[For Seniors] Refresh Your Mood! Lively, Get-Moving Games
As we get older, we tend to have fewer opportunities to be physically active.
Even in senior facilities like day services, people may end up sitting for long periods during activities like crafts.
Why not try incorporating some lively, movement-based games?
Of course, it’s fine to stay seated!
Even without strenuous movements, simply rolling your arms or marching your feet a little can loosen the body and make for good exercise.
Please be sure not to overdo it—have fun while keeping an eye on how you feel!
There are plenty of games that get everyone moving and energized.
- [For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
- [For Seniors] Fun Recreational Activities Without Equipment
- For Seniors: Effective Recreation for Preventing Care Needs—Have Fun While Staying Healthy
- [For Seniors] Exciting Team-Based Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Enjoy safely even during the COVID-19 pandemic: Seated activities
- Recommended Indoor Exercises for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] A Fun Sports Day! Recreational Activities You Can Do Safely
- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Recommended Dances You Can Move To and Enjoy
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
[For Seniors] Refresh Your Mood! Energetic, Movement-Based Games (151–160)
Plastic bottle bowling with your feet
It’s a bowling-like game where you kick a ball to knock down as many plastic bottles lined up in front of you as possible.
You sit in a chair and launch the ball using the strength of your legs, so it tests both how to move to generate power and how well you can control direction.
As the distance to the pins increases, the leg strength required and the difficulty of control change, so gradually make it harder and build up your leg muscles.
Playing by real bowling rules—seeing how many you can knock down within a limited number of turns—makes it even more fun and competitive, so that approach is also recommended.
Newspaper-pulling-with-your-feet game
Here’s a game that gets you moving your feet while having fun and training at the same time.
Have older adults sit in a chair and pull a sheet of newspaper with their feet.
They can pull it with one foot or with both feet together.
You can also have two older adults sit facing each other at a distance and compete—it should be fun.
Besides providing leg exercise, it’s likely to increase interaction among older adults and bring more smiles.
It can also help with a change of pace and stress relief.
Please give it a try.
Step out, open your legs
This is an exercise where two people sit in chairs facing each other and move their legs into specified positions.
Because the two are close together, it looks as if their leg movements are synchronized, which adds to the fun.
For example, when one person extends a leg forward, the other can open their legs to avoid it—watch your partner’s movements while moving your legs firmly.
Adding variations like increasing the speed or proceeding while singing can create an even more enjoyable atmosphere, so those are recommended as well.
Leg-pulling game
It’s a game where a string is attached to a paper cup with a ball on top, and you pull the string with your foot to move it along.
A course is marked on the floor with tape, and you need to pull the string carefully so you don’t go off the course.
You’ll not only pull from back to front, but also move your foot left and right to steer sideways, so the more complex the course, the more your control is tested.
You can also connect multiple strings and have everyone pull together, which makes it even trickier to adjust the force—highly recommended!
Step-on kite-flying game
It’s a game where you move a kite attached between two strings by stepping in place with both feet.
By alternating your steps and gradually moving farther, you can enjoy the sensation of rising into the sky.
A key point is figuring out the optimal way to move—such as how to step to climb more quickly—through trial and movement.
It also helps build overall leg strength through stepping while enhancing concentration by reading the kite’s movements.
Shoe-wearing motion training
Even the casual act of slipping your foot into a shoe involves surprisingly complex movements—like unconsciously adding angles as you move.
This game focuses on those motions when you insert your foot, training your feet through a scooping action.
You attach a cardboard part with an open space in the center to your foot and use it to pick up balls placed at your feet.
Instead of just moving straight in, you collect the balls with a scooping motion, so by concentrating on the balls, you naturally get your ankles moving well as you play.
[For Seniors] Refresh Your Mood! Lively, Movement-Based Games (161–170)
Balloon basket
This activity has participants gently hit a balloon and try to land it in the basket in front of them.
Encourage them to pay close attention to the direction they hit the balloon and how much force they use.
In addition to aiming to get it into the basket in a single hit, it’s also recommended to add a variation where they bounce it upward a few times before aiming for the basket to develop their sense of balance.
By thinking about the direction to bounce the balloon and moving to retrieve it, they can train not only their bodies but also their reflexes and decision-making skills.
It would also be exciting to turn it into a cooperative game where everyone stands in a large circle and targets a basket placed in the center.