[For Seniors] Recommended for older adults: enjoyable recreational activities

Song to sing at the end of the gathering

Big Laugh Recreation: If You're Happy and You Know It [Light Exercise for Brain Training and Elderly Care Prevention]

We’d like to introduce an exercise routine to do at the end of events and recreational activities.

By doing the same exercise to the same song each time, participants can recognize that “the session has ended.” If you choose a song that is familiar to older adults, it will likely be easier for them to join in.

It’s said that exercising while singing can have brain-training benefits.

Performing simultaneous movements is also expected to activate the brain efficiently.

You might consider adding playful variations to the routine to create fun, laughter-filled movements.

Be sure to select songs that older adults are familiar with.

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Nakajima Junko

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Have fun catching the ball with your body

[Senior Recreation] No touching others! Ball-based recreation [Preventive Care]

A recommended recreation activity for seniors using a rubber ball.

Rubber balls don’t slip easily, so they’re easier to catch.

This time, work in pairs and toss the ball back and forth, catching it by clamping it between your hands.

It seems like it will train your reaction speed more than catching with your palms.

Switching to one-handed catches or knee catches also adds excitement, so they’re recommended.

Receiving the ball in various ways can help stimulate both mind and body.

A key point is not to overinflate the ball so it’s easier to grip.

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Nanaka

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Full-body balloon volleyball

Balloon volleyball for parents and children: it works your abs, back muscles, and lower-body strength.

This program gradually adds rules to simple balloon volleyball to thoroughly train the whole body.

We’ll start with a basic rule of returning the balloon with the hands, then add movements like kicking it back with the feet and thinking elements.

Keeping the leg raised puts strong load on the abs and lower back, so if that’s difficult, it’s better to raise the leg only at the moment of returning the balloon.

Adding cues like “apple” to mean “return with your hand,” and other thinking components step by step will also help activate the brain by improving dynamic visual acuity, concentration, and split-second decision-making.

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kappamaki

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Get in a circle and amp it up! Ball game

Pitching Rec: Get Excited in a Circle! Recreation Using a Rubber Ball [Senior Brain-Training Exercise]

A recreation activity where everyone sits on chairs, forms a circle, and tosses a ball to each other.

Since you never know who will get the ball next, it’s a thrilling, heart-pounding game.

Forming a circle also helps deepen interaction among participants, which is a big plus.

And because a rubber ball is used, it’s safe as well.

As for how to throw, you can pass it with a one-bounce method, which builds strength by bouncing the ball off the ground.

It’s also exciting to fake a throw to add a bit of feinting and liven things up.

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Nanaka

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Word Bingo!

[Dementia Prevention] Bingo with Words! — The “Words Starting with ‘Ka’” Edition — Also recommended as a recreation activity for day service centers!

Let’s enjoy a wordplay-based bingo game called Word Bingo! The bingo card has 9 squares, and you fill them with words that match a given theme.

For example, if the theme is “words that start with ‘ka,’” you fill the squares with words that begin with ‘ka’ that you can think of.

When the representative announces their nine ‘ka’ words, check whether any of them match the words on your card; if they do, mark them.

You win when you complete a line vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

A great thing about this bingo is that it’s fun for large groups.

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utatane

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Let’s find words within a word.

Recreation for seniors: super easy and fun brain training even during the COVID-19 pandemic! Word-search game

I’d like to introduce a game where everyone can play at the same time and get excited: a “find words inside a word” game.

In this game, you rearrange or extract letters from a given target word and see how many other words you can make.

For example, if the target is “とうもろこし” (corn), you can make words like “うし” (cow) or “しも” (frost).

Decide on a target word and a time limit, and you can compete to see who can find the most words.

You can also share with each other, saying, “Here are the words I found.”

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yamamoto

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Brain training that sharpens your reflexes

5 brain-training activities for recreation or exercise that require no equipment, make you laugh and have fun, and improve your reflexes

It’s a game that trains your reflexes by imitating claps so that your timing matches the model person’s clapping as closely as possible.

While getting a firm grasp of the clapping rhythm is key to enjoying the game, focusing too much on the rhythm can make you fall for tricks.

The sequence of observing the model’s hands and reflecting that in your own movements tests both your concentration and reflexes.

Adding changes in rhythm or variations in clapping midway through is also recommended, as it further directs your attention to the model’s hands.

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kappamaki

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