[For Seniors] What's in the Box? A Collection of Exciting Content Ideas
Did you know that about 80% of the information people take in each day comes through vision?
This time, we’d like to introduce the “What’s in the Box?” game, which you play without relying on sight.
As the name suggests, it’s a game where you guess what’s inside a box you can’t see into, using only your sense of touch.
You figure out what’s inside by feeling clues like shape, weight, and texture with your hands.
“What could be in there?”
Thinking as you touch stimulates both your sense of touch and your brain.
It helps develop fine tactile sensitivity while engaging your imagination.
It’s fun with small groups or larger ones, so it’s highly recommended as a recreational activity in senior care facilities.
Give it a try together!
- [For Seniors] Fun Even Without Sight! Recreation Ideas
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- [For seniors] Dice talk: engaging prompts
- [For Seniors] Have Fun! A Collection of Group Game Recreation Ideas
- [For Seniors] Fun and Engaging Brain-Training Recreation
- [For Seniors] Handmade Game Ideas You Can Enjoy
- [For Seniors] Fun Recreational Activities Without Equipment
- [For Seniors] Fun! Games and Ideas to Boost Memory
- [For Seniors] Handmade gifts they’ll love: a roundup of simple ideas
- [For Seniors] Extremely Effective Brain Training! A Fun Collection of Hand Games
- For seniors: Fun, crowd-pleasing word association game ideas
- [For Seniors] Think and Have Fun: Introducing Brain-Stimulating Logic Puzzles
- [For Seniors] Recommended Handmade Activities! Simple Ideas
[For Seniors] What’s in the Box? A Collection of Exciting Item Ideas (1–10)
musical instrument
There are many different kinds of musical instruments, and there are major differences in how they produce sound.
This activity tests whether you can form a clear image of an instrument not by how it looks, but solely by how it feels to the touch.
If the instrument chosen is one you’ve handled before, you might arrive at the answer right away.
Since it’s easier to understand when you can hear hints while touching, I recommend using acoustic instruments—starting with percussion—as your prompts.
It’s also interesting that the way you touch the instrument can change the way it sounds.
battery
Batteries, which are used to power various tools, come in different shapes depending on the type of tool, right? This is about whether you can accurately identify those many types of batteries by touch alone.
The difficulty will likely vary a lot depending on whether you choose commonly seen batteries as the theme or pick ones that are rarely used.
It might also work to arrange various kinds of batteries inside a box so that the broad answer of “a battery” can be reached.
The large number of types serves both as a hint and as a source of confusion.
balloon
This is about whether you can guess just by the feel of touching an inflated balloon.
You might be able to tell that it’s something rounded and filled with air, but distinguishing whether it’s a ball or a balloon seems difficult.
If you press harder, you can sense the thinness of the material, but be careful—press too hard and it might pop.
Some people might even find the tied mouth of the balloon and figure it out from there.
It’s also a prompt where you can enjoy the reactions right before it pops or at the exact moment it bursts.
[For Seniors] What's in the Box? Fun Item Ideas (11–20)
a human head
A familiar TV segment: “What’s in the box?” While it doesn’t seem to appear on television as often in recent years, it’s a well-known game that’s fun even with a large group.
You can put all sorts of things inside, but the real crowd-pleaser is a human head.
For the person reaching in, just feeling something warm and moving is enough to make them think, “Is it alive? Will it bite?”—a heart-pounding moment.
Viewers will laugh at reactions like licking or gentle nibbling, and you’re sure to see screams and big reactions.
The person putting their head in should wear an eye mask or similar for protection, and it can be done safely.
It’s also recommended as entertainment for large events.
scrubbing brush
A tawashi scrubbing brush is a strong ally in the kitchen for scouring off grime, starting with burnt-on residue from frying pans.
Most people have probably touched one or at least seen one.
But when you touch a tawashi without seeing it, you might be startled by its hard, prickly feel.
The person putting their hand in will feel a little thrill, and onlookers will get a kick out of watching them gingerly touch the brush.
They come in a wide variety of shapes—round, long, and more—and their easy availability is another appealing point.
stuffed animal
Plush toys with all sorts of textures—fluffy, silky, and puffy.
They usually look cute, but when you can’t see them, those textures can be tricky.
Not only are they soft; with pointy parts or thin sections, it’s hard to picture their exact shape.
Since there are plushies of many different characters, you could even turn it into a guessing game to figure out which one it is.
It’s easy to prepare and safe to do, so I recommend it.
Give it a try!
folding umbrella
A folding umbrella is something everyone knows, yet it’s surprisingly rare to actually see one up close.
With its smooth feel combined with hints of metal and plastic, you may find yourself wondering, “What is this?” Because most people don’t often touch it in its folded state, those who weren’t office workers in their younger days might struggle to come up with the answer.
If no one knows, the host can ask the group questions like, “Have you ever used one?” or “When did you use it?” to involve everyone and make it more enjoyable.