For Seniors: Exciting Tanabata Games You Can Enjoy Safely Indoors
Tanabata, which colors the summer night sky.
Seasonal events bring a touch of richness to our daily lives, don’t they? This time, we’re introducing Tanabata-themed games that you can enjoy together with older adults.
Activities inspired by the Milky Way, stars, and the Weaver Princess and Cowherd provide good stimulation by engaging the hands, naturally encouraging conversation and smiles.
These ideas are full of ways to participate safely while seated.
Please enjoy a heartwarming and delightful time.
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[For Seniors] Exciting! Tanabata Games You Can Safely Enjoy Indoors (1–10)
Tanabata Fishing GameNEW!
Scatter star-shaped construction paper across a sheet and place snacks on top, then enjoy fishing for them.
The anglers hold rods and wear Orihime or Hikoboshi masks on their heads.
There’s no time limit, but it might also be fun to split into teams and see how many people can catch something in a row.
You can make the rods yourself with a stick, string, and a hook, and just tape a rubber band onto each snack.
Enjoy taking the caught snacks home as souvenirs or eating them together during snack time.
A game where you deliver Hikoboshi to Orihime using a stringNEW!
By moving the strings from side to side, the illustration of Hikoboshi will move.
Orihime is at the end of the string, so do your best to move the string so Hikoboshi can reach her.
The game is played one-on-one, and you compete to see who can reach the goal faster.
You’ll need to spread your arms wide to the left and right for Hikoboshi to make it to the end, so it can double as an upper-body stretch.
If you place a backing sheet illustrated with the Milky Way over a picture themed around a cowherd and play the game on it, it will create a Tanabata-like atmosphere—highly recommended.
The “I want to meet Princess Orihime” game
Here’s a game themed on Hikoboshi and Orihime, who are allowed to meet only on the night of Tanabata.
Attach an illustration of Hikoboshi to a ball.
Tie a string to the ball, and also tie the other end of the string to a baton or a tube.
Wind the string around the baton or tube to reel the ball closer to yourself.
Of course, attach an illustration of Orihime to yourself.
Whoever brings the ball with Hikoboshi’s illustration to Orihime first wins.
It should be exciting as a team competition, too.
[For Seniors] Exciting! Tanabata Games You Can Safely Enjoy Indoors (11–20)
Let’s cross the Milky Way! Game
This is a group activity where participants work in pairs to pass a ball across a vinyl sheet representing the Milky Way, using two sticks to prevent it from falling.
There are balls of various sizes, and once they reach the other side of the river, they spread the sticks apart to drop the ball into a box below to score, which requires fine motor adjustments.
Using both the head and hands to make these adjustments contributes to rehabilitation.
Incorporating seasonal recreation also has the benefit of helping participants feel the sense of the season more closely.
Star Toss Showdown
If you’re looking for a Tanabata-themed recreation activity for seniors, how about “Star Flick Battle”? In this game, you place many star-shaped paper cutouts on a table and use uchiwa fans to blow them toward the opponent’s side.
The team that gets the most stars into the other side’s territory wins.
It’s a seated activity, so it’s also reassuringly safe.
Tanabata game
There’s also the legend that on Tanabata, Orihime and Hikoboshi, separated by the Milky Way, are able to meet just once a year.
Here’s a game inspired by the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi.
Use a vinyl cord to create the Milky Way on the floor.
Players take the role of Hikoboshi and toss beanbags toward Orihime, who is placed at the end of the vinyl cord.
Place Orihime the farthest away; if a beanbag reaches her spot, the player gets the highest score.
You can make it even more exciting by setting up sections between the Milky Way and Orihime that award small points or result in a miss.
It’s a game that seems likely to foster interaction among participants, including older adults.
Wish Upon a Star Game
Speaking of big events in July, Tanabata is a must, and the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi separated by the Milky Way is an essential element.
This is an easy-to-understand game that focuses on the day when Orihime and Hikoboshi cross the Milky Way to reunite, where you make Hikoboshi run toward Orihime.
Place Hikoboshi on a wheeled platform and send him toward Orihime, who is positioned on the far side of the river field.
If he reaches Orihime, you get the highest score; there are also points placed along the way, so the goal is to aim for a high score by making use of those as well.
