[For Seniors] Have Fun! A Collection of Group Game Recreation Ideas
A nursing care facility that many people use every day.
In many places, you can hear lively chatter wherever you go, every single day.
Now, when it comes to daily life in such a facility, it would be great to create moments where everyone present can spend enjoyable time together.
In this article, we’ve put together ideas for group games that we’d love for older adults to try.
We’ve included everything from activities that get the body moving to recreations that also work as brain training.
Be sure to read to the end and find ideas you can put to use!
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Refresh Your Mood! Lively, Get-Moving Games
- [For Seniors] Exciting Team-Based Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Enjoyment at Day Care: A Roundup of Games and Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Fun and Engaging Brain-Training Recreation
- [For Senior Care Facilities] Fun Bingo Game Ideas That Also Work as Brain Training
- [For Seniors] Guaranteed to Be a Hit! Popular Day Service Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Lively Wordplay Game: Fun Recreation for Elderly Care
- [For Seniors] Fun! Games and Ideas to Boost Memory
- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- [For Seniors] Fun Small-Group Recreation
- [For Seniors] Enjoy safely even during the COVID-19 pandemic: Seated activities
[For Seniors] Let’s Have Fun! Group Game Recreation Ideas (21–30)
Simple Balloon Volley
This is balloon volleyball, where you rally a balloon that floats gently through the air.
Ask older adults to sit on chairs in a circle and try to keep the balloon from touching the floor.
It helps to have someone in the center who can provide support so the rally continues more easily.
Balloons feel soft and are light, making them safer and less likely to cause injury for older participants.
Trying not to drop the balloon also encourages interaction among everyone.
With lively chatter and a fun atmosphere, older adults can enjoy balloon volleyball too.
Clap-Clap Game
This is a game where everyone tries to clap right in time with the designated person’s movements.
The designated person turns to the side, extends one hand, and then brings the other hand over to overlap it.
Everyone claps at the exact moment the hands meet.
If the hands come together too slowly, it’s hard to sync the sound, so keep a certain pace.
While you might expect a steady rhythm, the key to making the game exciting is throwing in twists—like not letting the hands meet on the final beat.
[For Seniors] Have Fun! A Collection of Group Game Rec Ideas (31–40)
Telephone game
This is a game where you pass a given word along to the next person in order, aiming to convey the original word accurately all the way to the end.
Because how people hear things can vary, make sure to pronounce clearly while also focusing closely on the sounds when you listen.
The goal is accurate transmission, but even if mistakes happen, it’s fun to analyze how the message drifted.
It’s also recommended to add twists to the prompts, such as deliberately choosing words that are easy to confuse with others or giving them unusual endings.
Association game: various surnames
There are many different surnames in Japan.
Depending on the region, you might find people with rare surnames, or areas where many people share the same surname.
According to one theory, surnames have various origins: some come from the family line one was born into, others from occupations, and still others from the places where people lived.
So this time, we’d like to introduce “Word Association Game: All About Surnames.” Give participants one minute to think of as many surnames as they can.
After one minute, have them say the surnames they came up with and write them on a whiteboard or similar.
One person can aim for 10, or the whole group can aim for 50.
It’s perfect as a mental workout, so please give it a try!
Paper cup launcher
It’s a game where you swing a stick made of newspaper to launch a paper cup placed on the tip forward, and compete on how far it flies.
Your ability to control force is tested—how you swing determines how well the power transfers to the cup and how far it goes.
Just swinging with brute force won’t work, so pay attention to where you start the swing, when you stop it, and the angle.
Through the game, you’ll also get good movement in your upper body, especially around the shoulders, which is another key benefit.
Arunashi quiz
It’s a game where you’re shown words divided into two groups—“has” and “doesn’t have”—and you have to figure out what they have in common.
The tricky part is that the shared feature can take many forms, such as something that appears when you add a word before or after, or a property hidden within the word itself.
The breadth of possible commonalities makes it challenging, but it also stimulates the brain by encouraging diverse approaches.
Since that same breadth can make it hard, let’s provide hints gradually to help guide the thinking process.
If you try reading the words out loud, you might notice something that brings you closer to the answer.
High touch rec
A high five is when two people clap each other’s hands, often when greeting brightly or feeling happy.
Let’s turn this high five into a recreation activity that seniors can enjoy.
Have everyone sit in a circle on chairs and high-five the person next to them.
Try high-fiving with just one hand, or flip the hands over to change the palm orientation as you go.
Make the seated circle smaller so people can reach to tap someone’s hand, or do double high fives with both hands.
Thinking about who has a free hand and counting to ten while high-fiving can also help train the brain.
It’s an activity that may spark conversations with people who don’t usually talk and broaden communication.