[For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
Introducing fun seated recreational activities for older adults!
Even when you want to do exercises in nursing homes or day service centers, activities that are too intense or put strain on the legs and back can increase the risk of falls.
The activities we’re introducing this time are recommended because everyone can enjoy them while staying seated.
From exercises that move only the hands to games that engage the entire upper body, choose whatever looks fun from the many options available.
They’re even more exciting if you make them team competitions!
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[For Seniors] Easy and Fun In-Room Activities♪ Enjoyable Seated Recreation (71–80)
Balloon Passing Game
This is a game that tests arm movements and handoff communication: you grasp a balloon with both hands and, with a large arm motion, pass it to the person behind you.
Since you’ll be seated and swinging your arms far back, keep your balance and maintain control as you proceed.
It’s also recommended to sing a nursery rhyme or similar song while playing; having a rhythm helps you pass the balloon smoothly and makes the handoff feel more seamless.
Encourage participants to focus on passing it to the next person, aim for careful, deliberate movements, and make sure to communicate clearly.
Get it with dice
Here’s a dice game you can enjoy using items from a 100-yen shop.
All you need are a die, some balls, and three baskets.
Put the balls into one of the baskets, then place one basket for yourself and one for your opponent—now you’re ready! Take turns rolling the die and move the number of balls shown into your own basket.
Continue until there are no balls left.
The player with the most balls at the end wins.
Because luck plays a big role, differences in ability are minimized, so anyone can enjoy it.
Rolling the die and picking up the balls also serve as upper-limb functional training, and counting the numbers can provide cognitive training benefits.
Give it a try!
disk hit
Let us introduce Disk Hit, a game you can enjoy using paper plates and paper cups.
Use empty milk or juice cartons as pins and throw paper plates like a flying disc.
Each person throws seven plates, and you compete by the number of pins you knock down.
It’s fun for individuals or groups, and it can be played either sitting or standing, so anyone can join.
Throwing paper plates engages everything from the shoulders to the fingertips, making it a functional exercise while you play.
It’s highly game-like and exciting, so it’s also recommended as a recreation activity for senior care facilities.
Ball Wrapping Game
Let me introduce a “ball winding” game where you use your wrists and fingertips to reel the ball in faster than your opponent.
Tie a piece of tape to a basket and stretch it out; wrap the other end of the tape around a stick.
Once you place a ball on top of the basket, you’re ready to go.
At the starting signal, use your hands to twist the stick and pull the basket toward you.
If the ball falls off, you incur a penalty and can’t move, so be careful not to drop it while trying to pull the basket in faster than your opponent.
Because it uses both hands, it can also be used as a fun functional training activity.
Mop Game
Cleaning is essential in daily life.
This time, we’ll introduce a way to boost practical life skills while having fun with a game.
Use a mop made by attaching tissue to a stick to tidy paper cups into a designated area.
To place them without knocking them over, you’ll need to use push, pull, and slide motions with the mop, as well as adjust your force and speed.
Adding a time limit or setting a maximum number of touches on the paper cups increases the game-like challenge and makes it more enjoyable.
Move your body while playing, and engage the muscles that are useful for everyday life.
Lightly lifting the ball with the foot
Let me introduce “Foot-Toss Flick,” a game that doubles as lower-limb functional training.
Prepare a small inflatable pool or a box, and place an overturned trash bin inside it.
Add raised areas around it and assign each area a point value.
The harder the spot, the higher the points.
Once you have some beanbags ready, the game begins.
Place a beanbag on the top of your foot and flick it toward a scoring zone.
Do this 10 times and compete on total points.
Unlike simple stepping in place, doing it with a clear goal can be more effective for maintaining leg function.
Give it a try!
Puzzle coloring
It looks like nothing more than a complex pattern at first, but as you fill in the specified colors, an image emerges.
Each piece has a number, and by coloring according to that number, the picture gradually appears.
You can’t tell which pieces connect in the same color until you look at the numbers, so take your time coloring and enjoy the process of the mysterious pattern transforming into a picture.
Because it requires meticulous work to find the same numbers, you’re likely to feel a sense of accomplishment when it’s complete.