[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] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- For Seniors: Effective Recreation for Preventing Care Needs—Have Fun While Staying Healthy
- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- [For Seniors] Today’s Recommended Activity: Fun and Engaging
- [Elderly Day Service] Let’s all have fun! Games and recreational activities
- [For Seniors] Fun! Games and Ideas to Boost Memory
- [For Seniors] Have Fun! A Collection of Group Game Recreation Ideas
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- [For Seniors] Easy to try. Fun, crowd-pleasing recreation
- [For Seniors] Fun Small-Group Recreation
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Indoor Activities! Recreations and Games That Engage the Mind and Body
[For Seniors] Enjoying Daycare: A Collection of Games and Recreational Activities (201–210)
mini-golf
Although it’s spring on the calendar, many of us may still be spending a lot of time in warm indoor spaces.
So this time, we’d like to introduce an indoor putting golf game.
All you need is cardboard and a ball.
Cut various sizes of holes in a flattened piece of cardboard and write in the point values.
To make the game more exciting, assign fewer points to larger holes and higher points to smaller holes.
Once you place the cardboard on the floor, just roll the ball as you would in golf.
You can use a racket, or even a cane you’re comfortable with.
With simple preparation, it’s fun even with a small group, and it’s also effective for improving concentration.
Balloon-carrying game with vinyl tape
People probably imagine each person making a balloon float on their own, but adding a cooperative element could make it even more exciting.
In this version, pairs face each other and each holds an end of a strip of vinyl tape, pulling against one another and moving it to keep the balloon aloft.
You could aim to keep the balloon floating for as long as possible, or turn it into a game where you transport the balloon to a goal.
It’s a game that engages both body and mind: coordinating the pair’s movements while skillfully keeping the balloon in the air.
Marble Shoot
How about a nostalgic marble game? Set up a long table and build walls at both ends so the marbles don’t fall off.
Create a tunnel out of construction paper and place it at one end, then have participants roll marbles from the opposite side, aiming to send them through the tunnel.
You can vary the rules—specify the number of marbles, or see how many can pass through within a time limit—to keep things fun.
Along with trying a new twist on the game, it might spark conversations like, “This is how we played when we were kids.” Give it a try!
Pinball Catcher
Pinball Catcher: catch rolling balls with your feet! Set a board with multiple obstacles at an angle and roll a ball from the top.
Then attach a net to your feet, position them under the board, and keep catching the balls as they come down.
For the foot nets, we recommend fixing them to milk cartons so you can slip your feet into the tubes and use them easily.
Moving your feet side to side or lifting them slightly is surprisingly tough even while sitting! It may look like a low-activity game, but it actually gives you a sneaky good workout.
Ping-pong
Here’s an easy game you can enjoy with just two items.
It’s a tabletop game using paper cups and ping-pong balls.
Try bouncing the ping-pong ball into the paper cups or tossing it in without a bounce.
The cups have scores written on them in advance, so you can compete for points.
By trying several rounds and adding up the scores, you can also expect some brain-training benefits.
Since ping-pong balls are light, they don’t require much strength and pose little risk of injury if dropped, making this especially recommended for older adults.
Throwing the ping-pong ball also works as an arm exercise, so it’s a fun way to get some training while playing.
