Lovely senior life

[For Seniors] Enjoyment at Day Care: A Roundup of Games and Recreational Activities

Social worker / Care workermoko
My name is Moko, a mother of three who admired my mother and worked in the care industry as a care worker and as a medical social worker (MSW) in a hospital. I will be drawing on my previous experience to write mainly about caregiving. Thank you in advance.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

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] Enjoying Daycare: A Collection of Games and Recreational Activities (271–280)

Ghost Scooping Game

Ghost Scooping Game - Day Service Recreation

Ghost Scooping Game

Here’s a game that treats plastic bags like little ghosts.

Have older adults sit in chairs and use a stick made from newspaper to scoop up plastic bags placed on the floor.

Then have them place the scooped bags into a bowl set on the chair.

This game helps strengthen the biceps on the front of the upper arm.

It’s perfect for people who find it difficult to bring food to their mouth with a spoon, too.

Since it uses familiar items, it’s easy to do in short breaks.

Because they’re “ghosts,” it could be fun to add eyes and a mouth to the plastic bags.

It’s also great as a Halloween-season activity.

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Chopstick Ball-Carrying Game

[100-yen Brain Training] ADL training for eating: “Using chopsticks” movements

Chopstick Ball-Carrying Game

Here’s an introduction to a fingertip game where you use chopsticks to pick up and carry small items.

Games that involve fine finger movements can help stimulate the brain.

They’re also useful for training movements needed in daily life.

What you’ll need is an ice tray for making ice—one that makes small cubes is recommended.

Prepare some craft pom-poms (also called “pompoms”) and a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks.

You can get everything you need at a 100-yen shop, so preparation is easy.

Starting from one end of the ice tray, use the chopsticks to pick up the pom-poms and place them into the compartments.

This action helps train eating-related movements.

Since it’s a seated game, it’s likely to be easy for older adults to try.

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Shiritori Cards

[Restriction] We can’t end the Extreme Shiritori Party until the entire deck is gone.

Shiritori Cards

We’ll play a shiritori game using cards with various words written on them, connecting words one after another.

It’s easier to read the words in hiragana, but writing them in kanji also adds the element of recalling their readings.

Start with a simple shiritori to get going, and once everyone gets used to it, it’s recommended to add conditions to the words.

By adding variations—such as searching for words with a specified number of characters—the game becomes more complex and really trains thinking skills.

If you proceed as a team and cooperate, you can also incorporate a communication element, which is highly recommended.

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Clap along together

[Laugh-Inducing Exercise] How to Create Laughter with Just Clapping – Senior Recreation – Smile Up Exercise – Smile Up Taiso

Clap along together

In many senior and welfare facilities, recreational activities are commonly held.

When older adults take part in recreation, it not only gives them purpose and enjoyment, but also leads to feelings of achievement and fulfillment.

Here is a simple clapping game that also sparks laughter.

The rules are very easy: have the seniors sit in chairs.

They clap along with the staff member’s rhythm.

Sometimes they might accidentally keep clapping even after the staff member stops.

But those little mistakes turn into laughs—making it a fun and engaging game.

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Object Passing Game

Object Passing Game

Object Passing Game

It’s a game where you use a handheld fan to pass easily dropped items—like a ball—to the person next to you.

It serves as rehabilitation to help control the amount of force you use.

It’s a play activity that many people can enjoy.

Competing as a team can foster a sense of solidarity and unity.

You can also adjust the difficulty by changing the item being carried.

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Cup stacking

[Senior Recreation] Rec Artisan Series Part 209: “Cup Stacking”

Cup stacking

This is a recreation activity where you use sticks to stack paper cups.

Unlike simple cup stacking where you quickly stack them by hand, using sticks requires you to control the strength of your arm movements.

You can adapt it as an individual competition, a team match, or set a time limit with the winner being the person who stacks the most cups.

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Card Flipping Game

Card Flipping Game, Seniors, Recreation, Elder Care, Indoor Game, Party Game, Day Service, Hemiplegia

Card Flipping Game

Prepare several cards that have different colors on the front and back.

Members of the green team will flip cards to make them all green, while members of the yellow team will flip cards to make them all yellow, taking turns flipping one after another.

Set a time limit, and the person who flips the most cards wins.

The flipping motion is said to be very important for eating and daily activities.

It also serves as good wrist rehabilitation.

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