[For seniors] January health topics: A roundup of popular recreational activities from exercises and crafts to New Year’s games

10-minute morning exercise

“10-Minute Morning Exercise” Refreshing Wake-Up Routine for Seniors and Care Facilities [Day Service Exercises] by Ryusei Ishida & Grandma Tatsu

It’s hard to get your body moving in the morning, isn’t it? And everyone feels a bit groggy right after waking up.

At times like that, try some quick exercises to wake up your body and brain.

First, bring the fingertips of both hands together, then spin the opposing fingers in circles as if they’re playing tag.

Do this from the thumbs to the little fingers.

Next, move the muscles in your face, such as by opening your mouth wide.

Finally, use both your hands and feet for a full-body exercise.

If you’re an older adult, please prioritize safety and try these exercises while seated.

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sasashina

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Foot-stepping kite flying

Fly, kite, fly! Foot-stepping kite flying. #dayservice #daycare #adultdaycare #dayrehab #caregiving #seniors #kiteflying #recreation #footstepping #lowerlimbtraining

Let’s try a kite-lifting foot-stepping game that also works your lower body.

Attach a kite-shaped piece of construction paper to a long piece of yarn.

You can’t see the back structure in the video, but it likely uses the same mechanism as a “climbing figure,” so use a straw or similar parts to build it.

Once the kite is attached, make loops at both ends of the yarn and, while seated, place your feet through the loops.

Hook the middle of the yarn onto a high point, and the game begins! As you step your feet, friction will make the kite rise upward.

Set a time limit or play with multiple people to see who comes out on top.

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sasashina

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New Year’s Letter Rearrangement Quiz

Word Scramble Quiz: Easy!! New Year Part 2 🎍✨

We’d like to introduce the “New Year Word Unscramble Quiz,” which features words related to the New Year! Rearrange the given characters to form the specified word or sentence.

Because it requires memorizing the characters and putting them in the correct order, it’s used as a brain-training activity in day service centers and senior care facilities.

Simply incorporating New Year elements into the word scramble adds a seasonal touch.

You can adjust the difficulty by changing the number of characters.

Start with 3- or 4-character words and gradually increase the difficulty!

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Kawamura Mina

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Perfect rhythm exercises you can do while seated, ideal for New Year’s and Setsubun

A simple-choreography [Children’s Song Exercise Medley]: rhythm exercises for seniors/older adults that provide a full-body workout while seated. Perfect for the New Year and Setsubun bean-throwing season!

January is still bitterly cold, and it’s hard to get outside, isn’t it? So how about doing some exercises indoors to make up for the lack of activity? These exercises are set to music perfect for the New Year.

The songs are “Oshōgatsu” and “Ichigatsu Tsuitachi,” and the choreography is different for each.

While seated, you can slowly bend and extend your knees, clap your hands, and move both arms up from the shoulders or forward—simple moves that will thoroughly loosen up your whole body.

It’s a routine anyone can try, so give it a go within a comfortable range.

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sasashina

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New Year decorations making

[New Year’s Craft] Make New Year decorations with origami and tissue paper♪

Let’s make a festive New Year’s decoration you’ll want to display in your room.

This piece is completed by attaching red-and-white flowers, a “Geshun” (Welcoming Spring) tag, and mizuhiki cord ornaments onto a fan base.

You can tie the mizuhiki yourself, or purchase a shape you like from a 100-yen shop.

For the fan, first join two sheets of plain origami paper vertically, then adhere narrow strips of washi-patterned origami along the left and right edges.

Accordion-fold the paper, shape it into a fan, and glue the necessary points to hold the form.

For the red-and-white flowers, stack several sheets of tissue paper, accordion-fold them, secure the center with wire, then gently separate each layer to form the flower.

Make the “Geshun” tag by writing the characters on paper and mounting it on gold origami.

Finally, attach all the parts to the fan in a balanced arrangement, and your decoration is complete!

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sasashina

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Karaoke Contest

Day Service Howdy’s Community Center Event (2): Karaoke Contest

Projecting your voice from the diaphragm is said to be good for your health.

Karaoke is also very popular as a recreation at day-service centers and as a regular event at senior facilities.

Singing is enjoyable on its own, but since it’s January, it would surely be fun to focus on a theme like “songs about January” or “winter songs.” There are rental karaoke sets that display scores, so it might be nice for music lovers to gather and hold a karaoke contest together.

If you’re shy about singing solo, it’s also fun to form a unit and sing like The Peanuts or Candies!

first calligraphy of the year

[Even Beginners Can Do It] How to Do Kakizome (New Year’s Calligraphy) | New Year’s Edition

Kakizome is a New Year’s tradition that has continued since the Heian period.

Many people probably wrote one every year in elementary school.

Some may think it has to be written in kanji, but in fact there isn’t a strict definition.

It can be characters or pictures.

There’s also a saying that what you write will improve, or that the wishes you put into it will come true, so keep that in mind.

First, try writing anything you like.

By the way, it’s common to ceremonially burn the kakizome paper by January 15.

Please use this as a reference.

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yamamoto

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