Recommended fun performances that will appeal to elderly people
At day service centers and residential facilities where many older adults gather, seasonal events are often held.
Some staff members may be wondering what kind of performances will delight the seniors at these times.
In this article, we introduce easy-to-implement entertainment ideas and games.
We’ve picked out performances that staff can present, as well as activities that seniors can join in together.
Let’s aim for a crowd-pleasing event that everyone can enjoy and get the excitement going!
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Recommended fun performances that will appeal to seniors (11–20)
fashion show
How about holding a fashion show by seniors, for seniors—something that’s only possible in a gathering of older adults? By letting participants enjoy the fresh experience of dressing up in glamorous fashion, it can be a big, stimulating change and help them feel youthful at heart.
Some people may find it hard to plan their own outfits, so in that case, it might be good for those around them to help, or to ask a professional.
If not only the onlookers but even the person dressing up can present a fresh new look, the event is sure to be a hit.
Impersonation
Let’s liven up the gathering with impressions of stars who colored the youths of our seniors! If you perform impressions of Hibari Misora, Shizuko Kasagi—the model for the morning drama “Boogie Woogie”—or Noriko Awaya, it might bring back fond memories of their younger days.
In doing impressions, trying to sound exactly alike matters, but capturing key traits and boldly exaggerating them can often get the feeling across surprisingly well.
Even if you’ve never tried impressions before, why not give it a shot?
Umbrella spinning
A performance where various objects are rolled atop an umbrella.
It’s often showcased around New Year’s and feels auspicious.
The choice of which umbrella to use and what objects to roll is crucial—aim for a balance between the umbrella’s strength and the weight and shape of the items.
If you focus only on ease of spinning, the angle tends to make it hard for the audience to see, so it’s recommended to structure the act by gradually raising it from face level.
Keep practicing to achieve that lucky-looking scene of spinning a masu box on a traditional Japanese umbrella.
Ogiri (Japanese improv-style comedy wordplay game)
Ogiri is well-known as a segment on the TV show “Shoten.” It’s a performance where participants come up with humorous answers that fit a given theme.
You can have people tackle ogiri straight on, or aim for a friendlier feel by structuring it like a parody of “Shoten.” I think it’s important to keep the prompts and responses audience-conscious and easy to understand.
If you give the host and contestants distinctive personalities, it’ll be easier for viewers to root for them, which should make things even more exciting.
scientific experiment
This content is about using scientific principles to create various intriguing phenomena.
Many people know that oil and water repel each other, but by adjusting their proportions and colors, you can produce surprising visual effects that go beyond common knowledge.
There are also experiments using potato starch, among others—let’s take on a variety of experiments that apply science.
It might be easy to understand if you first have participants predict what phenomena will occur using the prepared materials, and then check the answers afterward.
Bingo Tournament
It’s a classic party game where you cross off randomly announced numbers on your bingo card, aiming to complete a line.
Watching the lines gradually come together and looking forward to the prizes are part of the fun.
While you can play with store-bought sets, it could be interesting to tweak the rules—like having everyone write their own chosen numbers on their bingo cards or letting participants take turns calling the numbers.
It’s also important to allow enough time after each number is announced, and for the host to build excitement when someone is one away or gets a bingo.
Recommended fun performances that will appeal to seniors (21–30)
kamishibai (paper theater)
If you have a staff member who’s good at drawing, we recommend creating an original kamishibai (paper theater) as a performance! Kamishibai allows the audience to focus on the pictures right in front of them, and since there’s no text, it encourages imagination, which is said to provide positive stimulation for the brain.
Well-known stories like The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter or Momotaro, or kamishibai based on rakugo are great choices, but for a fun event, aiming for laughs with an original story is also highly recommended! To make it easy to see, try drawing the illustrations as large as possible.