Recommended recreational activities for older adults with dementia

Handmade spinning top

A Must-See Day Service Recreation! Handmade Spinning Tops by Participants

Let’s play with spinning tops made from origami.

Are you familiar with tops crafted from origami? There are types that look like flowers with a cross-shaped handle in the center for spinning, and ones where a toothpick is inserted into the center of a square top.

Some folding methods are complex, but older adults who enjoy origami will likely have fun making them.

Let’s spin the origami tops everyone has folded.

Both making the origami and spinning the tops use the fingertips, making it good training.

With the nostalgic game of spinning tops, older adults can relive their childhood and enjoy a pleasant time.

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Nakajima Junko

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Text Color Card Game

[Senior Recreation] Rec Craftsman Series Part 132: “Colored Letter Card Game [Brain Training/Card/Game]”

This is a karuta-style card game where players focus on the reading of the characters and the colors on the cards to find the one that matches what is read aloud.

It tests your ability to decide whether the cue refers to the character or the color, and your judgment in locating it among the cards in front of you—so your thinking speed is key.

Clear phrasing by the reader is also important; be mindful to use concise expressions like “the character is red and the color is green.” The more cards with the same character in different colors are mixed in, the harder it becomes to judge the correct answer, so it’s recommended to gradually increase the number of cards as players get used to the game.

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kappamaki

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Showa Quiz

[Showa Quiz: 10 Questions] Let’s Look Back on the Nostalgic Showa Era! Introducing Fun Multiple-Choice Questions [Brain Training for Seniors]

Showa Quiz is an effective way to stimulate the brains of older adults who lived through the Showa era.

By revisiting the quiz, they can reaffirm the events and trends of the years they experienced.

It enriches emotional reminiscence, strengthens memory, and creates opportunities for interaction with other visitors.

The feeling of nostalgia is said to bring various benefits to the brain, such as reducing stress, increasing happiness and helping maintain brain health, and fostering a more positive outlook toward one’s future self.

Sing and pass it around! Ball relay

All you need is a ball! This is fun♪ Sing and pass-the-ball activity!!

Here’s an idea for a rhythm-based ball-passing game.

First, participants sit in a circle.

One person starts with the ball and passes it to the next person in time with the music; that person then passes it to the next, and so on.

When the music stops, the person holding the ball gets to drop out of the game.

You can also adjust the game by adding more balls depending on the number of participants.

Singing along while playing provides brain training benefits, and listening to favorite songs can boost motivation, which adds to the appeal.

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yamamoto

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clothespin chain

[Senior Recreation] Clothespin Chain!

Do you know where muscle strength in older adults starts to decline? The answer is that it begins with the fingertips.

When fingertip strength decreases, it can affect daily life—for example, making it difficult to get dressed or causing more food to be dropped while eating.

Try using clothespins to train the fingertips.

Set up a string slightly higher than the head height of a seated older adult.

Then attach clothespins to the string.

It’s a simple activity, but it provides fingertip movement training with minimal strain on the body.

It can also be done as a game while chatting with people around you.

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Nakajima Junko

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Take as many clothespins as you like

At-home Indoor Recreation for Seniors (Day Service/Nursing Home): Unlimited Clothespin Grab Using Clothespins and a Spoon

Let me introduce a recreation activity you can do using only items you already have at home: the Clothespin Scoop.

All you need are clothespins, spoons, and a container to put the clothespins in.

You can use a bowl as a substitute for the container.

Place the clothespins on a table and hold a spoon in each hand.

Using only the spoons, transfer the clothespins into the container.

It’s fine to use both hands.

It may look simple, but using both hands simultaneously increases stimulation to the brain, turning it into enjoyable brain training.

You can also do it on the floor instead of the table to change the working height; doing it in a squat adds balance training and lower-body exercise at the same time.

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kojifumi

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Milk Carton Stacking Game

Here’s a super easy activity you can do with a milk carton! Guaranteed laughs—this one’s a hit! The Stacking Game! #DayService #ActivitiesForSeniors #Elderly #Seniors #Recreation #Rehabilitation #shorts

Introducing a milk carton stacking game you can enjoy with just a little preparation.

All you need are milk cartons.

Cut the cartons into many ring-shaped slices a few centimeters wide.

Stack the square-ring pieces as high as you can without letting them fall.

You can start with a “Ready, go!” or simply stack at your own pace—both are fun.

Deciding where to hold each piece, how to place it, and adjusting while watching the balance engages upper-limb movement as well as thinking and judgment, making it great brain training.

It’s easy to prepare and enjoyable with any number of players, from a small group to a larger one, which is part of its appeal.

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kojifumi

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