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)
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!
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)
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?
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!
Gesture Game
In the gesture game, everyone sits in a circle and the person in the middle uses gestures while others guess what it is.
The tricky part is that it’s surprisingly hard to get your meaning across.
Still, it’s a fun game where you can laugh together while saying, “I have no idea!” If you’re the one gesturing in the middle, do your best to make sure everyone understands your gestures!
Shooting game with a towel
Aim to surpass the K line! This is a game where you launch a beanbag with a towel and try to get it past the lines drawn on the floor.
You play in pairs, and the trick is to coordinate your timing.
The beanbag can fly all over the place, so please watch out for people around you.
Who knows—your grandpa or grandma might surprise everyone with unexpected strength! Keep launching and see how many lines you can cross!