[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 (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.
Balloon Parachute
October 22 is apparently Parachute Day.
How about preparing a recreation activity that evokes a parachute? For example, you could throw a balloon made to resemble a parachute toward a target.
You can simply aim for the target, or you could make the target like a dartboard and compete for points to make it more exciting.
First, try making the parachute-like balloons and think about what rules to use.
The method is simple: just attach a clothespin to the end of the balloon’s string.
Rhythmic gymnastics at Blue Light Yokohama
Released in 1968, “Blue Light Yokohama” is one of the signature songs of the Showa era.
Many older adults have likely sung it at karaoke or heard it on TV or the radio.
Let’s try some rhythmic exercises with this familiar tune.
Since the song portrays a couple in love, it could be fun to incorporate movements that match the lyrics.
Older adults might feel nostalgic, recalling the time when this song was popular as they exercise.
You could even sing along while doing the exercises.
Potato Digging Game
October is also the season when sweet potatoes are delicious, isn’t it? How about preparing a game themed around sweet potatoes? First, cut out pieces of cardboard and paint them to make sweet potatoes.
Next, use cardboard to build a fence about knee-high.
That’s all the setup.
Then, players sit on opposite sides of the fence and use tongs to toss the sweet potatoes into the opponent’s area.
The rule is that the player who tosses more sweet potatoes into the other side wins.
Newspaper Pull-Out Game
A game where you keep pulling out endlessly connected newspaper strips! Connect newspaper sheets into a long band, roll them up like a roll of toilet paper, and set them in a box.
Then, at the start signal, just pull the newspaper out from the box! Whoever pulls it all out first wins! It’s easy to prepare and can be played over and over, so running a tournament is also recommended.
To prevent the newspaper sheets from sticking together, make sure they are thoroughly dry before rolling them.
Dangling bagworm
This bagworm craft is easy to make by simply tearing colored paper, crumpling it, and spreading it out.
Since little children may not know what a bagworm is, it could spark a conversation like “What’s this?” with visiting grandchildren.
It’s perfect for hanging in a room to create an autumn feel, and it would also look nice made in bright colors.