[For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
We want to spend time filled with fun and smiles! With that in mind, we’re excited to introduce a variety of cleverly designed recreational activities.
From nostalgic games that get large groups buzzing to handmade games and snack-time activities, we’ve gathered options seniors can enjoy together.
These activities help build concentration while moving the body and spark lively conversation.
If everyone takes on the challenge together, you’re sure to make wonderful memories.
Be sure to incorporate them into your daily recreation!
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Quiz and Brain Training Games (1–10)
The ‘It fell, it fell’ game
For those of you looking for indoor activities for a rainy day, the “Fell, Fell Game” is highly recommended! In this game, you sing a song about various things falling, and you pretend to catch the items that appear in the lyrics.
The poses change depending on the lyrics, so learning them may help stimulate the brain.
And when someone makes a mistake, it often leads to laughter, which helps communication flow.
Short-term Memory Game
The “short-term memory game” is a memory-based recreational activity that you can enjoy using your eyes and your mind.
You place various items on a table, have players memorize them, then cover them with a cloth and ask the players to recall what was there.
The rules are simple, but it’s genuinely fun—a game that fully engages the brain and is likely to get everyone excited even when answers are wrong.
Who am I? game
If you’re looking for an easy indoor activity, the “Who Am I?” game is a great pick! In this game, you place a piece of paper with a prompt written on it on top of your head so you can’t see it.
The participant asks questions to people around them who know the prompt to figure out what’s written on their own card.
By limiting the number of questions, players have to think carefully about what to ask, making it perfect as a brain workout.
playing rock-paper-scissors after seeing the opponent’s move (i.e., acting with hindsight/cheating)
Aft-hand rock-paper-scissors is a recreation where you throw your hand in response to the already-shown hand according to the instruction “win,” “lose,” or “tie.” Because it’s an arrangement of a game everyone knows, it’s simple enough for anyone to join, yet it also serves as brain training that requires split-second judgment and quick hand movements.
You can also add various rules like “win with your right hand” or “lose with your left hand,” so you can keep it interesting without getting bored.
It can be played anywhere, so it’s highly recommended.
English Telephone Game
Even though we’re seeing English more and more, many people still feel uneasy about it because it’s different from the language they use in daily life.
This game weaves English into a telephone game to raise the difficulty while deepening interest in the language.
Players listen to a prompt, express it in English, and then figure out what the original prompt was.
By trying to catch the English accurately, the game helps boost concentration.
The core is interpreting the prompt from English, but it’s also a great idea to encourage players to use the English they know and challenge themselves to speak in English.
Speaking of ◯◯, the ◯◯ game
This is the association game “If you say ___, it’s ___!” For example, if the theme is “spring,” various keywords like cherry blossoms, school entrance, and graduation come to mind.
The game is to see which team can come up with more keywords related to the theme.
Split into two teams, and at the start signal, take turns writing down keywords one by one.
You can prepare a whiteboard, but simply saying them out loud one at a time also works.
The theme can be anything—try choosing something seasonal or a topic everyone knows!
Intro Quiz
The intro quiz, where you listen to just the beginning of a song and guess its title, is a staple segment on TV shows and the like.
Let’s take on that kind of intro quiz to train focused listening and the ability to pull song titles from memory.
If you use completely unfamiliar songs, people may give up thinking, so it’s important to include classic tracks suited to the participants’ generation.
With nostalgic hits that were once popular, you can likely heighten their focus even more by prompting them to revisit old memories.