[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 Recreations (11–20)
Word Order Rearrangement Quiz
A word rearrangement quiz that activates your brain while having fun.
The great thing about this quiz is that it requires no tools, so you can start easily.
Take the jumbled letters, think of how to form a word, rearrange them, and when you get it right, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment.
That feeling of achievement is said to be a good kind of stimulation for the brain.
It also demands both the memory to recall words and the judgment to search for them.
Word rearrangement quizzes are highly recommended for brain training.
Create an atmosphere where it’s okay to make mistakes, and encourage lots of answers.
Once you get used to it, increasing the number of letters to raise the difficulty is another key point.
Table hockey
Introducing table hockey, a game that’s a blast whether you’re playing with a small group or a larger one.
Since you play seated, anyone can join in.
Cover the table so the ball won’t fall off anywhere except from the two ends.
Make strikers out of cardboard, place the ball in the center of the table, and you’re ready to go! Play to five points—the winner is the one who sends the ball off the opponent’s end of the table.
It’s fun while also helping to build arm strength, reaction speed, and decision-making, so it can be used as an occupational therapy activity as well.
Give it a try!
Beanbag Catch Relay
Using beanbags and a bucket, here’s a beanbag catch relay.
Have the older adults sit in chairs in a single line.
Give the bucket to the person at one end, and have each person catch the beanbag that comes their way using the bucket.
After catching the beanbag, pass the bucket to the next person.
Catching the beanbag that flies toward you is said to help train reflexes.
Even while seated, you’ll be moving your body, so you can do brain training and exercise at the same time.
Once everyone gets used to it, gradually adjust the difficulty by increasing the throwing speed of the beanbags.
It really livens things up, and attempting tasks that feel a bit challenging is also said to help activate the brain.
Milk Carton Soccer
It’s a game where you kick a ball made by rolling up a milk carton and try to get it into a hoop placed at a distance.
It combines elements of golf and soccer, and because the ball is light, your power application and directional control are really put to the test.
The farther the hoop is, the more strength and advanced control you’ll need, so it’s best to start at a short distance and gradually move it farther away.
Rather than just swinging your leg with maximum force, it may be more important to find a way of kicking that transfers your power effectively.
Beanbag Tower
Many older adults may have played with beanbags when they were young.
Some may have also played beanbag games with their own children or grandchildren.
Here’s a game that uses those beanbags to build a tower.
The rules are simple: compete to see how many beanbags you can stack on top of an upside-down paper cup.
By holding and stacking the beanbags, you can expect to improve or maintain fine motor balance and concentration.
You can focus and play on your own, or make it a team competition for extra excitement.
If you like, please give it a try.
Pull-the-string game
As the name suggests, here’s a fun game where all you do is pull a string.
Preparation is simple.
First, prepare many paper cups with long strings wound around them.
Get one basket and you’re set.
Have the participating seniors sit in a circle and hold the ends of the strings.
Gather the paper cups in the center and cover them with the basket.
Now the game begins.
Lift the basket, and before it can be dropped back down to cover the cups, pull the strings to snatch the paper cups away.
That’s all there is to it, but it gets very exciting.
It also helps build agility, so it’s recommended for recreation at senior facilities.
[For Seniors] Guaranteed to Be a Hit! Popular Day-Service Recreational Activities (21–30)
A game using a uchiwa fan and a cap
This is a recreation activity using a uchiwa fan and plastic bottle caps.
Place the caps on the fan, then move the fan as if you were flipping a frying pan to turn the caps over.
The more caps there are, the higher the difficulty.
You could compete for the fastest time, or split into teams and see which side can flip them all over first—either way, it should be a lot of fun.
