[For Seniors] Fun Even Without Sight! Recreation Ideas

What’s inside the box?

[Elderly Care] Senior Recreation! “What’s in the Box?” and “Pull Without Dropping”

Among older adults, some may have lost vision later in life, while others were born that way.

Because people’s physical and mental conditions vary, it’s very difficult to come up with recreational activities that everyone can enjoy.

This “What’s in the box?” activity is a game that can be enjoyed by relying on senses other than sight.

That’s why it might actually favor those with low vision.

Since they live day-to-day using non-visual senses, their other senses are more finely tuned.

Touching objects and thinking about what they are also helps stimulate the brain.

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Nanaka

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Voice rec in English and Japanese

Simple! With Gobou-sensei’s “Voice Rec,” bring smiles to seniors! Activate the brain in English and Japanese!

This is a voice-based recreation activity using English and Japanese! A leader asks the participants questions and they respond.

The leader says a color in Japanese, and the participants answer with the color in English.

For example, if the leader says “aka,” the correct response is “red.” Once everyone gets used to it, you can try the reverse: give the color in English and answer in Japanese.

To make it more challenging, alternate directions or change the speed.

It’s a fun, voice-only exercise that gives your brain a workout in a way you don’t usually use it! Give it a try with someone close to you!

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Nakamū

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Smell guessing game

A game where you guess things using only their smell!

Here’s an idea for a smell-guessing game.

Both young and older people encounter many different smells every day, but are you confident you can identify something using only your nose? Participants are blindfolded and try to guess what it is using only the scent.

For example, natto has such a distinctive smell that you might recognize it right away! Surprisingly, pleasant scents might actually be harder to pinpoint.

It can also be fun to notice how people perceive smells differently—some find them pleasant, others unpleasant.

Try it with a big group! Just be careful to avoid anything too strong or irritating.

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Nakamū

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Music therapy with castanets

Music Therapy: Fun with Rhythm

We tend to assume that when older adults have difficulty seeing, the activities they can do are limited.

In senior care facilities, residents have diverse physical and mental conditions, so we have to choose recreation that suits each person.

Staff are always experimenting and trying new ideas, right? For those who are struggling with this, I recommend music therapy using castanets.

It’s an easy recreational activity even for people with low vision.

Castanets are familiar to almost everyone, so they’re easy to learn.

Let’s enjoy tapping the castanets to the rhythm.

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Nanaka

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Music activity: children’s songs

Nostalgic children's songs and shoka full medley ♪ (100 minutes, 49 songs) Also recommended for seniors! [No skippable ads in the middle] With animation/Japanese lyrics — Sing a medley of Japanese songs

The nursery rhymes we were taught by parents and teachers when we were little.

Some older adults may have had the experience of singing them to their own children or grandchildren, too.

The songs we heard as children tend to stay with us for many years.

With that in mind, here’s a recreation activity that uses nursery rhymes to enjoy together with people who are visually impaired.

Using familiar nursery rhymes, choral singing and instrumental performance can both be fun.

In a chorus, everyone sings together, and you may feel a sense of accomplishment when you create a beautiful harmony.

For ensemble playing, using easy-to-play instruments like tambourines, drums, and triangles makes it easy to join in.

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Nakajima Junko

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karaoke

Today's recreation is karaoke. #care #nursinghome #carefacility #recreation #rec #elderly #dayservice #AsokaGarden #KitasunaHome #Asoka

Among older adults, there are some who are visually impaired.

Even if it’s hard to see, there are many recreational activities that can be enjoyed through sound.

Karaoke is especially recommended because it engages the five senses.

Singing your favorite music helps relieve stress and deepens communication with others.

Singing also promotes diaphragmatic breathing, which improves blood circulation throughout the body and supports both physical and mental health.

Karaoke allows people to express themselves through song, making it a great option for seniors who are confident in their singing.

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Nanaka

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Letter-guessing brain training

[Solved] Recreations that even totally blind people can enjoy participating in [Senior Brain Training]

Here’s a recommended brain-training letter-guessing activity to enjoy with people who are visually impaired.

Using a pen or similar tool, write a single character—such as a hiragana or katakana—on the older adult’s palm.

It’s a game where they guess the character written on their palm.

You can also write on the back of the hand, the shoulder, or across the back.

In addition, you can enjoy a word association game based on the written characters.

For example, write the three words “tsuki” (moon), “usagi” (rabbit), and “susuki” (pampas grass) for the older adult to guess.

Then have them associate words that come to mind from those three, such as “Jūgoya” (Harvest Moon night) or “Otsukimi” (moon viewing).

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Nakajima Junko

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