[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.
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- [For Seniors] Fun Recreational Activities Without Equipment
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- [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! Exciting Movement Games (11–20)
3 Fun Rubber Band Games
Rubber is characterized by its springy motion, and controlling your strength is necessary to make it move the way you want.
Let’s take on games that use rubber’s movement to help improve strength control and concentration.
In Rubber Rubber Shooter, you’ll feel the force used to launch; in Rubber Rubber Kick Bowling, the force of the rebound; and in Rubber Rubber Curling, the nuances of delicate movement.
By paying attention to how the way you apply force affects how it springs back and by adjusting that force, you’ll likely find your movements become smoother in everyday life as well.
Evil Spirit Banishment Game
We’d like to introduce a game for driving away evil spirits by fanning them off with a paper fan.
First, attach a photo of a person to a plastic bottle, pour in a little water, and stand it on a table.
Draw a picture of an evil spirit on a plastic bag with a felt-tip pen, then slip the bag over the bottle with the staff member’s photo on it.
Hand a paper fan to each participant, and at the signal to start, have them fan to drive away the evil spirit.
Using real photos of people will likely spark laughter with comments like “They’re possessed!” and “They’re saved!” Because participants need to fan vigorously, it can also serve as an exercise for the wrists and arms.
This activity is also recommended as a recreation for senior care facilities.
Persimmon Picking Game
It may look like you’re just using your hands to pick persimmons, but in fact there are points written on the back.
You can’t see the points while you’re picking, and only find out afterward—that’s what makes this “Persimmon Picking Game” fun.
Since there’s a time limit, you can enjoy deciding whether to aim for persimmons you predict will be high-scoring or to pick as many as possible.
If you yank in a hurry, the persimmons get caught on the pins, so the key is to use your fingertips to unhook them from the pins.
Because there’s an element of luck, there are fewer issues of aptitude or skill differences between players, and anyone can enjoy it.
stick-tapping activity
Teams are divided and do a relay with a stick and a bucket, competing to see which side can act first on a ball placed in front of the person at the end.
The stick’s role is to hit the ball, while the bucket’s role is to cover the ball and block it, making the outcome easy to see.
Once everyone understands the rules, try arranging how the stick and bucket are passed, and quickly pass what comes to you while thinking about who to hand it to next.
Rather than focusing on winning or losing, it’s important to encourage calling out to one another and to emphasize communication.
Lightly lifting the ball with the foot
Let me introduce “Foot-Toss Flick,” a game that doubles as lower-limb functional training.
Prepare a small inflatable pool or a box, and place an overturned trash bin inside it.
Add raised areas around it and assign each area a point value.
The harder the spot, the higher the points.
Once you have some beanbags ready, the game begins.
Place a beanbag on the top of your foot and flick it toward a scoring zone.
Do this 10 times and compete on total points.
Unlike simple stepping in place, doing it with a clear goal can be more effective for maintaining leg function.
Give it a try!
Balloon volleyball in two teams
Recreation activities held as team competitions tend to really engage older adults.
Try dividing into two teams for balloon volleyball.
It’s recommended to set up a net or something that can serve as a substitute in the center.
Have older adults participate while seated in chairs.
The excitement will likely build just like in real volleyball.
Older adults with volleyball experience may even become star players.
Since there was a time when volleyball was very popular, some participants might recall their memories from back then.
[For Seniors] Refresh Your Mood! Lively, Movement-Based Games (21–30)
Lots of balloon volleyball
@seasoncafe.yokohama TranslationRecreationElderlyBalloon
Sixth Sense – Reol
In many senior care facilities, balloon volleyball is often played with just one balloon.
Try boldly increasing the number of balloons.
Balloons are light, so even attaching about ten is fine.
Using balloons in various colors is also recommended.
Seniors may find it refreshing to play volleyball with something made from many balloons.
If you have the seniors sit on chairs in a circle and place a tosser in the center, rallies tend to last longer.
As the number of balloons increases, the whole thing becomes larger, which might also make it easier for seniors to make attacks.