![[For older adults] Music recreation that helps boost mood and improve health](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/rZUvuI0oK0k/maxresdefault.webp)
We’d like to introduce music-based recreational activities that can lift the spirits of older adults.
Listening to favorite songs or singing out loud can provide a change of pace and help relieve stress.
In this article, we present a variety of recreational ideas that use the music we encounter in everyday life.
Along with sing-alongs of children’s songs and simple exercises set to music, we’ve also gathered quiz-style activities that are fun like games.
If you’re planning music recreation for a senior facility or day service setting, please use these ideas as a reference.
- With upbeat rhythm routines! Music therapy for seniors
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- [Sing for your health!] Popular songs among seniors. Also recommended for recreational activities.
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- [For Seniors] Refresh Your Mood! Lively, Get-Moving Games
- Recreation Activities Effective for Long-Term Care Prevention for Seniors
- [Today's Recommendation] Gentle Health Exercises for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs
- [For Seniors] Recommended Songs for Music Therapy Tailored to Physical and Mental Conditions
- [November Health Topic] Indoor Recreation Ideas for Older Adults
[For Seniors] Music Recreation Activities (1–10) That Help Improve Mood and Health
Brain training with song! Clap your hands at the designated spots in “Furusato.”
They say that doing two or more things at the same time stimulates the brain.
With this activity, you can enjoy it while adding several actions besides just singing.
While singing, you clap your hands when you reach the designated syllables in the Japanese syllabary.
Because you’re consciously doing three things—singing, thinking, and clapping—it’s quite challenging.
Acrostic Song: “The Hare and the Tortoise”
Let’s enjoy “letter-omission songs,” where you sing while skipping a specific character.
Following the lyrics and thinking as you sing also makes for good brain training.
If you’re thinking, “That’s easy!” try adding a rule like skipping two characters instead.
Even a simple nursery rhyme becomes more challenging and exciting.
One-Letter Parody Song: “Osaru no Kagoya” (The Monkey Palanquin)
“One-Letter Parody Songs” are a classic and highly recommended brain-training recreation.
For example, take the song ‘Osaru no Kagoya’ and try singing it with every ‘sa’ replaced by ‘chi.’ It’s simple, but getting through the whole song without mistakes is surprisingly difficult.
You can also enjoy many variations by choosing a longer song or changing which character you swap.
Passing objects while singing
Everyone sits in a circle and passes a beanbag or ball to the person next to them—but doing it as-is can be dull, so let’s pass it along to the rhythm while singing! Keep the beat, pass it properly to your neighbor, and if you make it to the end of the song without dropping it, you’ve succeeded.
Since you’re moving both hands while singing, it also helps stimulate the brain.
Song guessing quiz
The “Guess the Lyrics” quiz is super simple! As long as you have a whiteboard and a pen, you can play it anywhere right away.
You pick out clue words from a song’s lyrics and write them down one by one, and the others try to guess the song.
You can adjust the difficulty freely by adding more clues as you watch how the players are doing or by choosing clearer words.
Scarf Stretch: ‘I Found a Little Autumn’
“Scarf Stretch” is an upper-body exercise you can do while seated.
The song “Chiisai Aki Mitsuketa” has a relaxed tempo, making it perfect for stretching while rotating your neck and taking deep breaths.
Start by loosening the neck and shoulders, then hold the scarf taut to relax the entire upper body.
Finger play ‘Donguri Korokoro’
“Finger exercises” help practice fingertip movements, and moving them while singing keeps your mind flexible.
To the tune of “Donguri Korokoro,” fold your fingers one by one starting from the thumb while counting “1, 2, 3…” and finally open your hand wide.
Once you get used to it, try changing the speed to increase the difficulty and challenge yourself.