[For Seniors] From Games to Crafts: A Complete Guide to Paper Cup Recreational Activities

kaleidoscope

[Paper Cup Craft] Super Easy! How to Make a Colorful Kaleidoscope [Ashitaba Channel]

A kaleidoscope offers a magical experience where a glittering, beautiful world keeps changing just by peering into a tube.

You can actually make one with a paper cup.

Here’s an easy kaleidoscope idea.

First, cut out the bottom of a paper cup and apply double-sided tape around the top rim.

Stick pieces of cellophane in various colors onto the tape.

Replace the cut-out bottom with tracing paper.

Then point the cellophane side toward a light source like a fluorescent lamp, and—like magic!—you’ll see a lovely world where beautiful lights blend together.

Give it a try!

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kojifumi

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Paper Cup Sumo

Aim for yokozuna! We tried the flapping paper-cup sumo game (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ

There’s a game called paper sumo, where you play with paper wrestlers.

Some older adults may have played it at least once.

Using paper cups and a fan, you can try a different version.

Divide the tabletop in half to set territories, and place paper cups as the wrestlers.

The wrestlers move using the force of air when you flap the fan.

Since it’s sumo, if a wrestler falls off the tabletop ring, they lose.

Flapping the fan back and forth will surely liven up the recreation.

It’s a game where you can almost hear the chant, “Nokotta, nokotta!”

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Nakajima Junko

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Whac-A-Mole

[100-yen shop] Super-exciting recreation with a paper-cup Whac-A-Mole

Here’s a fun and brain-training activity using paper cups: Whack-a-mole! Prepare about 10 to 20 paper cups and draw moles on them to make your moles.

Attach a pair of chopsticks to a paper cup to create a hammer for whacking the moles.

By involving older adults from the making stage, it also becomes a craft activity.

Whether as a craft or as a whack-a-mole game, it uses the hands.

Dexterous finger movements help stimulate the brain.

The whacking motion can help improve joint movement and is expected to boost concentration as well.

It would be exciting to turn it into a team competition for a recreation session.

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Nakajima Junko

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string telephone

[Craft Play 063] How to Make a Paper Cup String Telephone – Includes a Way for Three People to Play

In today’s world, where portable electronic devices like smartphones are the norm, it feels like opportunities to play with analog tools have greatly decreased.

So this time, I’d like to introduce an idea for a string telephone made with paper cups.

All you need are paper cups, twine, and beads.

Make a small hole in the bottom of each paper cup, thread the twine through, and secure it with a bead.

Do the same on the other cup; then hold the cups so the string is taut, and try speaking into one of them.

You’ll experience the curious phenomenon of your voice turning into vibrations that travel along the string and can be heard from the cup on the other end.

It’s easy to make, so your grandchildren might be delighted if you give it to them as a gift.

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kojifumi

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Matching game

All you need are paper cups 😆 A matching game with paper cups ✌️ #dayservice recreation #braintraining #senioractivities #minigame #shorts #dementiaprevention

This is a game where you look at the pictures drawn on the bottoms of arranged paper cups and find and match the ones with the same picture.

By searching for matching pictures, you can train concentration, and by quickly stacking the paper cups, you can also encourage awareness of hand movements.

It’s also important to decide what kind of pictures to draw; for example, limiting them to a spring theme lets players enjoy the game visually as well.

Adding trick elements, such as pictures that look similar but are slightly different, is recommended, as it helps players focus even more on their hands.

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kappamaki

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Treasure Hunt Game

Recreation for Seniors: Super Exciting Brain Training—Beanbag Treasure Hunt Game

It’s a “treasure hunt game” where you hide a beanbag under a paper cup and guess where it is.

The rules are simple, so it seems likely that many older adults would be able to join.

Preparation is easy too—just get some paper cups and a beanbag.

Remembering which cups don’t have the beanbag helps stimulate the brain.

Lifting the cups also serves as hand and arm training.

This time it’s a game to guess the hidden beanbag, but you can enjoy it with variations.

Draw pictures, such as fruits or fish, on the bottoms of the paper cups.

You can devise games where you try to find the picture that matches a given theme from among the cups.

It’s fun to play solo, and it’s also an engaging game to compete in pairs.

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Nakajima Junko

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Ping-pong

Aim! Paper Cup Ping-Pong [A Party Game That Pops with 100-Yen Store Supplies]

Here’s an easy game you can enjoy with just two items.

It’s a tabletop game using paper cups and ping-pong balls.

Try bouncing the ping-pong ball into the paper cups or tossing it in without a bounce.

The cups have scores written on them in advance, so you can compete for points.

By trying several rounds and adding up the scores, you can also expect some brain-training benefits.

Since ping-pong balls are light, they don’t require much strength and pose little risk of injury if dropped, making this especially recommended for older adults.

Throwing the ping-pong ball also works as an arm exercise, so it’s a fun way to get some training while playing.

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Nakajima Junko

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