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[For Seniors] Enjoyment at Day Care: A Roundup of Games and Recreational Activities
We’ve put together a collection of games and recreational activities that can be enjoyed at day care.
We introduce plenty of options, including simple games you can play while seated, brain-training games, and activities that help with hand and finger rehabilitation—so please use them as a reference.
Some activities require props, but they’re simple to make using recycled materials or items from 100-yen shops, making them easy for older adults to recreate.
Give them a try with everyone during recreation time or in small breaks.
[For Seniors] Enjoy Day Care: A Roundup of Games and Recreational Activities (1–10)
Gum-Gum Kick Bowling
It’s a game where a newspaper ball is connected to your foot with a rubber band, and you try to kick it to knock down milk-carton pins in front of you.
It tests fine control of your foot—like whether you can bring the ball into a good kicking position and transfer your kicking power effectively.
You can also see individual styles: will you focus on a single, concentrated kick to topple as many pins as possible, or prioritize speed by kicking repeatedly? You can adjust the difficulty by changing the length of the rubber band or the size of the ball, so let’s have people try it in various configurations.
Karaoke Contest
A karaoke contest is sure to be a hit as a Mother’s Day activity.
When hosting one, it’s a good idea to prepare equipment to play music and a monitor so the lyrics are easy to see.
If you ask in advance what songs everyone likes, the event will run more smoothly on the day.
It’s also great to have handheld instruments like clappers, tambourines, and maracas to liven things up during performances.
Please keep everyone’s condition in mind and enjoy hosting a fun karaoke contest!
Sheet Valley
Let’s play Seat Volleyball using sunshades sold at 100-yen stores.
It’s a game that many older adults can enjoy.
Connect two sunshades to make a volleyball court.
Have seated older adults hold the two connected sunshades.
Roll a beach volleyball on top of the sunshades.
Before starting, use tape or similar to mark territories on the sunshades.
When the time limit is up, the side where the ball is located loses.
With gameplay similar to real volleyball, older adults are likely to enjoy it.
Since it can be played while seated, many older participants should be able to join.
Clap-along brain training
It’s a game where you keep the beat with handclaps while adding other movements, training your decision-making as you move your body.
Start by inserting simple hand gestures between claps—like raising your thumb or pinky—and then, as you get used to it, gradually expand into movements that involve your whole body.
As these movements combine and become more complex, there’s more to think about, which enhances the brain-training effect.
If you focus too much on the sequence of movements, your motions can become stiff, so it’s also recommended to include some stepping and consciously loosen up your body.
Ball Drop Game
A ball drop game that you can enjoy with a group is also recommended.
First, buy a net, lots of balls, and a tension rod at a 100-yen shop.
Then make a triangle with the net, thread the rod through it, and place the balls on top—that’s it.
Players take turns pulling out the rods, and the person who makes the balls fall loses.
It’s similar to games like Pop-up Pirate or Jenga, so enjoy the thrill as you play.
Another appealing point is that it’s bigger and more impactful than the other two games.
Throwing a ball backward
This is a “throw the ball backward” game that seniors can easily enjoy and get excited about.
Prepare boxes or baskets marked with point values, and have the seniors sit in a chair with their backs to them.
Then, they throw a ball backward and compete for points.
Since they’re facing away, judging the throwing strength can be tricky, but it may help improve finger and arm strength.
It also provides a sense of accomplishment when they succeed and can help relieve stress.
You could even hold an awards ceremony for the top scorer to make it even more fun!
Color Card Matching Game
The “Color Card Matching Game,” which is also effective for preventing dementia.
Place color cards face down on the table, have participants flip them over, find the specified colors, and stack them in order.
You can change the combination of specified colors each time! It’s a very mentally engaging game because players must first find the designated colors and then stack the found colors in the correct sequence.
If the rules are hard to understand, it may be helpful for staff to stay nearby and assist until participants get used to it.
Apple Song Exercise
While singing “The Apple Song” (Ringo no Uta), which is remembered as the first hit song after the war, this activity involves moving the body slowly.
The song has a uniquely calm atmosphere, so it gives the impression that you can move at an unhurried pace.
The movements mainly focus on the upper body, but by adding steps and singing, you can also stimulate brain activity.
Even if you’ve heard the song before, you might not remember the lyrics perfectly, so in that case, following along with the lyrics also adds a focus and concentration element.
Newspaper-pulling-with-your-feet game
Here’s a game that gets you moving your feet while having fun and training at the same time.
Have older adults sit in a chair and pull a sheet of newspaper with their feet.
They can pull it with one foot or with both feet together.
You can also have two older adults sit facing each other at a distance and compete—it should be fun.
Besides providing leg exercise, it’s likely to increase interaction among older adults and bring more smiles.
It can also help with a change of pace and stress relief.
Please give it a try.
Pikagoro
As we age, it’s said that handling multiple tasks at the same time becomes more difficult.
Using both the mind and body has brain-training benefits, and if you move your body while thinking, you can expect even greater brain activation.
This time, I’ll introduce the Pika-Goro game.
Have the older adults sit facing each other, each holding two sticks.
The caller says “pika-pika” or “goro-goro.” On the cue “dokan,” the older adults should both grip the sticks and raise them.
Once everyone gets used to it, calling out “pika-pika” or “goro-goro” several times and then feinting can make it even more exciting.