For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
Doesn’t a natural smile come to your face when you move along to nostalgic children’s songs and traditional tunes? A popular choice for recreation in senior care facilities is fun exercises that incorporate these familiar songs.
With easy movements you can enjoy while seated and simple choreography you can do while singing, these activities gently support both the mind and body of older adults.
Today, we’ll introduce joyful singing exercises that help stimulate the brain and maintain physical fitness.
Enjoy a smile-filled exercise time with seasonal songs and tunes full of memories.
Singing and exercise with nursery rhymes and songs (1–10)
Taiko Rhythm Exercise: Happy HinamatsuriNEW!
A taiko rhythm exercise that lets you enjoy moving your body while feeling the seasons and a sense of nostalgia.
Humming along helps regulate breathing, which is effective for activating cardiopulmonary function and refreshing your mood.
Listening to the Hinamatsuri song can bring back old memories, sparking conversation and stimulating cognitive function.
Using a tissue box as a drum has the advantages of being light and soft, making it safe even for older adults who may have difficulty adjusting their strength, and reducing the risk of injury.
Plus, because it uses familiar materials, preparation is easy, costs are minimal, and you can start right away—another appealing point.
Hometown: A song-and-exercise routine that livens things up with three movements
Move your hands to the melody of the children’s song “Furusato,” and stimulate your brain not only through the hand movements but also by visualizing your hometown.
The flow is two claps followed by forming a number with your hands, thinking ahead to the next number while keeping the rhythm of the song in mind.
After making a 5 with both hands, the count returns to 1, so this is where you should focus carefully and aim for smoother movements.
Once you get used to it, we also recommend increasing the speed to further improve concentration.
Rhythmic gymnastics: lower body exercisesNEW!
Here’s a lower-body exercise you can do to a children’s song.
You can do it while sitting in a chair, so give it a try.
First, open both feet outward alternately to the rhythm.
Next, do leg extensions with a focus on your thighs.
From there, perform the designated moves such as heel raises and foot touches.
Once you finish everything, repeat the sequence, and this time try adding upper-body movements as well.
It’s a gentle indoor workout for the hips and knees, but don’t push yourself if you feel any pain.
Singing and exercise medley of summer children’s songs
As an indoor exercise activity, seated calisthenics are a classic choice.
Even while sitting, you can move your body well and refresh your mood, so give it a try and dance along.
You can use any music you like, but if you want something widely recognized that everyone can hum to, summer children’s songs are recommended.
There are plenty of summer-themed nursery songs such as “Kamome no Suiheisan” (Seagull Sailor), “Fujinoyama” (Mount Fuji), and “Ware wa Umi no Ko” (Child of the Sea), so pick some popular tunes.
Loosen up your body by spreading your arms and marching your feet to the rhythm!
If you’re happy, clap your hands
It’s an exercise that arranges the lyrics of the well-known children’s song “If You’re Happy and You Know It” to have participants perform various actions.
You replace the clapping part with other movements in the song, and everyone present does the specified action together.
Because you have to instantly decide what movement to do, singing the song at a faster tempo could also help train reflexes.
It’s best to start at a slow tempo at first to explain the rules, then gradually change the tempo and make the movements more complex so everyone can enjoy getting a good workout.
Brain-training recreation exercise with the ‘Antagata Dokosa’ song
Rhythmic exercises with a children’s song—what a wonderful idea.
Moving your arms and legs to the song “Antagata Dokosa” lets you enjoy both fun and a sense of rhythm at the same time.
The key is to lift your foot on the syllable “sa,” which can also help prevent cognitive decline.
Incorporating it into your morning routine could be a refreshing way to start the day.
Children’s songs feel nostalgic and familiar, so I’m sure it will be an enjoyable time.
When everyone moves their bodies while singing together, smiles are bound to come naturally.
Rhythmic gymnastics with Momotaro
We’ll introduce a rhythmic exercise using “Momotaro” set to a familiar tune.
Sit in a chair and rotate your arms to the rhythm of the song.
Slowly twist your body to the left and right.
Be careful not to fall off the chair when twisting.
When spreading your arms and legs, move within a comfortable range without overexerting yourself.
At the end, take slow deep breaths to regulate your breathing and relax.
It’s also recommended to use a ball or a towel while moving your body.
Stay safe and enjoy being active.
