[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] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Indoor Activities! Recreations and Games That Engage the Mind and Body
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
- [Elderly Day Service] Let’s all have fun! Games and recreational activities
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- [For Seniors] Enjoy the Cold Winter! Seated Activities You Can Do
- [For Seniors] Guaranteed to Be a Hit! Popular Day Service Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Exciting Team-Based Recreational Activities
[For Seniors] Easy and Fun In-Room Activities: Enjoyable Seated Recreation (41–50)
Brain training with gojūon (Japanese syllabary) cards
As we age, it seems we may sometimes forget words.
So let’s use a set of kana cards to stimulate the brain.
First, arrange the cards in order starting from the A-row together with the older adult.
The act of arranging itself is said to help activate the brain.
Use the cards to form words—the more letters a word has, the higher the points.
Additionally, once a card has been used to make a word, it cannot be used again.
Treat voiced and semi-voiced marks (dakuten and handakuten) as a single card and make them count for points as well.
If someone can’t think of a word, it’s helpful for those around to offer hints like, “Let’s think of a word that starts with A.”
[For Seniors] Easy and Fun Seated Activities You Can Do in Your Room (51–60)
Wobbly Ball Tower
Here’s an idea for a simple yet thrilling table game using a ball and loops of packing tape: “Wobbly Ball Tower.” The rules are simple.
On a table, stack a loop of tape and a ball alternately, and compete to see how high you can build the tower.
It’s trickier to balance than it looks, and even a slight hand tremor can be fatal.
Even when it topples, it brings laughter, applause, and cheers.
There are various ways to enjoy it, such as taking turns stacking in a group, and it’s also great for hand dexterity rehab and training balance.
Easy to set up and clean up, it’s a perfect table game for group activities in facilities.
Proverb Matching Game
There are many proverbs in Japan, right? For example, “Even a dog will run into a stick” and “Birds of a feather flock together.” Let me introduce a card game based on such proverbs.
Prepare several proverbs split into two cards each.
Place the split proverb cards on the table, and match two cards to complete each proverb.
Recalling proverbs helps stimulate the brain.
It also seems likely to deepen interaction as people call out to each other and cooperate.
In addition, proverbs are familiar to many older adults, so this game may be easy for them to engage with.
Goldfish Game
At festival stalls, there’s usually a goldfish scooping game, right? Besides scooping, here’s a fun game that uses goldfish as the theme.
Two people hold the ends of a face towel, and place a goldfish plushie or a crafted goldfish on the towel.
While shaking the towel, they toss the goldfish into a basket that’s been set up in advance.
Assign points based on the size of the basket and the distance to the basket.
This innovative goldfish game should be enjoyable for older adults as well.
It also seems like it would be exciting to play as teams.
Let’s find words within a word.
I’d like to introduce a game where everyone can play at the same time and get excited: a “find words inside a word” game.
In this game, you rearrange or extract letters from a given target word and see how many other words you can make.
For example, if the target is “とうもろこし” (corn), you can make words like “うし” (cow) or “しも” (frost).
Decide on a target word and a time limit, and you can compete to see who can find the most words.
You can also share with each other, saying, “Here are the words I found.”
Shiritori Card Game
Haven’t many older adults played shiritori at least once? Here’s a familiar shiritori-style card game for seniors.
Prepare cards with each of the 50 Japanese syllables written on them, and deal five cards to each player.
Place the remaining cards in the center and draw one card to start.
Think of a word that begins with the syllable of the drawn card, so that the last letter of your chosen word matches one of the cards in your hand.
Adding a rule like “use three-letter words” makes it even more fun and can help stimulate the brain.
The first person to use up all their cards wins.
Let’s all enjoy thinking of words together while we play.
Bottle knocking game
All you need is a plastic bottle and a uchiwa fan to enjoy this simple game: Plastic Bottle Knockdown.
First, thread a rubber band or string through the fan and secure it so you can quickly retrieve it after throwing.
It’s a seated game, making it easy to tailor to older adults’ physical and mental conditions.
Since the bottles are empty, they’re easy to knock over, so anyone can have fun.
Compete to see who can knock down the most bottles, and consider preparing a prize for the top scorer.
Let’s enjoy it together!
