Recreation Activities for Use in Day Services
This article introduces recreation activities for day service centers.
There are plenty of activities where everyone can get their brains working, team up and compete, and share the thrill and excitement with all participants!
If you’re wondering, “What should we do today?” take a look.
These activities are actually used in care settings, so older adults can enjoy them with peace of mind.
Most of them are simple and require little preparation time.
Have fun and get lively together!
Recreation Activities for Use in Day Service (1–10)
cup pull
It’s a game where you hold a string attached to a paper cup and try to pull the cup quickly when prompted.
All the paper cups are gathered in the center, and players pull them the moment the music stops.
As soon as the music cuts off, a basket is swiftly dropped from above, so the goal is to pull faster than the basket comes down.
It trains your reflexes and pulling motion, and the thrill of not knowing when the music will stop is part of the fun.
It also gets exciting when the person dropping the basket or the pullers use feints to trick others into making a false start.
Let’s make flowers bloom on a withered tree.
This is a game where branches spread out from a large tree, and the goal is to color them as if flowers were blooming.
Plates marked with points are placed on the branches extending from the tree motif, and players throw softly cloth-wrapped beanbags toward them.
Everyone aims for high scores, but another highlight is how, as the game progresses, the branches start to look like they’re blooming with flowers.
The farther the target, the more the game trains your concentration and throwing strength.
Relaxed setting!
It’s a simple game where you stand a stick—like the core of a roll of plastic wrap—upright in front of you and stretch rubber bands to loop them onto it.
Within a time limit, you compete to see how many rubber bands you can place without knocking the stick over, so delicate hand movements are key.
By changing the stick’s thickness or lightness, factors like how far you need to stretch the rubber band and how much force you use when placing it will vary, allowing you to adjust the difficulty.
The motion of gently shrinking the rubber band and easing it onto the stick helps players focus on concentration and how they apply force.
Air hockey
This game recreates the classic arcade air hockey using everyday items.
Because it’s a head-to-head matchup, it’s easy to get excited and really into it.
Making the handheld rackets glide smoothly is a key point for capturing the air hockey feel, so be mindful of how you combine materials.
If having only one ball makes the game drag on, you might consider adding a twist like increasing the number of balls as time passes.
Big Kendama
It’s a game where you skillfully use a thick stick with a paper cup attached to the tip, aiming to catch a ball connected by a string in the cup.
Compared to a regular kendama, the key difference is that the stick is thicker and longer, so you use your whole body to control it well.
It’s a game that engages focused attention on the cup and the ball, full-body strength, and quick reflexes in a balanced way.
The difficulty changes depending on the size of the paper cup, so for those who find it hard, it might be good to switch to a cup that’s larger than the standard one.
Making Hydrangea Balls
This is a craft where you insert pieces of fabric into a Styrofoam ball with a bamboo skewer to create the look of blooming flowers.
The choice of fabric is key: if you want a hydrangea feel, using fabric with purple patterns is an easy approach.
You could also insert fabrics randomly for a colorful finish, or try using coordinated fabrics with block divisions for a more unified look.
It’s important to let children choose their own colors and to have them use their fingertips carefully as they work.
Beanbag Stick-Toppling
A thrilling, heart-pounding game that everyone can enjoy is Beanbag Stick Topple.
In this game, you keep removing beanbags one by one while trying not to make the stick fall.
If you manage to pull one out without toppling it, you might even get a round of applause.
Even as we get older, we still want to show off our cool side.
If that’s how you feel, this might be the perfect game for you!
