introducing Recreational Activities That Capture the Feeling of Autumn’s Arrival
- [For Seniors] Simple crafts that feel like autumn: a fun creative activity
- [For Seniors] Fun Small-Group Recreation
- [October Health Topic] Introducing Recreational Activities for Seniors!
- [For Seniors] Liven Up Your Day Service! Fun Beanbag Toss Activity
- [For Seniors] Enjoyment at Day Care: A Roundup of Games and Recreational Activities
[For Seniors] Fun Autumn Activities: Recreation Games (91–100)
bat
Let’s try a bat costume, a motif often used for Halloween decorations! Even if you just throw on a black poncho, it will look the part, so there’s no need to overthink it.
That said, simply wearing a poncho can make you look like a witch or Dracula, so cutting the hem into slightly jagged, bat wing–like shapes will make it more convincing.
As Halloween approaches, headbands with bat designs are often sold at 100-yen shops, and wearing one is also recommended.
Korokoro Pon Game
Here’s a tabletop game that uses balls.
Prepare balls of different sizes, such as ping-pong balls or rubber balls about the size of a fist.
An older adult rolls a ball from one end of the table.
On the opposite side of the table from where the older adult is rolling, hang a basket.
The game is to roll the ball and get it into this basket.
It can be played while seated, so it seems suitable for older adults who use wheelchairs as well.
Moments like “It almost went in but didn’t!” are likely to make it exciting for the participants.
[For Seniors] Fun Autumn Activities: Recreation Games (101–110)
Pacific saury exercise
A quick brain-training exercise you can enjoy even in short spare moments.
You can do it standing, but for older adults, exercises done while seated that engage the whole body are ideal.
Another key to making it fun is choosing moves that fit the season or event.
How about trying the “Pacific Saury Exercise,” inspired by sanma, a fish that represents the flavors of autumn? Spread your arms wide and sway them gently as if you were a fish swimming in the sea.
Next, mimic grilling that sanma over a charcoal brazier—fan it briskly with an uchiwa.
You might be surprised how much that fanning motion works your upper body!
Sheet Valley
Let’s play Seat Volleyball using sunshades sold at 100-yen stores.
It’s a game that many older adults can enjoy.
Connect two sunshades to make a volleyball court.
Have seated older adults hold the two connected sunshades.
Roll a beach volleyball on top of the sunshades.
Before starting, use tape or similar to mark territories on the sunshades.
When the time limit is up, the side where the ball is located loses.
With gameplay similar to real volleyball, older adults are likely to enjoy it.
Since it can be played while seated, many older participants should be able to join.
Soot Sprite
Susuwatari refers to the character called “Makkuro Kurosuke” in the Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro.
Susuwatari are round with jagged edges and have cute little eyes.
If you want to dress up as one, you’ll need to make it yourself since it isn’t sold ready-made.
It’s quite tricky to capture that round shape, but how about creating something like an oversized wrap towel so that when you spread your arms, people can tell it’s a Susuwatari? That would really lower the bar for the costume, don’t you think?
Strikeout
Strikeout is a game where you throw a ball at targets labeled with numbers.
In addition to being expected to help with arm exercise, strikeout is also said to strengthen the core.
By training your core, your body’s balance becomes more stable, which can help prevent falls.
It’s a game where you knock down numbered targets, so you can have fun while getting a workout.
Since it’s a lively game that many people can enjoy together, it would be great to include it in an April cherry-blossom viewing recreation.
How about making the targets not with numbers, but with illustrations or photos related to cherry-blossom viewing?
Thriller dance
It’s that highlight scene from Michael Jackson’s iconic music video Thriller where the ghosts gather and perform a creepy dance.
Since ghosts are an essential motif for Halloween, how about an exercise routine inspired by this scene? Because it’s originally a dance, the steps might seem challenging, but if you sit in a chair and focus on upper-body movements, you can enjoy moving your body.
Replace the stepping with marching in place, and try to faithfully recreate those lunging, attacking arm movements.
It may be hard to match the song’s tempo right away, so it’s best to learn the motions first and gradually increase the speed.
