[For Seniors] Enjoy safely even during the COVID-19 pandemic: Seated activities
In this article, we introduce recreation activities you can enjoy safely even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At day service centers and other senior facilities, a variety of recreational activities are held every day.
However, during periods when COVID-19 and other infectious diseases are spreading, worries are never-ending.
So we’ve gathered activities that can be enjoyed while maintaining distance—such as those for small groups or done in turns.
What’s more, they can all be done while seated, making them enjoyable for wheelchair users and those who are unsteady standing.
You may also find that more people will casually join in, thinking, “If it’s something I can do while sitting, I’ll give it a try.”
Please use these ideas as a reference for your daily recreation programs.
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Fun Recreational Activities Without Equipment
- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- [For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs
- For Seniors: Effective Recreation for Preventing Care Needs—Have Fun While Staying Healthy
- [For Seniors] Refresh Your Mood! Lively, Get-Moving Games
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Indoor Activities! Recreations and Games That Engage the Mind and Body
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
- [For Seniors] Fun Small-Group Recreation
- [For Seniors] Exciting Team-Based Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Enjoy the Cold Winter! Seated Activities You Can Do
- [For Seniors] Enjoyment at Day Care: A Roundup of Games and Recreational Activities
[For Seniors] Enjoy Safely Even During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Seated Activities (111–120)
Ping-Pong Ball Cup-In Game
Here’s an easy, fun table game.
Place paper or plastic cups on a table.
Then have the older adults who are seated try to get a ping-pong ball into the cups.
They can throw the ball or bounce it—either is fine.
It’s also nice to think about different ways to get the ball into the cup and approach it like a game.
Grasping the ping-pong ball may help train finger strength as well.
It’s a simple game, but it’s delightful when the ball lands in a cup, and it can be refreshing, too.
Please give it a try!
A-I-U-Be mouth exercise staring game
It’s an exercise that adds “staring contest” to the “A-I-U-BE mouth exercise,” so it includes lots of laughter.
It can of course be enjoyed at care facilities, and it also seems perfect to try at home with your grandchildren.
Some older adults may have limited interaction with others.
With a staring-contest version of the A-I-U-BE exercise, you can foster interaction and smiles through the activity.
It’s easy to do as a game for recreation, so it’s highly recommended.
Let’s enjoy doing mouth exercises while having fun.
Air hockey
This game recreates the classic arcade air hockey using everyday items.
Because it’s a head-to-head matchup, it’s easy to get excited and really into it.
Making the handheld rackets glide smoothly is a key point for capturing the air hockey feel, so be mindful of how you combine materials.
If having only one ball makes the game drag on, you might consider adding a twist like increasing the number of balls as time passes.
Golf game
Here’s an introduction to a simple and fun paper-cup “golf” game.
Lay paper cups labeled with point values on their sides on the floor, and roll ping-pong balls to try to get them into the cups.
The winner is decided by how many ping-pong balls land in the cups.
Calculating the points for the ping-pong balls also provides a brain workout.
Since this golf game can be played while seated, it’s suitable for older adults who have difficulty standing.
Adjusting the force to roll the balls also helps with arm rehabilitation.
Some older adults may have enjoyed golf in the past, and this paper-cup golf can evoke those memories, too.
Push Pump Tower
This is a game where you use push pumps that release air when pressed to move a balloon to its destination.
First, set up several push pumps under a large tube to create a structure that blows air upward.
Put the balloon into the tube, and when the start signal is given, everyone keeps pumping air until the balloon shoots up out of the tube.
The longer the tube, the harder it is to launch the balloon, so it’s recommended to adjust the tube length and the number of participants according to your group’s abilities.