[For Seniors] Handmade Game Ideas You Can Enjoy
Games and recreational activities are essential in senior facilities like day-care centers.
In this article, we introduce handmade games you can enjoy.
Some are made using recycled materials like milk cartons and newspapers, while others use items you can get at 100-yen shops, such as paper cups and disposable chopsticks.
All of them involve thinking, competing, and playing, so they serve as brain training—and best of all, they foster communication.
In team competitions, everyone might get fired up, focus on the game, and end up in a frenzy!
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[For Seniors] Handmade Game Ideas You Can Enjoy (71–80)
yo-yo
Making a yo-yo with plastic bottle caps is a craft that older adults can easily enjoy.
Use an awl to make holes in the centers of two caps, then insert a screw and fasten them together.
Thread a string through the center and tie it securely, and pack clay into the empty space inside the caps to add weight.
Finish by wrapping the whole thing with colored tape for reinforcement, and it’s done.
Activities that use the fingertips help improve concentration and stimulate brain function.
Another appeal is that you can customize the look to create your own unique piece.
Since you can actually play with it after it’s finished, it’s an idea that remains fun even after the making is complete.
balance bar
Have you ever played by balancing a broom on your palm when you were a student? You probably tried to keep it from falling by maintaining its balance.
In fact, balancing something on your palm is said to be effective brain training.
It helps develop your ability to predict the movement of the object and respond appropriately by moving to maintain balance.
Here’s a safer and easier method using a toilet paper roll and a uchiwa (hand fan).
The steps are simple: stand the toilet paper roll upright on the fan and carry it to a target location without letting it fall.
It can be turned into a tabletop game, and since the rules aren’t complicated, many older adults might be willing to give it a try.
Slide puzzle
This is a puzzle game where you use the empty squares to move adjacent pieces and aim to match colors.
It’s important to think through the sequence of moves that will bring you closer to the desired arrangement.
Another appealing aspect is how easy it is to prepare: use a piece of cardboard with drawn grid lines as the frame, and bottle caps with stickers as the pieces.
If there are too few piece types or grid squares, you might complete it just by moving randomly; in that case, try a version with more squares.
We recommend starting with the rule of lining up each color in a row, then progressing to a more challenging pattern where you arrange numbers in order.
Milk Carton Bowling
Let’s make bowling pins using milk cartons! It doesn’t have to be milk—any type of drink carton is fine.
Once the carton is empty, rinse the inside and reassemble it back into its original shape.
Before sealing the top, add a marble or a small amount of water as a weight.
Then decorate it however you like with construction paper, origami paper, or stickers, and you’re done! For the ball, crumpled newspaper or flyers, or a plastic play ball, are great options.
Thinking about colors and shapes: Arrow Puzzle
This is a puzzle game where you try to restore the pieces to the original 3×3 grid by matching the colors and directions of the arrows drawn on them.
Draw arrows that extend across adjacent squares, and color the arrows so that each square contains all four colors.
After that, cut out each square to complete the puzzle; it’s a good idea to write numbers on the back so you can tell the correct arrangement.
If restoring the exact original form is difficult, you might start by focusing only on connecting the arrows and arranging as much as you can from there.
Let’s look for some fish and try catching them!
The fish-finding game played as a recreation activity for older adults is always a big hit.
It’s easy to enjoy not only for those who love fishing, but also for complete beginners.
The game involves placing various fish on a table and catching them with a rod.
A staff member calls out the name of a fish on the table, and the older adults look for it.
Because it requires split-second decisions, it helps develop their powers of observation.
Through this game, older adults can learn fish names, and it also serves as brain training, so it’s highly recommended.
Okiagari Koboishi Race
Let’s poke the head of the okiagari-koboshi and aim for the goal! To make a handcrafted okiagari-koboshi, use a paper cup, half of a capsule from a capsule toy, modeling clay, and a marble.
Line the inside of the capsule with the marble and modeling clay, then cover it with the paper cup.
Have everyone draw faces and patterns on the cup.
After that, poke the head with a stick to keep it righting itself as you move it forward.
Combining the traditional okiagari-koboshi from the Aizu region of Fukushima with a race is such a fresh and original idea, isn’t it?
