Recommended recreational activities for older adults with dementia

Picture matching cards

Let's Make Matching Cards by Hand! Easy Craft Instructions [For Preschool Teachers and 4-Year-Olds]

It’s a simple card game where the goal is to match the illustrations drawn on the backs of the cards.

To keep players from guessing what’s on the back, make sure the fronts are the same color and shape.

Any illustrations are fine as long as they form pairs, but having a theme—like “Fruits”—adds excitement as players anticipate what kinds of images might be included.

Increasing the number of cards raises the difficulty, so it’s best to adjust the deck size to suit the number of participants.

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Brain training! Towel rock-paper-scissors

Top 3 Towel Rock-Paper-Scissors Activities: Excellent Recreation and Dementia Prevention for Seniors

Like the game “Hit-and-Cover Rock-Paper-Scissors,” this towel rock-paper-scissors trains your reflexes and your brain.

Spread a towel on the table and sit facing your opponent.

Play rock-paper-scissors; if you win, pull the towel toward yourself.

If you lose, hold the towel down firmly so it can’t be taken.

As the game heats up, people often mix up what to do with the towel when they win or lose, which in turn stimulates the brain even more.

Since it’s an exercise you do with someone else, it also encourages communication and lifts your mood!

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Association card game

Perfect for lunch breaks! “Association Card Game”

It’s a game that tests your imagination and creativity by thinking of things associated with keywords written on cards.

You prepare three types of cards that represent “color,” “characteristic,” and “thing,” and place one card from each category on the table.

Then you think of something that fits all the conditions shown on the cards and share your answer.

Even a prompt like “a white, soft creature” could lead to multiple answers such as “rabbit” or “sheep,” so it could also be fun to compete on how many ideas you can come up with.

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Brain-training game you play while singing

This is what livens up recreation time! A fun brain-training game with singing ♪ #dayservice #musictherapy #musicrecreation #singing

A brain-training game that you play while singing is a fun recreation that combines nostalgic songs with the names of familiar fruits.

Singing to the rhythm naturally soothes the heart.

Trying to recall the lyrics while searching for fruit names seems like great stimulation for the brain.

Singing together also deepens interaction among older adults.

The power of music is wonderful.

Because you can enjoy singing and get the benefits of brain training at the same time, it seems refreshing for both mind and body.

I think it’s a lovely activity that will likely bring more smiles to seniors.

Baseball card game

[Official] Understand in 9 minutes! Professional Baseball Card Game Dream Order How to Play Video

This is a card game where, just like real baseball, players alternate between offense and defense to try to score points.

For defense, you prepare ball cards that show different pitch types, and for offense, you prepare bat cards that show pitch types.

At a signal, both players reveal their cards while trying to predict the opponent’s choice.

If the pitch type on the cards matches, the offensive player scores points, so the key is the mind game of anticipating your opponent’s card.

It’s a game that gives your brain a workout through prediction while also naturally sparking conversations about baseball.

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