[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!
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- [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 (31–40)
Chestnuts from the fire game
When it comes to autumn delicacies, chestnuts are one of the classics, and just the sight of picking chestnuts from among fallen leaves evokes the season, doesn’t it? This is a game everyone can enjoy, themed around that very situation of brushing aside leaves to find chestnuts.
Line a cardboard box with crumpled newspaper, place capsules inside to represent chestnuts, and use tongs to search for them.
Since you use only the hand holding the tongs to move the newspaper aside, smooth wrist movements are key.
Also, inside the chestnut capsules are notes that change the point values, adding an element of strategy to the fun.
Spot the differences
Spot-the-difference is a game where you compare two similar pictures and look for small differences.
The key point here is that the illustrations are autumn-themed, so while sharpening your focus to identify the differences, you can also soak in the seasonal atmosphere.
The pictures feature various autumnal elements, but they aren’t necessarily the differences, so don’t be misled—compare the entire images carefully.
It’s said there are various techniques, such as comparing block by block or taking a soft-focus look at the whole, so try tackling it in your own way.
Straw javelin throw
Have you ever tried javelin throw? It’s hard to give it a go since you need special equipment, a large space, and practice.
So let’s get a taste of javelin throwing with this game! Draw a javelin illustration on something like a disposable chopstick sleeve.
Insert a straw into the sleeve, and blow into it—the sleeve will fly just like a javelin.
Measure the distance and compete with each other!
Pacific saury catching
Autumn is the season for reading, appetite, sports, and the arts—there’s so much to enjoy.
It’s also known for having many delicious seasonal foods, like rice and fruits.
And among the fish that represent autumn, pacific saury (sanma) is surely one many of you look forward to.
Let’s enjoy a game using sanma! Use chopsticks to pick up the many sanma placed on a grilling rack and serve them onto a plate.
If that’s too easy, try the challenge with your non-dominant hand.
How many can you place on the plate?
Towel ball toss
Since it’s the season for sports in autumn, how about playing a beanbag toss with a sports day theme? Preparing real beanbags can be a hassle, but there are fun ways to enjoy it with things you have at home.
If you use towels as beanbags, they’ll fly in all sorts of ways—which actually makes the game more fun.
Try squeezing them tightly into a ball before throwing, or tying them and tossing—get creative and enjoy! Another benefit of towel beanbags is that it won’t hurt even if you get hit.
You can also try placing the basket in different positions or competing for points—there are plenty of ways to have fun.
[For Seniors] Fun Autumn Activities: Recreation Games (41–50)
Word association game: sweet potato dishes
This is a word-association game where you take turns naming dishes made with sweet, fluffy sweet potatoes that you crave from autumn into winter! Classic sweet potato dishes include baked sweet potatoes, sweet potato tarts (sweet potato desserts), candied sweet potatoes (daigaku-imo), crispy sweet potato sticks (imo-kenpi), and sweet potato rice.
Some people also add them to miso soup or tonjiru (pork and vegetable miso soup), and there may be regional specialties that only locals know.
But when it comes time to answer in a game, it can be surprisingly hard to think of examples.
Let’s keep it moving by offering hints like “There’s this kind of dish, right?” as we go.
Balloon kick
This is a balloon kick game where you kick balloons into a target frame! Attach the cut-off bottom of a milk carton to the balloon’s knot as a weight so the balloon doesn’t drift around.
Then just kick the balloon so it fits neatly into a frame made from twisted newspapers or similar! Because balloons are light, they travel far even with a small amount of force, so older adults can kick them while seated and still send them flying nicely.
You can also prepare multiple frames and set rules to score the total points of the frames the balloon lands in, or try other variations to enjoy the game in different ways.