[For Seniors] Enjoy the Cold Winter! Seated Activities You Can Do
Winter’s cold makes it easy to feel reluctant to go outside, doesn’t it?
In snowy regions, some older adults may find going out difficult in the first place.
These “Seated Activities for Winter” are perfect for such seniors!
We’ve gathered exercises and games you can enjoy safely and comfortably in a warm indoor setting.
From activities that move the legs and hands while seated to those with brain-training elements, they help keep the body active and support dementia prevention.
We hope these ideas help you enjoyably get through the rest of this bitterly cold winter!
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[For Seniors] Enjoy the Cold Winter! Seated Activities (1–10)
Whac-A-Mole
This is a game where you stack paper-cup hammers on paper-cup moles arranged on a table to collect them.
Because you have to align the hammer precisely over the mole to collect it, it trains hand movements and concentration.
To encourage awareness of speed, it’s also recommended to set a time limit or make it a head-to-head match.
As the number of stacked moles increases, controlling the hammer gradually becomes more difficult, so it’s a game that really helps players focus on how they move their hands.
Ping-pong catch
It’s a game where you try to skillfully catch a ping-pong ball that’s bouncing toward you using paper cups held in both hands.
Despite its simplicity, it incorporates various training elements, such as the concentration needed to read the ball’s movement and the way you move the cups to match it.
Predicting the ball’s trajectory also leads to more reliable catches, helping players sharpen their focus in a split second.
To encourage quick hand movements, it’s recommended to challenge players with ping-pong balls at a variety of speeds.
15-minute lunchtime exercise
In many senior care facilities, some may incorporate exercise as a daily lunchtime routine.
However, doing exercises every day can make them feel repetitive.
So here are some seated exercises you can try.
Let’s get the body moving by touching knees and elbows, lifting the hips slightly from the chair, and more.
While seated, you can move not just your hands and arms but your whole body.
Long exercise sessions can be tiring for older adults, so about 15 minutes seems manageable.
Try it while taking breaks as needed.
[For seniors] Enjoy the cold winter! Seated activities (11–20)
Chopstick Ball-Carrying Game
Here’s an introduction to a fingertip game where you use chopsticks to pick up and carry small items.
Games that involve fine finger movements can help stimulate the brain.
They’re also useful for training movements needed in daily life.
What you’ll need is an ice tray for making ice—one that makes small cubes is recommended.
Prepare some craft pom-poms (also called “pompoms”) and a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks.
You can get everything you need at a 100-yen shop, so preparation is easy.
Starting from one end of the ice tray, use the chopsticks to pick up the pom-poms and place them into the compartments.
This action helps train eating-related movements.
Since it’s a seated game, it’s likely to be easy for older adults to try.
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.
Korokoro Push Game
It’s a game where you use a stick to keep balls from falling as they roll toward you.
Since the field where the balls roll is far away, your ability to control a long stick that can effectively transfer force to the balls is put to the test.
The rules increase the number of balls gradually over time, which adds a decision-making element about which ball to tap.
It’s a game that can train various skills—judgment, speed, control, and how you apply force—by keeping all these factors in mind.
Korokoro Pon Game
Here’s a tabletop game that uses balls.
Prepare balls of different sizes, such as ping-pong balls or rubber balls about the size of a fist.
An older adult rolls a ball from one end of the table.
On the opposite side of the table from where the older adult is rolling, hang a basket.
The game is to roll the ball and get it into this basket.
It can be played while seated, so it seems suitable for older adults who use wheelchairs as well.
Moments like “It almost went in but didn’t!” are likely to make it exciting for the participants.