[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] Recommended in December! Safe and Fun Indoor Recreational Activities (41–50)
Siren Toiv
This is an exercise set to “Silent Eve,” a signature song by Midori Karashima and a classic Christmas tune.
In keeping with the gentle melody, focus on your breathing while gradually making your movements larger.
By progressing from small motions to bigger ones, you’ll feel various parts of your body—starting with the arms—stretching.
Doing it seated in a chair is also a key point, encouraging you to aim for large movements within a comfortable, safe range.
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
This is an exercise routine performed to one of the classic Christmas songs, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” It combines choreography inspired by the lyrics with simple movements for the arms and neck to add a fresh accent to your usual workout.
The basic position is sitting in a chair with hands on the hips, which helps you maintain proper posture with a straight back.
Although the music is light and lively, the choreography is slow, allowing you to make large movements and train your body effectively.
It’s also recommended to add a brain-training element by having participants think about coordinating their hands and feet.
Santa Is Coming to Town Exercise
This is an exercise routine set to the song “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” which expresses the excitement of Santa coming to deliver presents.
While keeping a firm grasp of the rhythm, the movements portray the lyrics, so let’s proceed by singing along to help remember what comes next.
A key point is that, despite the song’s light feel, some of the choreography is slow, and it can easily be done while sitting in a chair.
Feel the world of the lyrics and use your movements to clearly express the adorable image of a child waiting for Santa.
Easy rhythm exercises for Jingle Bells
This is an exercise routine that emphasizes the fun of moving your body, producing sounds with bells and clapping in time with the music.
By letting the bells ring, participants can fully feel the world of “Jingle Bells.” A key point is which part of the body you strike to sound the bells.
By gradually making the combinations of hands and feet more complex, you can also add a brain-training effect as participants think about what movement comes next.
Rather than focusing on speed, encourage them to perform each movement accurately and use large motions to get their bodies moving thoroughly.
Snowball Cookies
How about some crunchy, crumbly snowball cookies? They’re super easy—you only need to heat them in the microwave.
First, mix cake flour and sugar, then add vegetable oil and stir until it forms a dough.
Once the dough is ready, pinch off bite-sized pieces, roll them into balls, and microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds.
That’s almost it—just finish by dusting them with powdered sugar.
Using a plastic bag to mix the dough makes it easy, and pinching and rolling the dough is fun, too.
Most of all, they’re incredibly simple to make, so give them a try!
Valentine Game
Place colorful cans on a base framed by a heart—a classic Valentine’s motif—and have the person on the opposite side pull a string to reel the base toward themselves.
It’s a trust-based game that tests how many cans you can stack and whether you can bring them over without dropping them.
There are also steps and bumps along the pulling path, so pay attention to how you arrange the cans to keep them from falling when going over obstacles.
Balance in placing the cans and control of force while pulling may be the key elements.
Christmas exercises with plastic bottles
Let us introduce an exercise using plastic-bottle maracas! It’s fun to put buttons or other small items inside the bottle so it makes sound.
You can enjoy the different sounds depending on what you put in.
The added weight also helps strengthen your arms.
Try moving the arm and the opposite leg at the same time to the rhythm of “Jingle Bells.” We recommend a big reach forward and then return.
Repeating the same motion makes it easy to follow.
Let’s use our brains while moving our whole bodies!
