[For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs
Here are some fun recreational activities that help build leg strength.
We’ve gathered options older adults can really enjoy, like soccer, bowling, and golf using balls or balloons.
These friendly group games—where you practice controlling force and direction—strengthen the legs while creating opportunities to communicate with others.
Moving your legs gently and without strain can also make everyday movements smoother.
Find your favorite activity and put it to use for daily health and wellness!
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- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Indoor Activities! Recreations and Games That Engage the Mind and Body
- For Seniors: Effective Recreation for Preventing Care Needs—Have Fun While Staying Healthy
- [For Seniors] Leg and lower-back training: Fall prevention
- [For Seniors] Exercises to Walk Again. Fall Prevention
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- [For Seniors] A Fun Sports Day! Recreational Activities You Can Do Safely
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
- [For Seniors] Balance-Training Exercises: Preventing Falls
Recreation activities that move the feet to songs and rhythms (1–10)
Slow aerobics to the tune of “Alps Ichiman-jaku”
As people age, many find it bothersome to move their bodies.
Let’s get moving with slow aerobics that can be done while seated in a chair.
As the name suggests, slow aerobics involves gently moving your body to music.
It’s said to help raise heart rate and encourage breathing even for older adults who don’t have many opportunities to exercise.
It’s recommended to do rhythmic exercises to familiar songs—like “Alps Ichiman-jaku”—that many seniors know well.
Moving to music can also help bring out a sense of fun in older adults.
Exercise with Sazae-san
When you think of Sunday evening TV shows, many people probably think of Sazae-san.
Let’s try moving our bodies to the Sazae-san song.
It’s a long-running program, so many older adults are likely familiar with the song and the content of the anime.
When it’s a song you know, it’s easier to get your body moving.
The Sazae-san song also has a bright, cheerful feel, which can help calm and uplift older adults while they exercise.
Both the opening and ending themes work well for fun exercises, so I recommend either one.
Please give it a try!
Fall-prevention exercises to the tune of ‘The Highland Train Is Coming’
We will introduce fall-prevention exercises set to the song “Kogen Ressha wa Yuku” (The Highland Train is Coming).
Sit on a chair and slowly lift your toes and heels to move your feet.
When raising your legs so they are parallel to the floor, it’s best to use a stable, fixed chair to avoid falling backward.
Move your legs as if walking, and slowly move your arms along with them.
When bringing your feet and arms back, do so slowly.
Let’s move our bodies to an upbeat song, have fun, and keep smiling.
Foot rock-paper-scissors clapping exercise
This is a game where you make the rock-paper-scissors shapes with your feet in sequence, and make the order more complex by inserting hand claps.
By switching the order of the shapes and where you add the claps, you can turn it into brain training.
Repeat the same movements for a while, then change the order once you’re used to it so you can focus clearly on the sequence.
If movement alone is confusing, saying the steps out loud as you go is an easy-to-follow option I recommend.
Apple Song Exercise
While singing “The Apple Song” (Ringo no Uta), which is remembered as the first hit song after the war, this activity involves moving the body slowly.
The song has a uniquely calm atmosphere, so it gives the impression that you can move at an unhurried pace.
The movements mainly focus on the upper body, but by adding steps and singing, you can also stimulate brain activity.
Even if you’ve heard the song before, you might not remember the lyrics perfectly, so in that case, following along with the lyrics also adds a focus and concentration element.
Cognicise with ‘Moshi Moshi Kame yo’
Here’s an exercise that gets even more exciting when done with several people.
It’s a cognicise routine set to the children’s song “The Rabbit and the Turtle,” which sings about the race between the rabbit and the turtle.
As the song plays, add marching, arm stretches, and hand claps.
Once you get the hang of the moves, try exercising while singing along.
Even if you make mistakes, the bright melody turns them into laughs.
In fact, striving to master the moves, rather than already being able to do them, helps activate the brain.
Don’t worry about mistakes—give it a try! You can also have fun by adding various other movements.
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.