[For Seniors] Fun Small-Group Recreation
Introducing small-group recreational activities for seniors!
These are recommended for nursing homes and day service centers, where friends and peers can enjoy them together.
Large-group activities are lively and fun, but small groups have their own advantages.
With fewer participants, everyone has more chances to shine, and one-on-one communication becomes deeper.
This might even be a good opportunity to become friendly with people you don’t usually talk to.
There are many games to choose from, so feel free to use these ideas as a reference for planning activities at your facility!
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[For Seniors] Fun Small-Group Recreational Activities (111–120)
Sticky
Have you heard of a game called “Sticky”? You place three colors of sticks with different thicknesses inside a ring, roll a special die, and pull out a stick of the color that comes up.
The person who eventually knocks it over loses, and the others are ranked based on the points from the colors of the sticks they have pulled up to that point.
As turns progress, the number of sticks decreases, gradually upsetting the balance and making the latter half thrilling.
Beyond being a fun game, choosing which stick to pull and carefully extracting it can also serve as brain training.
Give it a try!
Nansupi
Introducing “NANSPI / NUMBER SPEED,” a game that trains the brain for both kids and adults simply by pressing buttons and having fun.
There are three ways to play: a time-attack mode where you press buttons in order from the smallest number to the largest and compete for speed; a memory mode where you remember and reproduce the order and position of flashing lights; and another memory mode where you recreate the positions of shapes represented by toppled buttons.
You’ll feel a real sense of accomplishment when you press all the buttons without any mistakes.
Give it a try!
Puzzle Blocks
We’d like to introduce a 3D puzzle game where you cleverly combine blocks of different shapes to complete a form.
Within a limited frame, flipping, inverting, and repositioning the blocks through trial and error not only stimulates thinking, but the warm feel of the wood and the act of moving the pieces with your hands provide positive stimulation for the brain.
You can enjoy it on your own at a relaxed pace, or play with others and compete for time—there are plenty of ways to have fun.
Give it a try!
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!
Bomb Game
It’s a game where players take turns answering with words that fit the given theme, while passing a ball that contains a timer to the next person.
It tests both your creativity to quickly come up with words from the theme and your reflexes to swiftly pass the ball.
Although the time limit is announced, the timer is inside the ball and can’t be seen, so you don’t know exactly when it will go off, which adds a sense of tension to the game.
The act of retrieving words from memory while moving your body also helps stimulate the brain.
3 Fun Rubber Band Games
Rubber is characterized by its springy motion, and controlling your strength is necessary to make it move the way you want.
Let’s take on games that use rubber’s movement to help improve strength control and concentration.
In Rubber Rubber Shooter, you’ll feel the force used to launch; in Rubber Rubber Kick Bowling, the force of the rebound; and in Rubber Rubber Curling, the nuances of delicate movement.
By paying attention to how the way you apply force affects how it springs back and by adjusting that force, you’ll likely find your movements become smoother in everyday life as well.
ball catcher
This is a game where you use a stick with a paper cup attached to the tip to collect balls lined up on a table.
There are also walls on the left and right sides of the table, so make good use of them to smoothly collect the balls.
A face-to-face match across the table is recommended, and trying to collect more balls than your opponent within a time limit tends to increase the speed of movement.
The longer the stick, the harder it is to handle, so once players get used to it, it’s also recommended to add variations such as changing the distance.