[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 (1–10)
Persimmon Ball Toss Game
While enjoying the autumn atmosphere and stimulating the brain, how about trying a recreational activity called the “Persimmon Toss Game”? Making the persimmons is simple: crumple up some newspaper into a ball, wrap it all around with orange vinyl tape, and draw a leaf with a permanent marker—that’s it.
The persimmons are light and soft, so even if they hit someone, it won’t hurt, and you can throw them while seated—so enjoy the “persimmon toss” to your heart’s content.
Prepare a net like the ones used for fishing, and compete to see how many persimmons you can get into it, just like a ball-toss game at a sports day—it’s sure to be a hit!
Brain training singing
Let’s have some fun with the children’s songs “Donguri Korokoro” and “Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree,” which everyone has been familiar with since nursery school or kindergarten.
This is a recreation activity using two songs perfect for autumn.
Divide into two teams as evenly as possible.
Each team will take turns singing the two songs, alternating every measure.
It sounds simple, but someone might jump the gun, or the melody might go off…
Simple, yet it looks like a lot of fun.
Tonton Sumo
Many older adults may look forward to sumo, don’t you think? Autumn means the Autumn Basho held in Tokyo, so let’s try a sumo-themed activity! That said, let’s make it a version that everyone—from kids to grandparents—can enjoy safely.
And that sumo is… paper sumo! Create your favorite wrestlers out of paper, tap-tap the ring, and host your own Autumn Basho together.
It’ll be even more exciting if someone does lively play-by-play commentary!
For Seniors: Fun Autumn Activities. Recreation Games (11–20)
Crumple up a newspaper and boom!
A game called “Crumple the Newspaper—Boom!” where you roll up the newspapers placed on the table and put them into a box at the starting signal.
It’s a very simple game, but making newspaper balls is surprisingly fun and gets everyone fired up, so it’s perfect when you want to liven things up! Autumn means cleaning up fallen leaves.
They’re not leaves, but why not play as if you’re tidying up a desk covered in newspapers? There’s a rule to crumple the newspaper firmly, so it’s also good exercise for your fingers.
The team that makes the most balls within the time limit wins!
Autumn Pacific Saury Festival Game
Speaking of autumn flavors, Pacific saury (sanma) is a favorite for both kids and adults! In autumn, festivals related to sanma are held across the country, such as the Meguro Sanma Festival.
Inspired by those festivities, we turned a sanma festival into a game! It’s also a great option for recreational activities at senior care facilities.
The rules are simple: pick up sanma made from aluminum foil with chopsticks and drop them into a box.
Although aluminum foil is light, making the fish about the same size as real sanma intentionally makes them hard to grasp with chopsticks.
It’s effective for seniors’ fingertip training, so give it a try!
ball toss (traditional Japanese beanbag/ball-throwing game)
When it comes to classic autumn sports events, the sports day is a staple.
And among the all-time classic events at sports day, nothing beats the beanbag toss! You might think it can only be done outdoors, but with a bit of creativity you can enjoy it indoors too.
Fix a cardboard box or basket onto a tall stand you have at home to make a target for the beanbags.
It’s also great that older adults can play while sitting in a chair!
Autumn Delicacy Collecting Game
When it comes to recreation that lets you enjoy play and brain training at the same time, the Autumn Harvest Grab Game is a perfect choice.
It’s a game where you grab illustrations of foods related to autumn, such as vegetables and fruits.
First, scatter the illustrations across the prepared area.
Attach hooks to gardening sticks or similar rods, and wrap them with masking tape or the like to make your tools.
Write point values on the back of each illustration, and compete based on total points rather than the number of cards collected.
It’s also great because older adults can play while seated.
By asking participants questions about the illustrations they’ve collected, it also serves as a brain exercise.
Give this game a try and let everyone enjoy the feeling of autumn together.
