[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 (11–20)
Number Cop
Let me introduce Number Cups, a brain-training game you can do with minimal preparation.
All you need are construction paper and paper cups.
Write the numbers 1 through 9 on both the construction paper and the paper cups, and place the construction paper on the floor or table.
At the start signal, place each paper cup on the paper with the matching number.
Because it requires comprehension and decision-making—identifying which number and where to place it—along with quick reactions, it sends plenty of stimulation to the brain.
You can expect it to help prevent cognitive decline while having fun as a game.
Table hockey
Let us introduce a game that gets everyone excited with simple preparation: table hockey.
Once you have a table ready, build walls at both ends so the ball won’t fall off.
Make mallets out of cardboard, and when you have a ping-pong ball, the game begins.
Push the ball to make it fall onto the opponent’s side, and race to five points.
It’s a simple yet incredibly thrilling game.
It can also help with rehabilitation from the hands to the shoulders, so even those who don’t like rehab can enjoy getting exercise benefits.
Give it a try!
Paper cup whack-a-mole
It’s a whack-a-mole game where you catch a mole made from a paper cup! Prepare several paper cups, and attach chopsticks to one of them to make a hammer.
You can leave the other cups as they are, but to boost the atmosphere, we recommend drawing cute mole illustrations on them.
Then just use the hammer to cover the mole cup and catch it! Since you only need paper cups and chopsticks, it’s easy to prepare—perfect if you’re looking for a simple recreation activity.
Give it a try!
Chestnut Picking Game
Let me introduce the Chestnut-Picking Game, a fun way to help with arm rehabilitation.
Make ring shapes out of construction paper in the shape of chestnuts and write point values on them.
You can also make maple and ginkgo leaves to set the mood.
Once you place everything in a cardboard box, you’re ready to go.
Use a cane to pick up the chestnuts and compete based on the points of the ones you collect.
Once everyone gets used to it, add a time limit, such as finishing within 30 seconds, or rules like making the last chestnut worth double points to keep it feeling fresh and exciting.
It can be enjoyed while sitting in a chair or using just one hand, so it’s recommended as a recreational activity at senior care facilities.
Paper Core Bowling
Back in the Showa era, there was a time when bowling was hugely popular.
Some older adults may have been into bowling back then.
Let’s rekindle those memories and get our fingers moving with a bowling game.
Use toilet paper rolls as pins, and a lightweight rubber ball that doesn’t feel heavy to knock them down.
Since it can be played on a table, people who have difficulty standing can participate as well.
Keeping score like in real bowling will make it even more exciting.
Picture matching cards
It’s a simple card game where the goal is to match the illustrations drawn on the backs of the cards.
To keep players from guessing what’s on the back, make sure the fronts are the same color and shape.
Any illustrations are fine as long as they form pairs, but having a theme—like “Fruits”—adds excitement as players anticipate what kinds of images might be included.
Increasing the number of cards raises the difficulty, so it’s best to adjust the deck size to suit the number of participants.
[For Seniors] DIY Game Ideas You Can Enjoy (21–30)
Wobbly Cap Game
As we age, dexterity in our fingertips declines.
In fact, it’s said that more than half of the brain’s regions are involved in moving the hands and processing their sensations.
As a result, with aging, the commands from the brain to the hands and fingers can become sluggish and don’t transmit as smoothly.
Doing finger exercises can help your hands and fingers move more smoothly.
So let’s train your fingertips with a game using an empty plastic bottle.
Cut the bottle so that about the top half remains from the neck upward.
Cover the cut edge with vinyl tape to finish.
Place the bottle upright with the capped mouth facing down, and put the bottle caps inside.
A game of dropping caps into a plastic bottle that wobbles and sways seems like something everyone can enjoy together with lots of excitement.