[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 (121–130)
Fall prevention exercises
October 10 is “Fall Prevention Day” in Japan, based on a wordplay on the date.
Even if we’re careful every day, our legs and hips inevitably weaken with age.
How about incorporating a gentle, seated fall-prevention exercise session as an October event to help strengthen them without strain? A simple move is to sit in a chair, lift your foot, and straighten your knee—focus on stretching the front of the thigh.
To help you engage that muscle, place your hand on your thigh while doing it; it’s an easy and effective cue.
If the event helps raise awareness, it could become a healthy daily habit.
Sports day activity
With autumn being the season for sports, many facilities may be planning to hold sports days.
Even if you don’t go as far as a full sports day, how about incorporating common athletic-meet-style games as recreational activities to get people moving? For example, a baton relay where each team lines up in a single file, passes the baton backward down the line, and once it reaches the last person, passes it forward using the opposite hand; or tamaire, where participants sit in a circle with a box in the center and toss balls into it.
Let’s capture the spirit of a sports day with these lively activities and get everyone excited!
Balloon basket
Let’s enjoy basketball using balloons.
Basketball often comes up as a topic on TV and in newspapers, doesn’t it? Many older adults are probably familiar with basketball.
Have the older adults sit in a circle on chairs and try to get balloons into a hoop hanging in the center.
You can also split them into left and right sides for a team game.
Some older adults may have enjoyed playing basketball in the past.
Reminiscing about those days could make it even more exciting.
Balloon volleyball box-in
This is a game where you use a handheld uchiwa fan to hit a balloon upward and try to get it into a box placed in the center of the table.
Because the box is positioned out of arm’s reach, your control over how you launch the balloon is really put to the test.
People closer to the box end up moving their hands more, so it’s best to have everyone try multiple rounds, changing the starting positions and the box’s position to keep the balloon circulating evenly.
You can also adjust the box’s size and height to change the difficulty and help players focus even more.
[For Seniors] Fun Autumn Activities: Recreation Games (131–140)
Balloon volleyball stick whacking
When you fill a balloon with air, it moves in a light, floaty way, right? Let’s try playing volleyball with one of those floaty balloons by hitting it with sticks.
Divide into two teams and have the older adults sit while holding a stick.
When the balloon comes to you, use the stick to return it like in volleyball.
The key is to use longer sticks.
The slow-moving balloon volleyball will surely get older adults excited.
Once everyone gets used to it, try using two balloons, and so on.
Balloon Relay
Here’s a balloon relay that’s great for sports days and other events.
Place an inflated balloon on top of a baton and run a relay.
While holding the baton with the balloon on it, walk carefully and pass the baton to the next person without letting the balloon fall.
The balloon wobbles lightly on top of the baton, so although it looks easy, it’s actually a tricky game.
Dividing into several teams can make it even more fun.
Since participants call out to each other and cooperate, it can also spark communication.
Even if the balloon drops, don’t panic—just keep at it and enjoy!
Demon Slayer: Tanjiro
How about cosplaying as Tanjiro Kamado, the protagonist of the hugely popular manga and anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba that became a social phenomenon? Tanjiro’s trademark is his green-and-black checkered haori.
You can make it yourself, but since the series is so popular, there are plenty of adult-sized costumes available for purchase.
Under the haori, he wears the Demon Slayer Corps uniform, but if you don’t have anything similar, a black turtleneck and pants will do the trick! Then tuck a toy katana from a 100-yen shop into your belt.
If you’re planning to meet kids on Halloween, they’ll be thrilled and shout, “It’s Tanjiro!”
