[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)
Pinball game
From large tabletop versions to ones that fit in the palm of your hand, many people have experienced pinball games where you launch a ball and play.
Why not try recreating that nostalgic game by hand? Add protrusions to the side of a core to catch rubber bands, and insert a tube narrower than the core inside it to complete a launcher that can push the ball out! Set a board at an angle with obstacles and paper cups labeled with points attached, then launch the ball from below and play.
You might find yourself getting completely absorbed in this nostalgic game.
Super Mario Fukuwarai
@kaccchan26 Happy New Year#supermarioSuper MarioFukuwarai#HandmadeToysInstant Toy#instanttoyLife with children
♬ Super Mario – 8 Bit Era
It looks like a fukuwarai game that you and your Mario-loving grandchild could really enjoy.
Since Mario has a mustache, it might be a bit more challenging as a fukuwarai, but that could make it even more fun.
You can make the parts out of the same cardboard, or create the base with paper and use cardboard for certain pieces to give them a 3D feel.
You’ll need to draw a picture of Mario when making it, so if you’re not confident, I recommend preparing an illustration you can copy first.
It would also be fun to make it with characters other than Mario.
[For Seniors] DIY Game Ideas You Can Enjoy (31–40)
Family face fukuwarai
https://www.tiktok.com/@soramame.sensei/video/7183200067787033858Here’s an idea for playing Fukuwarai using family photos.
First, erase the facial features to make a base, then arrange parts—eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth—cut out from the photos.
You can play regular Fukuwarai with a blindfold, but it might be even more fun to mix everyone’s facial parts and try to assemble the face of the person given as the prompt.
Even though you see these faces every day, once they’re turned into parts, it’s surprisingly hard to tell what’s correct.
When you compare the finished Fukuwarai face with the real person, it might have everyone rolling with laughter!
Fukuwarai with a rabbit
Let me introduce a rabbit-themed fukuwarai.
The idea is to print a rabbit illustration separated into the face and body, plus the facial parts, then mount them on thin cardboard.
If printing is difficult, you can draw them by hand or buy a coloring sheet of a stylized rabbit character and use that instead.
It’s a very simple fukuwarai, but just changing the orientation of the parts a little creates expressions that make everyone laugh.
Be sure to prepare a correct reference face for comparison!
Sumikkogurashi Fukuwarai
Why not try making a Fukuwarai game themed around the popular kids’ characters Sumikko Gurashi? The parts are quite small, so try playing without a blindfold.
If you know the characters, it’s easy—but if you don’t, you might be puzzled, wondering, “Which part is this supposed to be?” The hands in particular can be tricky if you don’t realize they’re hands.
Many older adults may not be familiar with Sumikko Gurashi, so you might end up creating some hilariously funny faces!
Giant Fukuwarai
How about enjoying a giant, room-filling Fukuwarai as a recreation activity? You’ll play blindfolded, but since the “face” area is large, people around should guide the player with their voices to help them reach the right spots for the parts.
For older adults, walking blindfolded can be dangerous, so please have a helper stay close to prevent falls.
Because the parts and backing sheet will be quite large, it’s best to make them from lightweight materials, such as tear-resistant paper.
Newspaper Craft: Fukuwarai
Why not try making a fukuwarai by cutting out facial features and hair parts from newspapers? Look for photos or illustrations of people and cut out various patterns of facial parts.
For hair, you can freely create styles by cutting out the black areas with scissors.
Since cutting out a face-shaped base can be difficult, please prepare one by cutting construction paper or similar into a face shape.
Even parts of the same type each have a different feel, and depending on which ones the person playing chooses, the completed face will give a different impression—making it lots of fun!