[For Seniors] Recommended in December! Safe and Fun Indoor Recreation
December is a busy month at the end of the year.
It’s also a season when the cold is more noticeable and people tend to have fewer opportunities to go outside.
With that in mind, here are some physical activities and crafts for older adults that can be enjoyed indoors where it’s warm.
These are December-themed recreations, so they allow participants to see, feel, and enjoy the season while experiencing a sense of seasonal atmosphere.
They also provide various mental and physical stimulation—moving the body, using the fingers, thinking, and creating opportunities to interact with friends.
Please make good use of these recreations.
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- For seniors: Decorate the December wall with a tree. Easy ideas using origami and yarn.
- For Seniors: Fun for Everyone! Christmas Party Activity Ideas
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- [For Seniors] Fun Crafts Recommended for December
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- [For Seniors] Introducing Trivia Quizzes and Fun Facts About December
[For Seniors] Recommended in December! Safe and Fun Indoor Recreational Activities (71–80)
Year-End Big Omikuji Lottery
Win a wonderful prize with a fortune-draw game! Draw an Amida-kuji (ladder lottery) on a large sheet of paper and have the seniors choose one line to follow.
They’ll receive the prize written at the end of that path.
Choose prizes that seniors are likely to enjoy—items they can use daily or things they can enjoy with their grandchildren are great options.
It’s also recommended to have the seniors help draw the lines together.
New Year’s card making
At the end of the year, it’s time for the customary New Year’s cards.
Younger people often make do with emails or stickers, but many older adults still send New Year’s cards every year.
So how about making New Year’s cards as a December recreation activity? You can easily create the zodiac motif or “Happy New Year” lettering using stamps and stickers, and then just add a short message.
If you want to put in more effort, try drawing your own illustration.
Pick a few recipients you’d like to send cards to, and give it a try!
Tankō-bushi (Coal Miner’s Song)
The “Tankō-bushi,” a folk song from Fukuoka Prefecture, is a work song that was sung by people working in coal mines at the time.
It became popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s as various singers performed it, and it has since been used as a piece for Bon Odori as well.
Its opening line is famous—many of you have probably heard it.
The choreography is striking, featuring motions like digging with a shovel, fitting for a work song, along with the distinctive handclaps of Japanese folk music.
Be sure to dance the “Tankō-bushi” together and liven up your Christmas!
Picture letter(s) for December
How about writing an “etegami” (illustrated letter) to someone special in December, as the year comes to an end? The catchphrase promoted by the Japan Etegami Association is “It’s okay to be clumsy—being clumsy is good.” Etegami isn’t about producing polished drawings or words; the key is to draw and write what you want with heartfelt sincerity.
Try freely depicting a winter scene that moved you, or words you want to convey to the recipient.
An etegami that expresses your honest feelings will surely bring them joy.
Towel relay
How about this recreation activity using towels you have at your facility or at home? It’s a towel relay, where you use towels to run a relay race.
First, divide into two teams and pass a towel to the next person using a stick.
The team that places the towel at the goal first wins.
If the towel falls along the way, please pick it up with your hand.
Passing the towel with a stick requires fine motor control and is trickier than you might expect.
The video also introduces other towel-based activities, so please use those as references as well.
Discost Santa
It’s a game where you throw discs aiming for Santa Claus’s mouth drawn on a board.
When drawing Santa on the board, cut a hole where his mouth is.
Players throw circular, disc-shaped pieces of cardboard into the mouth hole.
It’s an easy recreational activity that even older adults, who may have less strength, can enjoy while seated!
Movie screening
Simple as it may be, movie watching is a popular activity.
How it’s received varies depending on the film chosen, so some thought is needed there.
Works that tend to be rated highly include period dramas with clear good-versus-evil themes and nostalgic Showa-era films like the Tora-san series “It’s Tough Being a Man.” Films that were shown when today’s older adults were young are also likely to evoke fond memories.
It might be a good idea to take requests in advance from a shortlist of candidates.
It’s also said that older documentaries can help stimulate the brain by prompting people to recall the times in which they were made.