[For Seniors] Recommended for older adults: enjoyable recreational activities
In this article, we introduce enjoyable recreation activities recommended for seniors.
You may want to freely enjoy using both body and mind.
Even so, many people end up thinking it’s impossible and give up.
Even for recreational activities that you might picture doing outdoors, with a bit of tweaking you can do them indoors.
We’ve also gathered activities that stimulate the brain and ones everyone can enjoy together.
Have fun while supporting functional recovery—use this as a reference!
- [For Seniors] Fun Recreational Activities Without Equipment
- [For Seniors] Fun Autumn Activities: Recreation Games
- [For Seniors] Enjoy safely even during the COVID-19 pandemic: Seated activities
- [For Seniors] A Fun Sports Day! Recreational Activities You Can Do Safely
- [For Seniors] Introducing Recreational Activities Anyone Can Enjoy at Geriatric Health Facilities!
- [For Seniors] Today’s Recommended Activity: Fun and Engaging
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Indoor Activities! Recreations and Games That Engage the Mind and Body
- [For Seniors] Fun Small-Group Recreation
- Recreation Activities Effective for Long-Term Care Prevention for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Easy to try. Fun, crowd-pleasing recreation
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
[For Seniors] Recommended for older adults: Enjoyable recreational activities (141–150)
Easy! Prefecture Bingo Card with a Milk Carton
A simple bingo game played by arranging nine cards with the names of prefectures dealt from a deck.
Write the names of prefectures on cards made by cutting up milk cartons and create two identical sets.
Since the dealt cards are random, you repeat the process of checking once each time whether the called prefecture is on your hand, while hoping to complete a line.
Keeping your eyes on your cards, it might also be fun to recall images or memories of the prefectures as they’re called.
Just paper and pen! Number Bingo
It’s a simple game where you use a pencil to draw a grid and numbers on paper, then aim for bingo.
The grid is 3 squares by 3 squares, for a total of 9, and you freely choose numbers from 1 to 15 to fill them in at random.
Once everyone has finished writing their numbers, you’re ready to play: read out the numbers on the cards in order, and each player aims for bingo.
You can enjoy seeing whether a line on your own card completes, or you can turn it into a competitive game where you try to complete more lines than your opponent—either way, it’s sure to be exciting.
Paper Cup Bingo
It’s a game where players take turns placing three sizes of paper cups—large, medium, and small—on a grid, aiming to line up three cups of their color.
The grid is a 3×3 board with nine squares, and you try to complete your own line while preventing your opponent from completing theirs.
Because the rules allow you to stack your cup on top of your opponent’s cup, choosing which size to play becomes a key strategic point.
This stacking element broadens the range of tactics and makes for more advanced mind games.
Think through your opponent’s moves as well as your own approach to keep your brain fully engaged.
Picture matching cards
It’s a simple card game where the goal is to match the illustrations drawn on the backs of the cards.
To keep players from guessing what’s on the back, make sure the fronts are the same color and shape.
Any illustrations are fine as long as they form pairs, but having a theme—like “Fruits”—adds excitement as players anticipate what kinds of images might be included.
Increasing the number of cards raises the difficulty, so it’s best to adjust the deck size to suit the number of participants.
Ear, Nose Game
Pinch your nose with one hand, and with the other hand crossed over, pinch the ear on the opposite side.
At the cue, switch that configuration, aiming to swap hands smoothly.
The key points are that each hand is pinching a different spot and that one hand is crossed over.
Thinking carefully while moving your hands helps activate the brain.
Even just the hand-switching action is challenging, but adding a clap before switching, for example, makes it even harder and further enhances awareness of movement and concentration.
Brain training! Towel rock-paper-scissors
Like the game “Hit-and-Cover Rock-Paper-Scissors,” this towel rock-paper-scissors trains your reflexes and your brain.
Spread a towel on the table and sit facing your opponent.
Play rock-paper-scissors; if you win, pull the towel toward yourself.
If you lose, hold the towel down firmly so it can’t be taken.
As the game heats up, people often mix up what to do with the towel when they win or lose, which in turn stimulates the brain even more.
Since it’s an exercise you do with someone else, it also encourages communication and lifts your mood!
Great for brain training! Recommended for recreation too: hand and foot exercises
This is a recreation activity where everyone forms a large circle and passes a ball around inside the circle.
The person throwing the ball can strengthen their shoulder and arm joints, while the person catching it can train their focus and dynamic visual acuity.
If you make it more challenging by adding variations—like incorporating footwork when throwing—you can also gain brain-training benefits from planning movements.
Playing music and having participants pass the ball in time with it can make it easier to find a rhythm.
There are various tips, such as keeping the shoulders and arms moving smoothly and getting a feel for the rhythm, so offer advice as you go and let everyone enjoy passing the ball.