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[Care Facility] Recreational Activities to Liven Up Hinamatsuri: A Collection of Ideas to Enjoy Traditional Festivities Even More
Hinamatsuri, the festival that heralds the arrival of spring, is a much-anticipated event in care facilities as well.
This time, we’re introducing Hinamatsuri activities that seniors can enjoy together! From craft projects that let participants use their hands and feel a sense of accomplishment, to sit-down games and quizzes that get everyone fired up, and even staff cosplay that’s sure to bring smiles—we’ve gathered plenty of heart-lifting ideas.
They’re all activities likely to spark lively conversations about fond memories from the past.
Use these ideas as inspiration for a delightful Hinamatsuri program, and enjoy a warm, wonderful time.
[Care Facility] Recreational Activities to Liven Up Hinamatsuri: A Collection of Ideas to Enjoy Traditional Festivities Even More (1–10)
Snack activity: Three-color yogurt mousseNEW!
This is a Hinamatsuri dessert made with yogurt mousse that’s easy for seniors to eat.
It’s basically just mixing, so it’s simple to make.
First, whip the heavy cream until it’s fairly stiff.
Add the yogurt to make the mousse, then divide it into three equal portions.
Color each mousse by adding strawberry juice, lemon juice, and matcha powder respectively.
Once you have three colors, add gelatin dissolved in water to each and mix.
Finally, pour them into your preferred containers in the order of green, white, and pink, then chill to set, and it’s ready!
Snack Activity: Kanto-style Sakura MochiNEW!
Here’s a Kanto-style sakura mochi you can make at home.
The ingredients are sweet red bean paste (anko), salted cherry leaves, and for the batter: water, red koji powder, shiratamako (glutinous rice flour), cake flour, and granulated sugar.
Roll the anko into thin, oval logs.
Soak the cherry leaves in water for about 10 minutes, then gently pat off the excess moisture.
Mix the water and red koji powder well, then add the shiratamako and combine.
In a separate bowl, mix the cake flour and sugar, then gradually pour in the liquid mixture you just made to form a batter.
Pour the batter into a frying pan in long oval shapes; cook on both sides.
Place the anko inside, roll it up, wrap with a cherry leaf, and it’s ready to serve.
Hishi Mochi Stacking GameNEW!
This is a game where you stack hishi-mochi on a platform.
Of course, the person who topples the hishi-mochi loses! The hishi-mochi are made by cutting milk cartons into thin rings and covering them entirely with green, white, and pink origami paper.
Follow the traditional hishi-mochi order when stacking—green, white, then pink—so be careful not to mix it up.
It’s exciting when you stack them high, and if they fall, that just makes it lively and you’ll probably want to say, “Let’s play again.” Please enjoy this perfect game for Hinamatsuri.
Making Daruma-style Hina dollsNEW!
Let’s make adorable, round-shaped Hina dolls.
First, crumple newspaper to create a daruma-shaped base.
Use glue as you go so it doesn’t come apart, shaping it into a neat sphere.
Next, use origami to create the face, hair, and kimono.
Just cut the origami to a convenient size and paste it on—it’s very easy.
For the kimono, use Japanese-patterned origami and decide what kind of design you want.
After making and attaching small accessories, draw the face with a pen to finish.
Song exercise: Happy HinamatsuriNEW!
When the muscles in your legs weaken, it becomes hard to stand steadily and it also affects your walking, doesn’t it? If you find yourself tripping easily or often falling, try this “leg strength training exercise.” It’s a fun sing-along exercise set to the song “Ureshii Hinamatsuri”! After sitting in a chair, start with heel drops, then do some marching in place, and extend both legs forward to thoroughly work the leg muscles.
The second verse repeats the same movements as the first, so make sure to remember the sequence well.
Shell-matching gameNEW!
Why not enjoy a shell-matching game using clams made from construction paper? Cut the construction paper into clam shapes and draw patterns with colored pencils.
Paste white paper on the back and draw a picture to finish.
Prepare two of each matching picture, for a total of eight clams.
The rules are the same as Concentration: arrange the clams face down so the pictures can’t be seen, then flip two over.
If the pictures match, flip two new clams; if they don’t, turn them back face down.
If you’re playing with several people, the person with the most clams at the end wins.
Ohinasama Wake-up GameNEW!
In this “Ohinasama Wake-Up Game,” you complete the tiered hina display by hitting all the targets with balls.
The top tier is worth 50 points, the middle tier 30 points, and the bottom tier 10 points.
You have 10 balls, so aim carefully.
Each target is shaped like a rectangle folded in half; when you hit it with a ball, the target pops up, revealing the Ohinasama and Odairisama dolls.
Players compete by total score, so you can focus on the high-value targets, but it might be even more fun if you award bonus points for flipping up all the targets!