[For Seniors] Easy to try. Fun, crowd-pleasing recreation
For those who use senior care facilities or day services, lively recreational activities are important, aren’t they?
In this article, we introduce activities that everyone can try together as well as ones individuals can enjoy on their own.
All of them are exciting and easy to try once you learn the simple rules.
Even games that might look difficult at first—like rock-paper-scissors relays or ball bowling—can be done while seated, so no worries.
We hope you’ll all give them a try so that recreation can help invigorate the minds and bodies of older adults.
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[For Seniors] Easy to Try. Fun, Crowd-Pleasing Recreations (71–80)
Proverb Matching Game
There are many proverbs in Japan, right? For example, “Even a dog will run into a stick” and “Birds of a feather flock together.” Let me introduce a card game based on such proverbs.
Prepare several proverbs split into two cards each.
Place the split proverb cards on the table, and match two cards to complete each proverb.
Recalling proverbs helps stimulate the brain.
It also seems likely to deepen interaction as people call out to each other and cooperate.
In addition, proverbs are familiar to many older adults, so this game may be easy for them to engage with.
Table baseball
Let us introduce “Table Baseball,” a fun activity using a light ball and a box as a bat.
It’s an exciting seated game for older adults, played with a scoring sheet laid out on the table that includes zones like third base, second base, and a home run area.
Players hit back a gently rolled pitch and compete based on the points where the ball stops.
When someone aims well and hits a home run, the cheers feel just like a real baseball game! It helps with dexterity and concentration, and it’s a great way for everyone to get engaged together.
Make it a team game and set a batting order to add strategy and cheering for an even better gameplay experience.
It’s easy to set up and a popular table sport for day services and facility recreation.
Exciting towel activity
This is a game that tests how quickly you can make decisions by seeing the outcome of rock-paper-scissors and taking immediate action.
Towels are placed on the table: the winner of rock-paper-scissors quickly pulls the towel, while the loser immediately presses down on it.
If the towel isn’t pulled out, the game continues, and this sequence repeats until someone successfully pulls the towel free.
To act quickly in line with the rock-paper-scissors result, focus and on-the-spot judgment seem to be crucial.
Get Excited! Beanbag Toss Bingo Game
It’s a cooperative game where everyone aims for bingo, incorporating the action of tossing beanbags.
Nine baskets are placed in the center of a seated circle, and players throw beanbags to land them on top of each basket.
If you place five or more beanbags, you clear that basket, and you work toward bingo using the baskets you’ve cleared.
In addition to adjusting the strength of each throw, be sure to focus on cooperating so your beanbags don’t collide with your teammates’.
It’s a game that lets everyone enjoy striving for a common goal while getting plenty of physical activity.
Just paper and pen! Number Bingo
It’s a simple game where you use a pencil to draw a grid and numbers on paper, then aim for bingo.
The grid is 3 squares by 3 squares, for a total of 9, and you freely choose numbers from 1 to 15 to fill them in at random.
Once everyone has finished writing their numbers, you’re ready to play: read out the numbers on the cards in order, and each player aims for bingo.
You can enjoy seeing whether a line on your own card completes, or you can turn it into a competitive game where you try to complete more lines than your opponent—either way, it’s sure to be exciting.
3-letter food shiritori
Even a simple shiritori game where you just connect words can feel challenging with a small rule tweak.
How about adding a rule where players can only use three-letter food names? While it’s limited to foods, there’s still a wide range of words you can use, so keep a steady tempo as you link them.
If you play in time with a rhythm, it adds a bit of pressure and makes the game even more exciting—highly recommended!
Capsule Korokoro
You’ve probably seen capsule toy machines filled with toys and merchandise at arcades or supermarkets.
Let’s use those round capsules to play a lively game.
Attach a stick to an empty tissue box and use it to roll a capsule across a table.
The goal is to land the capsule in a target without letting it fall off the table.
To make the game even more fun, create gaps between the targets.
Placing the capsule without dropping it into the gaps is a great way for older adults to show their skill.
Cheering on the players and calling out to them can spark interaction with the people around them, too.