![[Care Facilities] New Year Recreational Activities for Everyone: Games and Events to Welcome the New Year with Smiles](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/3wgXA-xiW0I/maxresdefault.webp)
[Care Facilities] New Year Recreational Activities for Everyone: Games and Events to Welcome the New Year with Smiles
When it comes to New Year’s in Japan, there are so many exciting traditions like the first shrine visit of the year and mochi pounding! How about bringing that festive spirit into your care facility with some New Year’s-themed activities? In this article, we’ve gathered plenty of indoor ideas that let everyone savor the New Year’s buzz—handmade shrines and omikuji fortunes, plus lively group games and sing-along exercises.
Classic New Year’s pastimes can also spark fond memories.
We hope you enjoy a wonderful time filled with smiles alongside those around you, while supporting both body and mind.
[Care Facilities] New Year Activities Everyone Can Enjoy: Games and Events to Welcome the Year with Smiles (1–10)
Sweet red bean soup (oshiruko/zenzai) snack activityNEW!
Oshiruko and zenzai are the kinds of treats you start craving when winter comes, aren’t they? Many people love the gentle sweetness of red bean paste.
So how about actually making some as a New Year’s snack activity? These days, there are products that are ready just by heating them in a pot, so it hardly takes any effort.
To keep things interesting, let’s grill some mochi as well.
However, since mochi can be a choking hazard, if you want to prioritize ease of eating, use shiratama dumplings instead.
Large Karuta Card-Grabbing TournamentNEW!
Karuta, a classic New Year’s game, is one that lets seniors feel like children again and really get into the fun.
This time, instead of regular karuta, we’ll play with oversized cards.
Since they won’t fit on a table, lay them out on the floor and have players sit around them.
When you spot the card that’s been read aloud, don’t touch it directly—toss a beanbag onto the card to claim it.
If you throw in a rush, the beanbag may roll off in an unexpected direction, so stay calm and aim carefully.
Daifuku smileNEW!
https://www.tiktok.com/@karitasunosato/video/7336160273109093640Let’s try playing a jumbo version of Fukuwarai, a classic New Year’s recreation.
Make a large base sheet for Fukuwarai using poster paper or another big sheet, and complete the face by tossing the parts onto it.
When tossing the parts, be sure to throw from the designated spot.
This game isn’t about one person completing the face; everyone works together.
Make the parts from light, sturdy materials like cardboard so they’re easy to throw.
Classic faces like Okame and Hyottoko are recommended!
New Year’s calligraphy contestNEW!
When it comes to traditional New Year’s events, kakizome—the first calligraphy of the year—comes to mind.
How about putting your thoughts into words, such as your goals and wishes for the new year? In today’s world, where smartphones are widespread and we don’t write by hand as much, using a brush and ink naturally makes you sit up straighter.
Don’t worry about how good your handwriting is—just write with your heart.
If you line up everyone’s pieces and display them on the wall, it may bring back memories of elementary school and spark lively conversations about the old days.
It might be a good idea to prepare sample phrases of classics in advance so people can choose from them.
Battledore and Shuttlecock TournamentNEW!
Hanetsuki is a traditional New Year’s game where you hit a shuttlecock with a battledore.
It’s a classic New Year pastime, but since quick movements are required, it can be a bit challenging for older adults.
However, by using a balloon in place of the shuttlecock, you can enjoy playing indoors.
When you play, have the players sit facing each other at a large table.
At the starting signal, hit the balloon with the battledore and try not to let it fall.
If you make it a team competition, you can race based on how long it takes until the balloon drops.
If you stick strips of flower paper cut lengthwise onto the balloon, it will look more like a shuttlecock.
Making a Kadomatsu Wall DecorationNEW!
Perfect for New Year’s! Let’s handcraft a kadomatsu decoration.
In this idea, besides the main bamboo, we’ll make the base, a folding fan, rice-cake blossoms, nandina, and a “Welcoming Spring” ornament.
For the bamboo, wrap green origami paper around drinking straws; for the rice-cake blossoms and nandina, poke decorative balls onto floral wire to represent them.
Make the other parts with construction paper and origami paper.
Create the decoration’s base by adhering chirimen fabric to a cork coaster.
Once all the parts are ready, insert them into a piece of presentation foam attached inside the stand to arrange them, then glue everything to the base to finish.
Good Luck Ema MakingNEW!
In the old days, it was believed that the gods would come to the human world riding on horses.
In religious ceremonies, real horses were apparently offered, but as a simpler alternative, people sometimes dedicated paintings of horses—this is said to be the origin of ema (votive plaques).
For New Year’s, why not try making ema together and imbue them with your wishes? Even without using wood, you can easily make them by cutting construction paper into the shape of an ema and attaching white paper on top.
Punch a hole at the top, thread a string through, and hang them on the wall for a lovely display.