[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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Games and Exercises Using Balls and Balloons (1–10)
Balloon Soccer
Balloon soccer is a recreational activity you can enjoy casually while seated.
The team that gets the ball under the table used as the goal wins, but it’s even more fun if you add variations each time, such as setting rules like “use only your right foot” or “use only your left foot,” or by using two balls.
Catch with a ball on one leg
This is a recreational activity aimed at strengthening the power used to move the legs by rolling a ball with your foot and passing it to the next person.
Because you perform the entire sequence—catching the incoming ball and rolling it—using only one leg, you can really focus on how you move your foot.
Whether you kick the ball to roll it or use the sole of your foot will change the ball’s speed, so be mindful of that as you proceed.
Once you get used to it, it’s recommended to increase the cognitive challenge by getting creative with where you roll the ball or by increasing the number of balls.
Kick Bowling
Kick bowling is a recreational activity where, instead of throwing a ball, you kick it at the pins and compete for points.
By adjusting the type and size of the ball to match participants’ physical abilities and adding handicaps, everyone can enjoy it equally.
Since you kick the ball while seated, the risk of falling is low, so participants can play with peace of mind.
Games and Gymnastics Using Balls and Balloons (11–20)
Kick Golf
Kick golf is a compact form of golf that we can recommend both to those who already love golf and to those who’ve never tried it.
It’s also great for people who don’t have much leg strength—in fact, that might even help you aim for a hole-in-one! Unlike soccer, you don’t kick the ball hard.
While it may seem fairly challenging, it’s a recreational activity that trains dexterity and delicate technique.
Ball Toss Showdown
This is a recreational activity where you put your feet into a device made from a cardboard box and compete to see how many balls of your team’s color you can get into the holes within the time limit.
As you try to get each ball into a hole, you get really engaged and move your feet a lot, so it’s like killing two birds with one stone.
It’s very helpful for strengthening the legs and hips, so it’s recommended for older adults.
It’s also a nice idea to keep time by singing a song that matches the time limit.
Lower-body exercises with a rubber ball
Older adults often find it harder to lift their feet while walking, so make a conscious effort to lift your feet to help prevent falls.
This time, we’ll use a rubber ball that you can get at a 100-yen shop for the exercises.
Prepare a ball about the size of a dodgeball or volleyball.
While seated in a chair, hold the ball in front of your body and lift your thigh to tap the ball with your knee; or place the ball on the floor, rest one foot on it, and rotate it in circles without letting your foot come off.
These exercises are designed to make you consciously lift your feet.
Pinball Catcher
It’s a game where you attach a net to your toes and try to catch rolling ping-pong balls with that net.
Since you have to lift your feet and move them left and right, your legs get a solid workout as the number of balls increases and the sessions get longer.
Another key point is that there are obstacles along the path the balls roll, which change their trajectories and help improve your focus as you read their movement.
Using a table with some height makes it harder because the balls’ trajectories change more upon falling, so that setup is also recommended.