[For Seniors] Guaranteed to Be a Hit! Popular Day Service Recreational Activities
One of the joys of attending day service is the recreational activities, isn’t it?
With that in mind, we’ve carefully selected recreation and games that can help seniors feel energized.
Activities that stimulate both mind and body are popular because they help people spend their time enjoyably and comfortably.
The key is to plan engaging activities that won’t become repetitive, so participants look forward to coming every day.
There are many options, from classic favorites to cleverly designed activities, and all are easy to join and fun—please use them as a reference!
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[For Seniors] Guaranteed to Be a Hit! Popular Day-Service Recreational Activities (61–70)
Bridge Dropping Game
The “Bridge Knockdown Game,” where you throw beanbags to collapse a towel bridge! Drape a towel between two chairs and place weights like water-filled plastic bottles on both ends.
Throw beanbags or balls at the towel, and whoever collapses the towel bridge first wins.
If hits are rare or progress is slow because the beanbags don’t land well, try playing in teams and taking turns.
By cheering each other on and cooperating, older adults can enjoy the game and deepen their connections with one another.
Don’t drop it! Ball Drop Game
Here’s an idea for a ball drop game that’s thrilling and exciting.
You’ll need a wire net, a large number of colored balls, and some clothes-drying poles.
First, set up the wire net in a triangular shape and insert the poles across the middle area.
Once that’s done, place the balls on top, and you’re ready to play.
Then, take turns removing one pole at a time.
Be careful not to let the balls fall.
It could be fun to discuss together which pole might be safe to pull out before making your move.
Balloon kick
This is a balloon kick game where you kick balloons into a target frame! Attach the cut-off bottom of a milk carton to the balloon’s knot as a weight so the balloon doesn’t drift around.
Then just kick the balloon so it fits neatly into a frame made from twisted newspapers or similar! Because balloons are light, they travel far even with a small amount of force, so older adults can kick them while seated and still send them flying nicely.
You can also prepare multiple frames and set rules to score the total points of the frames the balloon lands in, or try other variations to enjoy the game in different ways.
Fly away, balloon!
This is a game where you throw a beanbag forcefully at balloons placed inside a frame, aiming to knock the balloons out of the frame.
It helps develop both decision-making about where to aim and the throwing power needed to blow the balloons away.
You can adjust the difficulty by varying the distance from the throwing spot to the frame and the size of the balloons, so tailor the rules to the participants.
It would also be exciting to pack the frame with lots of balloons and let everyone enjoy the satisfying feeling of blowing them away all at once.
For those who struggle to knock the balloons out, encourage them to focus on a throwing style that applies power and to be mindful of their body movement.
Color-coded ring picking
Color-sorting ring pick-up is a popular recreation activity among older adults.
Since it uses a stick made from newspaper and rings cut from construction paper, it’s easy to prepare.
In this game, you use the stick to pick up the rings and sort them by color—one of its charms is that people with hemiparesis can enjoy it too.
It helps improve hand movement and flexibility, and also boosts concentration.
It’s great that you can make it with familiar, readily available materials.
Watching people pick up the colorful rings looks like a lot of fun.
I think it’s an ideal recreation activity for invigorating the minds and bodies of older adults.
Fan-Flick Flying Game
The Uchiwa Fly-Away Game is easy to join because the rules are simple.
You just fan a bag in front of you with a paper fan and see how far you can make it fly—simple as that.
Since it only involves moving your hands and arms, it’s great even for people who aren’t confident in their physical strength.
To add a bit of fun, just draw a face on the bag and you’re sure to get some laughs! Competing together also helps deepen communication.
Plus, since uchiwa fans evoke a summery feel, this game is perfect for summer events.
Who is the master of the uchiwa?!
Speaking of summer, uchiwa fans are a must-have, right? They’re convenient and easy to use, and they’re cherished as items that blow away the heat.
This time, we’re introducing a recreation activity using uchiwa.
It’s a game where you use a fan to put tissues into a box! You can enjoy competing to see who can put the most tissues in.
As long as you have a fan, it’s an easy game you can play not only at day service centers but also at home.
It helps strengthen the hands and arms, and it’s great for stimulating the brain, so we highly recommend it.