[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 (31–40)
Cat Fukuwarai
This is a recommended fukuwarai for those who love cats! When you think of fukuwarai, the classic themes are okame or hyottoko, but this one features a cat motif.
In addition to the eyes and nose, try adding parts like ears and a tail to enjoy the game.
Since there are many kinds of cats, try making the base with your favorite breed.
If you have a cat, it might be fun to use a photo of your own pet for the fukuwarai.
After you’re done, enjoy the adorable expression of the finished cat.
Card flip
This is a simple card game where each card has a different color on the front and back, and players keep flipping them to a designated color.
It’s basically a competitive format: both players flip cards to their own color and compete to see which color is more prevalent when time runs out.
Consider rules like allowing flips with only one hand to help balance participants’ abilities as much as possible.
A 2-on-2 team match is also recommended, as it gets heated by emphasizing not just speed but strategy as well.
Urashima Tarō Game
Watch out for the tamatebako! Let me introduce a Urashima Taro card game.
First, prepare 18 Urashima Taro cards, 9 Princess Otohime cards, 9 Tamatebako (mystery box) cards, and 18 Turtle cards.
Stack them all face down.
Take turns flipping one card at a time.
If you reveal Urashima Taro and a Turtle, you get 1 point.
If you reveal a Tamatebako, you get 0 points and all the cards you’re holding are confiscated.
If you reveal Princess Otohime, you get 1 point, plus you reclaim any confiscated cards and may draw 2 additional cards.
The player with the most points from the cards they’re holding at the end wins.
Since which card appears is entirely up to luck, even people who aren’t confident at card games can enjoy it casually.
Give it a try!
Clothespin scooping
Let’s try a goldfish-scooping style game you see at fairs, using a fan (uchiwa) and clothespins.
Place clothespins on a table, prepare a paper cup or basket, and use the fan to scoop and drop the clothespins into the container.
It looks simple, but it seems to take some skill to scoop the clothespins with a fan.
Since you use your hands, it can also serve as a bit of training.
You can focus and play alone, or play head-to-head with two people and compete for the fastest time to scoop up all the clothespins.
Balance board game
A heart-pounding balance board game with a tower that looks like it could collapse any moment! The key is to deliberately make the board unbalanced when crafting it from cardboard.
If you attach a cone-shaped piece underneath the board, you’ll get that perfect mix of “stackable but unstable.” Once the board is finished, just stack the layers, set them in place, and toss beanbags or similar items at the board! It’s also a great idea to add a small, high-point target on the topmost board.
Gather everyone around, take turns throwing, and have fun together.
[For Seniors] Handmade Game Ideas You Can Enjoy (41–50)
Olympic Games with a cap puzzle
It’s a puzzle game where you combine letters written on plastic bottle caps to complete words that match a given theme.
Write several theme-related words on paper, cut out each character, and attach one character to each bottle cap to create the pieces.
Even with a set theme, the more letters there are, the harder it becomes to arrange them correctly.
As a hint, it’s a good idea to use different cap colors so players can roughly sort them.
Mixing in katakana along with hiragana can also serve as helpful clues.
Cardboard Tetris
https://www.tiktok.com/@youkinakatyou/video/7260811487265049857Guaranteed to get your heart racing with excitement! Here’s an idea for cardboard Tetris.
Many of you have probably played Tetris in a video game, right? This time, let’s try making a Tetris set out of cardboard.
You’ll need cardboard, colored paper, a permanent marker, double-sided tape or glue, and scissors or a utility knife.
Once you’ve finished making the Tetris minos, hosting a Tetris showdown is sure to be a hit.
Give it a try!