[For Seniors] Liven Up Cherry-Blossom Viewing! Fun Games and Recreational Activities

Total Concentration PET-bottle Kendama

[May 14 Today’s Brain Training at the Store: Preventive Care] Total Concentration! Kendama with a Plastic Bottle and Paper Cup

Did you know that May 14 is Kendama Day? It’s said that when older adults play kendama, it brings back memories and activates the brain.

Also, moving the arms and fingertips and guiding the body to a target position is very good for both the brain and the body.

Why not try making this kendama yourself and playing with it? It’s easy to make: tie a string to the opening of a plastic bottle, and attach a paper cup to the other end of the string.

That’s it! Hold the bottle by the body and try to catch the opening side with the paper cup to play.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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High touch rec

Can't stop laughing lol! A high-five recreation that gets everyone excited [Senior brain-training exercise]

A high five is when two people clap each other’s hands, often when greeting brightly or feeling happy.

Let’s turn this high five into a recreation activity that seniors can enjoy.

Have everyone sit in a circle on chairs and high-five the person next to them.

Try high-fiving with just one hand, or flip the hands over to change the palm orientation as you go.

Make the seated circle smaller so people can reach to tap someone’s hand, or do double high fives with both hands.

Thinking about who has a free hand and counting to ten while high-fiving can also help train the brain.

It’s an activity that may spark conversations with people who don’t usually talk and broaden communication.

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Nakajima Junko

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Pikagoro

Senior recreation—guaranteed big laughs! Pikagoro lets you enjoy fun brain training. #RecreationForSeniors #BrainTraining #Easy #Fun #Entertaining

As we age, it’s said that handling multiple tasks at the same time becomes more difficult.

Using both the mind and body has brain-training benefits, and if you move your body while thinking, you can expect even greater brain activation.

This time, I’ll introduce the Pika-Goro game.

Have the older adults sit facing each other, each holding two sticks.

The caller says “pika-pika” or “goro-goro.” On the cue “dokan,” the older adults should both grip the sticks and raise them.

Once everyone gets used to it, calling out “pika-pika” or “goro-goro” several times and then feinting can make it even more exciting.

Warabi Mochi in Anmitsu Style

Oyachube! “Anmitsu-style Warabi Mochi”

Warabi-mochi has a jiggly, gelatinous texture in your mouth.

It’s often dusted with kinako (roasted soybean flour), but topping it with matcha or drizzling it with kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup) is also delicious.

Warabi-mochi is made with warabi starch, though using warabi starch can sometimes result in a slightly firmer texture.

Try some tweaks, like using a store-bought kit that yields softer warabi-mochi, or making a soft version with potato starch (katakuriko).

You can also turn it into an anmitsu-style dessert by adding sweet red bean paste and fruit, then drizzling kuromitsu on top.

It transforms warabi-mochi into a more festive Japanese sweet than usual, and it’s likely to be enjoyed by older adults as well.

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Nakajima Junko

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Don’t Drop the Green Ball Game

[Senior Activities] It Got Way Too Lively! Exercise Activity

This is a game where you skillfully move a piece of cardboard with a hole in the center to drop all the balls on top except the green one.

The key point is not to let the green ball fall, which really tests your delicate control as you maneuver multiple balls.

Once you get used to it, it’s fun to add variations like deciding the order in which you drop the balls, which encourages even finer control.

The ease of control also changes depending on the size of the cardboard, so trying out various setups could be interesting too.

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kappamaki

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tea party

Spring Tea Gathering: At Okayama's Special Nursing Homes Nishi-Umi-so and Kenro-en

A tea gathering is an event where guests are entertained with tea, and it’s often associated with being held in harmony with each season.

This concept hosts the tea gathering with the current season as its theme, inviting guests to gently sense the transition of the seasons.

Seasonal sweets and surrounding decorations are key points for conveying the time of year, so let’s be attentive not only to how the tea is prepared but also to these details.

It’s also recommended to recreate tea ceremony etiquette as much as possible, and for those with experience, to have them try preparing the tea themselves.

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kappamaki

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Rock-Paper-Scissors Relay

Super simple and exciting! For fun senior activities, this is it: Rock-Paper-Scissors Relay

This is a game where teams aim to pass a ring they’re holding by hand all the way to the last person, using rock-paper-scissors.

The rule is that you can pass the ring only when the next person wins at rock-paper-scissors, so both speed and luck are put to the test.

As you become more conscious of speed, you need sharper judgment to track who wins or loses each round and whether the ring can be passed.

Having teams compete against each other is key to making everyone focus on the game’s sense of speed.

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kappamaki

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