[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 Recreational Activities (221–230)
Paper Cup Pulling Game
It’s a reflex-testing game where you hold a string with a paper cup attached and, the instant the music stops, quickly pull the paper cup toward yourself.
There’s someone positioned near the paper cup to hold it down—try to move the cup faster than they can react.
Since you need to transfer the force from the string to the cup to reel it in, how you hold the string and how you pull it are key points.
You might also have fun making it a competitive format where players take turns being the holder and the puller.
Paper Cup Sumo
There’s a game called paper sumo, where you play with paper wrestlers.
Some older adults may have played it at least once.
Using paper cups and a fan, you can try a different version.
Divide the tabletop in half to set territories, and place paper cups as the wrestlers.
The wrestlers move using the force of air when you flap the fan.
Since it’s sumo, if a wrestler falls off the tabletop ring, they lose.
Flapping the fan back and forth will surely liven up the recreation.
It’s a game where you can almost hear the chant, “Nokotta, nokotta!”
Paper cup drop
Here’s a game using paper cups.
Line up the paper cups in a row.
Use the lined-up cups as targets and have older adults throw a ball at them from a short distance away.
Depending on where you set up the cups, the goal is to throw the ball so that the cups tip over or fall to the floor.
Even if they don’t hit the cups perfectly, it’s likely to spark laughter and provide a nice change of pace.
It can also encourage conversation with others and help expand social interaction among older adults.
Paper cups are sold at 100-yen shops, so preparation is easy.
Paper cup launcher
It’s a game where you swing a stick made of newspaper to launch a paper cup placed on the tip forward, and compete on how far it flies.
Your ability to control force is tested—how you swing determines how well the power transfers to the cup and how far it goes.
Just swinging with brute force won’t work, so pay attention to where you start the swing, when you stop it, and the angle.
Through the game, you’ll also get good movement in your upper body, especially around the shoulders, which is another key benefit.
Matching game
This is a game where you look at the pictures drawn on the bottoms of arranged paper cups and find and match the ones with the same picture.
By searching for matching pictures, you can train concentration, and by quickly stacking the paper cups, you can also encourage awareness of hand movements.
It’s also important to decide what kind of pictures to draw; for example, limiting them to a spring theme lets players enjoy the game visually as well.
Adding trick elements, such as pictures that look similar but are slightly different, is recommended, as it helps players focus even more on their hands.
Don’t Drop the Green Ball Game
This is a game where you skillfully move a piece of cardboard with a hole in the center to drop all the balls on top except the green one.
The key point is not to let the green ball fall, which really tests your delicate control as you maneuver multiple balls.
Once you get used to it, it’s fun to add variations like deciding the order in which you drop the balls, which encourages even finer control.
The ease of control also changes depending on the size of the cardboard, so trying out various setups could be interesting too.
[For Seniors] Easy to Try. Lively Recreations (231–240)
Tap on the shoulder! A hand game that works even with a large group
It’s a simple activity where everyone sits in a large circle and gently taps the shoulder of the person next to them in time with the music.
Encourage participants to switch between the right and left sides quickly on cue.
If they rush the switch, their taps can become too strong, so it’s best to start with an easy-to-follow rhythm and gradually increase the tempo.
Because the movement is simple, have them focus on the song as well and direct their attention to performing both actions at the same time.
Once you judge that they’re getting used to it, you can make the switch timing more varied to raise the difficulty.