[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 with Peace of Mind Even During the Pandemic. Seated Activities (11–20)
Ball-Picking Game
When April comes, the weather becomes mild and there are more pleasantly warm days, don’t you think? It’s also a time when it’s easier to move your body, so why not have some fun with a simple game? Here’s a ball-collecting game that uses lots of balls.
Roll many balls across a table toward older adults seated in chairs.
The seated participants holding containers will pick up the balls as they roll toward them.
Since it can be done while seated, it’s accessible for those who have difficulty standing or for older adults who use wheelchairs.
Free Throw Game
It’s a game where you throw balls toward baskets that have assigned point values and compete on the total score.
The higher the point value of a basket, the harder it is to land a ball in it, so controlling your throwing power is key to getting a high score.
Since the rules allow a ball to bounce before going in, unexpected points can happen, and awkward bounces that miss the basket can also add excitement.
Let’s encourage players to focus on controlling the force needed to reach the basket and on moving their bodies in ways that effectively transfer that force to the ball.
Clap-along brain training
It’s a game where you keep the beat with handclaps while adding other movements, training your decision-making as you move your body.
Start by inserting simple hand gestures between claps—like raising your thumb or pinky—and then, as you get used to it, gradually expand into movements that involve your whole body.
As these movements combine and become more complex, there’s more to think about, which enhances the brain-training effect.
If you focus too much on the sequence of movements, your motions can become stiff, so it’s also recommended to include some stepping and consciously loosen up your body.
Popcorn Game
Even if you know that moving your body is good for your health, you might still feel reluctant to get active.
So here’s a fun popcorn game that lets you exercise your feet while enjoying yourself.
Sit in a chair and place paper plates on both knees.
Fill the plates with lots of crumpled-up paper balls.
Think of the paper plates as frying pans and the crumpled paper as popcorn for the game.
When someone says, “Ready, start!”, flutter your legs and march your feet to shake the paper popcorn out of the plates.
Watching the crumpled paper fall from the plates looks just like popcorn popping in a heated frying pan.
Because it’s an exercise you can do like a game, it seems like older adults can enjoy participating too.
Sē-no game
The “Se-no!” game uses both your hands, feet, and even your head, all on the cue of “Se-no!” First, one person says, “Se-no, [number].” After “Se-no,” a number follows.
By the time the number is spoken, everyone else, while remaining seated, should raise their hands and/or feet up.
If the total number of raised hands and feet matches the number that was called, the caller wins.
In other words, those raising their limbs have to guess what number will be called and decide how many hands and feet to lift accordingly! There’s an element of luck, but just thinking about how many limbs to raise based on the number of participants is a good brain workout.
It’s a two-for-one recreation that moves your body and trains your brain!
Eel Fishing Game
Let me introduce a unique recreation called the Eel-Fishing Game.
It’s simple: cut newspaper into long, thin strips like eels and put them in a box.
Then, give each participant a stick made from rolled-up newspaper.
Using the stick, whoever manages to take all the eel-like newspaper strips out of the box wins.
Since you only need newspaper, it’s easy to prepare and try!
[For Seniors] Enjoy safely even during the COVID-19 pandemic: Seated activities (21–30)
tongue twister
Tongue twisters are a great idea to incorporate into recreation because they are highly effective as an oral-motor exercise.
The greater the gap between what the brain understands and what the body can do, the higher the risk of injury, so there’s also an advantage in being able to train while seated.
It might be fun to have participants compete to see who can say them the fastest and most accurately.
It’s a recommended recreational activity that you can enjoy, including the times when it doesn’t quite go well.
