[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] DIY Game Ideas You Can Enjoy (21–30)
Strikeout
A handmade strikeout game using cardboard! Combine pieces of cardboard to create a base with nine framed openings, and attach numbers or pictures to the target sections.
If you attach short pieces of straw to the back, it will help prevent the targets from flipping over on their own.
The exhilarating feeling of throwing a ball at a large target is something you can hardly experience at home.
That’s why it’s a perfect activity for places like day-service centers where you can secure a slightly larger space, don’t you think?
Table curling
This is tabletop curling you can enjoy while seated.
Instead of curling stones, you use paper cups.
A single cup is too light and tips over easily, so stack two together.
To make the game more exciting, it’s recommended to decorate the cups cutely.
Put tape and point markers on the table to serve as the skating rink.
Then all that’s left is to slide the paper cup “stones” to aim for high scores! If you use easily removable tape, both setup and cleanup are simple.
Ehomaki Game
Let’s turn the ehomaki we eat on Setsubun into a game.
Ehomaki are filled with lots of ingredients, right? On top of paper “nori” and “rice,” place ingredients made from long, thin strips of construction paper or fabric.
The key is to prepare colors that look like real ehomaki fillings, such as red and green.
Then, using both hands, roll it up as if you were making a real sushi roll.
When it’s finished, face the lucky direction for that year and take a big bite.
This idea of making ehomaki from paper or fabric seems like something older adults would also enjoy.
It’s a perfect game to do in February.
Handmade spinning top
Let’s play with spinning tops made from origami.
Are you familiar with tops crafted from origami? There are types that look like flowers with a cross-shaped handle in the center for spinning, and ones where a toothpick is inserted into the center of a square top.
Some folding methods are complex, but older adults who enjoy origami will likely have fun making them.
Let’s spin the origami tops everyone has folded.
Both making the origami and spinning the tops use the fingertips, making it good training.
With the nostalgic game of spinning tops, older adults can relive their childhood and enjoy a pleasant time.
Newspaper Dart
Let me introduce Newspaper Darts.
Cut holes—circles, triangles, squares, etc.—into a large cardboard box and assign points to each.
To prevent the edges of the holes from tearing, it’s a good idea to reinforce them with vinyl tape or similar.
Roll up sheets of newspaper tightly to make long, thin sticks.
This recreation uses those newspaper sticks as darts! Compete by totaling the points of the holes you throw them into.
It’ll be exciting as a team competition, too! It’s a game that involves raising your arm and concentrating to aim for the holes—perfect as a recreation activity in senior care facilities.
Milk carton shooting game
Let’s make a target-shooting game with a milk carton.
Open the carton, cut it into strips, attach a rubber band, and fold it in half lengthwise to complete the launcher! Draw your favorite pictures on paper, attach them to pieces of the milk carton to make targets, then launch balls made by crumpling aluminum foil and have fun.
It may bring back nostalgic memories for those who enjoyed target-shooting games at festival stalls in the past.
Please be very careful when using box cutters or scissors to avoid injury.
Ping-pong ball transfer
Here’s a simple, hands-on game you can enjoy casually.
Make a hole in a paper plate that’s slightly larger than a ping-pong ball, and attach a pair of chopsticks to the back.
You might reinforce the rim of the paper plate with vinyl tape or similar.
Put ping-pong balls in a shallow basket or tray, and use the paper plate with chopsticks you made to scoop them up.
You can compete to see who scoops a ball the fastest or who collects the most balls.
Of course, it also works as a solo game you can focus on by yourself.