[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 (31–40)
Tissue holder with a uchiwa (hand fan)
Let’s fan a tissue with a uchiwa (hand fan) to flutter it into a box as the goal and have fun! You can do this seated at a table.
You can set a number of tissues and make it a time trial, or decide on a time limit and count how many tissues you can get into the box within that time.
Because tissues are so light, they might not move the way you expect and it can be frustrating, but keep at it patiently!
Cup-in ball
This is a “Cup-In Ball” game you can make with cardboard, paper cups, and ping-pong balls.
Prepare a long, narrow piece of cardboard.
Cut a hole at the front for the ping-pong balls to pass through, and attach a paper cup at the back to catch them—then it’s ready.
Roll the ping-pong balls through the hole so they land in the paper cup.
Since two ping-pong balls fit in a paper cup, it’s good to match the number of balls to the number of cups.
The winner is decided by how many ping-pong balls land in the cups within the time limit.
You can adjust the difficulty by changing the size of the box and the number of paper cups.
flutter kick ball
Put the balls in a box and place your feet in there as well.
At the starting signal, rapidly kick your feet to push the balls out of the box.
Compete to see how many balls you can get out within the time limit.
Ping-pong balls work, and if you can’t prepare enough balls, you can use balls made by crumpling up newspaper.
The difficulty changes depending on the size of the box and the number of balls.
Ojami Soccer Game
When you think of soccer, you usually kick the ball with your feet, but in this “Ojami Soccer Game,” you use ojami, or beanbags, to move the ball.
Create a soccer field with vinyl tape and place the ball in the center.
Each side gets a set number of beanbags.
Players throw their beanbags at the soccer ball to hit it and push it toward the opponent’s side to aim for a goal.
If you’re being attacked, you can also throw to block a goal.
Since the number of beanbags is limited, think strategically and watch your opponent’s moves as you throw.
Fishing game with newspaper
This is a seated indoor recreation activity.
Prepare lots of newspaper strips, a pair of long cooking chopsticks, and a basket.
Imagine the newspaper strips are fish and stack them up.
Then, using the chopsticks, “catch” the fish one by one and place them into the basket.
Set a time limit, and the person who catches the most fish wins.
It’s easy to prepare, so it’s highly recommended!
[For Seniors] Fun Small-Group Recreational Activities (41–50)
Hishimochi Tower Game
Here’s a perfect game for Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day): the Hishi Mochi Tower Game.
It’s an easy, sit-at-the-table activity, so it’s recommended for seniors.
Cut thick paper in “pink,” “white,” and “green” into strips and form rectangles.
You can also repurpose empty milk cartons.
Once they’re ready, stack them like a tower, alternating colors.
If your hishi-mochi tower falls, you lose.
By the way, the colors of hishi mochi are said to symbolize: pink for peach blossoms, white for snow, and green for fresh greenery.
It might be nice to stack them in that order, too.
Since preparation is simple, give it a try for Hinamatsuri!
Quick and easy! Whiteboard Bingo
How about trying Whiteboard Bingo, a game you can enjoy if you have a whiteboard? Preparation is simple: draw lines on the whiteboard to create a grid.
Draw lines so that it becomes 5 squares by 5 squares.
The rules are that players are split into O and X and take turns marking the grid.
The first person to place four of the same mark in a row—vertically, horizontally, or diagonally—wins.
It’s a game that gives your brain a real workout, as you aim to block your opponent from lining up their marks while also creating your own line of four, making it perfect for mental exercise.