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!
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Enjoy safely even during the COVID-19 pandemic: Seated activities
- Games and recreational activities enjoyable in a wheelchair
- [For Seniors] Have Fun! A Collection of Group Game Recreation Ideas
- [For Seniors] Recommended Handmade Activities! Simple Ideas
- Recreation Activities Effective for Long-Term Care Prevention for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Guaranteed to Be a Hit! Popular Day Service Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Enjoyment at Day Care: A Roundup of Games and Recreational Activities
- Enjoyable at day care! Tabletop games and recreation
- For Seniors: Effective Recreation for Preventing Care Needs—Have Fun While Staying Healthy
- [Evolving Daycare Services] A summary of engaging recreational initiatives that excite older adults
- [For Seniors] Today’s Recommended Activity: Fun and Engaging
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Day Service: A Collection of Fun Event Ideas
Recreation Activities for Use in Day Service (1–10)
Cup Stacking Competition
If you’re looking for fun without spending money, you’ve got to try the Cup Stacking Challenge.
You keep stacking cups and origami sheets higher and higher, but they wobble and shake, making it surprisingly thrilling.
For the higher levels, you might ask someone who can reach while standing to help.
Even if you’re seated, you can keep stacking and build a tower of cups.
It’s also perfect if you want to put your dexterity to the test!
Tissue Drop Showdown
The Tissue Knock-Off Duel is a game where you blow a tissue off your opponent’s head using only your breath.
You can play it while sitting! Sometimes the tissue gets blown off in an instant, or you might drop yours while leaning in to blow…
And sometimes your opponent’s lung capacity is so strong it’s surprising.
It doesn’t cost any money at all—just a single tissue.
It might be a fun thing to try when you’re feeling bored!
Clothesline Race
Speaking of hanging laundry, you used to be a housewife.
Or maybe you were a househusband! The game I’d like you to try is the Clothesline Race.
In the video, the women were faster at hanging the laundry, while the men were quicker at bringing it in when it started to rain (lol).
If you’re thinking, “I can do both!” why not try a 1-on-1 challenge? In this game, once you run out of space it gets hard to keep hanging things, so put your brain to work!
Recreation activities usable in day services (11–20)
Ghost hunting
The tabletop “Ghost Busters” is like a target-shooting game.
You can make it using toilet paper or paper towel tubes, colored paper, and rubber bands.
Wrap colored paper around a tube to create the targets.
Using the same idea, make a shooter like a little gun to hit the targets: wrap colored paper around a tube, cut slits, and thread a rubber band through.
Drawing different pictures on the targets is part of the fun, too!
Balance game
For those of you craving even more edge-of-your-seat thrills!! Next up is a balance game where you stack beanbags.
Because the base is so wobbly, piling beanbags onto the tray is pretty nerve-racking! The last player might just feel the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Games where you’re trying so hard not to make it collapse… they all get your heart pounding, don’t they?
Broom Sweeping Game
The broom sweeping game is something you can play with just a broom, a ring made from newspaper, and a small ball—and you can even do it while seated.
For those who were good at fine, detailed tasks, this might be a fun game.
If you used to deftly sweep up tiny specks of dust with only a broom, you might be especially skilled at it, right? Go ahead and compete with different people to see how many balls you can get in!
Uchiwa Relay
Uchiwa Relay is a game where you gently pass beanbags or clothespins to the person next to you using a hand fan, taking care not to drop them.
It’s a lot of fun and can really liven things up even while seated! The grandmas in the video look like they’re enjoying themselves, saying “Ai-yo!” The rule is that you don’t use your hands to pass the items.
Uchiwa Relay is a game everyone can enjoy together, regardless of gender.
Why not try it when you want to get the whole group excited?