[Elderly Day Service] Let’s all have fun! Games and recreational activities
At day service centers, many older adults likely look forward to enjoying recreation and games.
Staff members are probably trying different ideas every day to provide activities that never get boring.
In this article, we’ve picked out recreational activities that can be enjoyed by small and large groups alike.
Taking part in competitive games can also create opportunities for deeper interaction among older adults.
We’ve gathered a wide range—from sports- and exercise-themed activities to those that challenge thinking skills—so please use them as a reference!
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- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
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- [For Seniors] Enjoyment at Day Care: A Roundup of Games and Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Refresh Your Mood! Lively, Get-Moving Games
- [For Seniors] Fun Recreational Activities Without Equipment
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- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Indoor Activities! Recreations and Games That Engage the Mind and Body
- [For Seniors] Recommended! Seasonal Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
[Elderly Day Service] Let’s Have Fun Together! Games and Recreational Activities (131–140)
giant ball rolling
A “Giant Ball Roll” that’s so tantalizingly close to stopping you can’t help but get hooked! Set up a frame—using a hula hoop, for example—in the center of a circle, and roll a large ball toward the frame.
If the ball fits neatly inside, you clear the game! When people think of giant ball rolling, they often imagine a relay at a sports day, but with a target-rolling rule like this, you can enjoy it even while seated.
If you make it a day-by-day competition or a team match, older participants will get even more fired up! It might also spark conversations between neighbors—“So close!”—and help break the ice.
Delivery Game
The “Delivery Game,” where everyone works together to carry gifts! Split into teams and sit in a line.
Starting from the person at the front, pass the gift to the person next to you.
The last person in line places the received gift into a box.
Once all the gifts are in the box, the person at the front pulls in the box using the string attached to it, bringing it to their hands.
The team that rings the bell inside the box first wins.
It’s a fun, fully cooperative game that combines various actions: receiving and passing, then pulling in the box!
Treasure Hunt Game
It’s a “treasure hunt game” where you hide a beanbag under a paper cup and guess where it is.
The rules are simple, so it seems likely that many older adults would be able to join.
Preparation is easy too—just get some paper cups and a beanbag.
Remembering which cups don’t have the beanbag helps stimulate the brain.
Lifting the cups also serves as hand and arm training.
This time it’s a game to guess the hidden beanbag, but you can enjoy it with variations.
Draw pictures, such as fruits or fish, on the bottoms of the paper cups.
You can devise games where you try to find the picture that matches a given theme from among the cups.
It’s fun to play solo, and it’s also an engaging game to compete in pairs.
Shooting game
This is a game inspired by the shooting booths you see at festivals and amusement parks.
Players hold ping-pong balls taken from a basket and try to knock down lined-up figurines and paper cups.
It can also be a lively event where participants compete to see how many items they can topple within a time limit.
It’s a good idea to prepare various types of balls—not only ping-pong balls, but also beanbags and rubber balls.
It’s a game you can enjoy while seated, just by moving your arms.
Why not try organizing an activity that brings a touch of nostalgia?
Easy to make! Ping-pong Ball Bingo
Bingo is usually something you enjoy on paper, but how about trying a more game-like version? Ping-Pong Ball Bingo is a tabletop bingo game using an egg carton and ping-pong balls.
To make the base, simply prepare four empty egg cartons, open them up, and staple the four together—done! To play, place the egg cartons in the middle of the table and bounce ping-pong balls on the table so they land in the cartons.
If you line up three or more balls of the same color in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal row, you win.
Split into teams by ball color and face off!
Finger-Tip Rec: Ball Exercises to Build Grip Strength
This is a recreational activity focused on gripping a ball to build grip strength.
In pairs, you will perform two movements: trying to pull out a fixed ball and passing the ball to each other.
While consciously gripping the ball firmly with one hand, add the pulling and passing movements to train other areas as well.
By carefully observing your partner’s movements, this exercise also helps you become more aware of dynamic vision, concentration, and force control.
Number Game! Odd and Even
This is an exercise performed while seated, moving the hands and feet in two patterns in response to cues.
In the odd-number pattern, you raise your left hand and right leg; in the even-number pattern, you raise your right hand and left leg.
Participants switch based on the cue.
Start with simple cues of “odd” and “even,” then progress to having participants determine whether a spoken number is odd or even.
Moving opposite hand and foot, and quickly identifying numbers to form the correct body shape, helps activate the brain.
It’s also recommended to add variety with simple arithmetic like addition and subtraction to increase the thinking component.