For Seniors: Fun Activities in February — Celebrate Setsubun, Valentine’s Day, and Snow

Bean Toss Game

Pre-Bean-Throwing (Setsubun) Event

Unlike the traditional bean-throwing to hit the ogre, the “Bean Toss Game” is about throwing beans into the ogre’s mouth.

Since it’s quite tricky to get beans into a moving ogre’s mouth, try making a cardboard ogre doll with a hole for the mouth.

Adjust the throwing distance to match participants’ ages, and everyone can have a great time together.

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sasashina

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mini-golf

Putter golf that seniors can easily enjoy #dayservice #recreation #eldercare

Although it’s spring on the calendar, many of us may still be spending a lot of time in warm indoor spaces.

So this time, we’d like to introduce an indoor putting golf game.

All you need is cardboard and a ball.

Cut various sizes of holes in a flattened piece of cardboard and write in the point values.

To make the game more exciting, assign fewer points to larger holes and higher points to smaller holes.

Once you place the cardboard on the floor, just roll the ball as you would in golf.

You can use a racket, or even a cane you’re comfortable with.

With simple preparation, it’s fun even with a small group, and it’s also effective for improving concentration.

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kojifumi

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ball toss (traditional Japanese beanbag/ball-throwing game)

[Day Service] Ball-Toss Battle!

Tamaire, the ball-toss game often seen at school sports festivals.

Some older adults may have taken part in sports days and played tamaire in the past.

Here’s a perfect tamaire activity for a warm April day to get the body moving.

Because it’s a familiar game, it can help older adults refresh their mood and relieve stress.

Have participants sit in chairs and place a basket in the center.

Prepare red, white, and other colored balls, and have the participants throw them into the basket.

The person who gets the most balls in the basket wins.

Throwing with the arms and shoulders also provides upper-body exercise.

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Nakajima Junko

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Setsubun Newspaper Bean-Throwing Game

[Easy with Newspapers] Brain Activation and Care Prevention with a Setsubun Bean-Throwing Game

February, when the cold is at its peak.

Why not try a seasonal newspaper bean-throwing game? This is a recreation activity tailored for Setsubun.

First, hand out newspapers, tear them into pieces, and crumple them into “beans.” The beans can be any size—large or small.

This process also serves as a finger and hand exercise.

Next, set up a box with an oni (demon) face on it and have participants throw the beans into it.

You can make it a point-based game by competing to see who gets the most beans in the box, which is sure to liven things up.

Or, everyone can work together to fill the box with beans.

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yamamoto

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Quick brain training, “Ready, set!” game

No prep needed for senior recreation or props! Simple and exciting! Ready, set, go! Game

Here’s a simple brain-training game you can do while seated, with no prior preparation.

Pair up in twos.

When one person calls out a number—like “Ready, five!”—both of you raise your hands or feet.

If the total number of raised hands and feet matches the number that was called, you’re correct.

You can make it more game-like by intentionally raising more hands or feet to throw off your partner’s guess, and enjoy training your brain as you play.

It also helps to create a cheerful atmosphere where mistakes lead to laughter.

Since raising hands and feet doubles as light exercise, try it together with older adults.

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Nakajima Junko

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Beanbag Tower

Senior recreation! Everyone’s hooked! Beanbag tower!! #shorts #seniorRecreation #dayService #recreation #heartwarming #hilarious #beanbag

Let’s stack beanbags and build a tower.

Many older adults may have played with beanbags when they were young, or even made them for their children.

This game is about stacking soft, lightweight beanbags without letting them topple.

Using a paper cup as the base to place the beanbags on will make it a bit more challenging.

However, that slight difficulty is said to help activate brain activity.

It’s a fun game that’s perfect for February, when the cold can make us reluctant to move our bodies.

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Nakajima Junko

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A demon made by winding yarn

Here’s a simple craft idea for making an oni (ogre) decoration.

Cut cardboard into a square and create the oni’s face.

Wrap the cut cardboard with yarn in colors you like, such as blue or red.

Attach the facial features, and your oni is complete.

You can display it on a decorative fan base for a festive look, or mount it on construction paper or colored paper for a lovely finish.

To give it a Setsubun feel, arrange holly leaves or plum blossoms around the oni to create a lively atmosphere.

It’s also fun to make several Setsubun-themed parts together with older adults.

You can prepare the parts in advance, let the seniors choose the pieces, and have them finish the work in their preferred style.

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Nakajima Junko

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