[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 Seated Activities You Can Do in Your Room (1–10)
Intro Quiz
It’s a simple quiz game where the intro of a song is played and you guess what the song is.
It’s a format that has been loved on TV shows for a long time, so many people probably already know the rules.
If you cherish that joyful feeling when someone recognizes the song, letting the person who knows it answer freely can really liven up the moment.
Choose songs that match the generation of the people present to evoke a sense of nostalgia in the participants.
By focusing on the sounds as they play, it’s a game that can train your ears in a fun way.
Whispered Message Telephone
Many people have probably enjoyed playing with a string telephone made by connecting paper cups to both ends of a string.
This is a telephone game that uses that nostalgic string telephone.
The rules are very simple: use the string telephone to pass along a given sentence to the next person, aiming to have the sentence conveyed accurately all the way to the last person.
Even if you fail, analyzing how the sentence drifted is part of the fun.
Because it’s harder to hear than in ordinary conversation, it’s very important to catch the other person’s words accurately.
It’s a game that can train your listening skills and concentration.
Okonomiyaki Game
This is a simple game using uchiwa (handheld fans) that create a cool breeze in summer.
You’ll need two uchiwa and several round pieces of cardboard with pictures on both sides so you can tell front from back.
Like flipping okonomiyaki, use a fan in each hand to flip the cardboard pieces over.
The goal is to compete on how many pieces you can flip within the time limit.
It’s a tabletop game that stays within the table area, and since it involves quick wrist movements, it’s also great exercise.
[For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room (11–20)
Passing crumpled newspaper balls
It’s a relay-like game where you use newspaper to pass balls on to the next pair.
You and the person facing you hold the ends of a sheet of newspaper and pass incoming balls onto the newspaper held in the same way by the people next to you.
You keep doing this as long as there are balls, and the game ends when all the balls have been passed to the last person.
It’s easy to understand if you split into teams and aim to pass all the balls faster than the other team.
Focusing on smooth ball handoffs helps train the body and also strengthens teamwork.
Paper cup whack-a-mole
This is an easy-to-make whack-a-mole game using paper cups.
Use a paper cup with a chopstick attached as a hammer, and line up paper cups with drawings on them as moles on a table.
When you quickly cap a mole with the hammer, the cups fit snugly together, letting you pull it toward you.
You can come up with various rules, such as competing for the fastest time to clear all the moles on the spot, or sitting face-to-face in versus mode to try to collect more moles.
Using your non-dominant hand makes movement harder and can further train fine motor skills.
Balance game
It’s a simple game where you stand toilet paper rolls upright on a table and place beanbags on top of them.
It’s important to use beanbags larger than the toilet paper rolls, making it a balance-focused challenge.
You can enjoy it with various rules, such as competing to see how many you can stack within a time limit, or declaring the winner as the person who places beanbags on all the rolls the fastest.
Because you aim to place the beanbags quietly—so the bases don’t wobble—yet quickly, it helps train dexterity and concentration.
Another key point is that you can adjust the difficulty by changing the thickness of the items you line up as bases or the size of the beanbags.
Beach ball soccer basket toss
It’s a simple game like a beanbag toss using a beach ball.
Participants sit in a circle with a basket placed in the center.
A beach ball is put into play, and the goal is to kick the ball with your feet and get it into the basket.
A key rule is that, even though everyone is seated, you may only use your feet, much like in soccer.
Because you skillfully move the lower part of your legs, you can enjoy the game while also exercising knees that tend to get less active.
Using a lightweight beach ball is also important, making it a game that’s easy to enjoy without needing much force.