[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] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Exciting! Ball-Based Recreation
- [For Seniors] Fun Recreational Activities Without Equipment
- [For Seniors] Enjoy safely even during the COVID-19 pandemic: Seated activities
- [For Seniors] Enjoyment at Day Care: A Roundup of Games and Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Today’s Recommended Activity: Fun and Engaging
- [For Seniors] Guaranteed to Be a Hit! Popular Day Service Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Day Service: A Collection of Fun Event Ideas
- [For Seniors] Introducing Recreational Activities Anyone Can Enjoy at Geriatric Health Facilities!
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Indoor Activities! Recreations and Games That Engage the Mind and Body
- [For Seniors] Exciting Team-Based Recreational Activities
[For Seniors] Easy to Try: Fun, Crowd-Pleasing Recreational Activities (181–190)
Sing and pass it around! Ball relay
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.
Intense Balloon Volleyball
It’s the same as balloon volleyball in that you keep the rally going without letting the balloon drop, but the only change is the number of balloons.
Since you’ll be chasing two balloons, not only your striking motion but also your concentration and dynamic vision will be tested.
A key point is that the balloons won’t necessarily be in the same place—when they fly apart, you’ll follow them with your head and gaze, so your body will likely loosen up as the game goes on.
As the number of balloons increases, the game becomes more intense and demands greater concentration, so start with a small number and gradually work your way up.
Milk Carton Craft: Rock-Paper-Scissors Bingo
In this game, whoever wins rock-paper-scissors places their own marker—made from a milk carton—on a grid, and the first to complete three lines wins.
Because placement depends on the outcome of rock-paper-scissors, you get a different kind of mind game than the usual take-turns format.
Not only is placement strategy important, but figuring out how to win at rock-paper-scissors also becomes a key factor.
If there’s a big skill gap in rock-paper-scissors, it’s a good idea to add handicaps, such as changing the number of lines needed to win.
ball toss (traditional Japanese beanbag/ball-throwing game)
Tamaire, the ball-toss game often seen at school sports festivals.
Some older adults may have taken part in sports days and played tamaire in the past.
Here’s a perfect tamaire activity for a warm April day to get the body moving.
Because it’s a familiar game, it can help older adults refresh their mood and relieve stress.
Have participants sit in chairs and place a basket in the center.
Prepare red, white, and other colored balls, and have the participants throw them into the basket.
The person who gets the most balls in the basket wins.
Throwing with the arms and shoulders also provides upper-body exercise.
Ball Grabbing Game
Let’s play a game where you grab balls using newspaper.
All the tools used in the game are made from newspaper.
Make the balls by crumpling newspaper into a sphere, and make the grabbing sticks out of newspaper as well.
You can create everything you need for the game using everyday materials.
Place several balls inside a circle, grab them with the stick, and put them into a basket.
If you set a time limit, the game gets more exciting.
Forming teams and competing for the best time will make it even more fun.