Games that liven up group homes. Fun recreational activities.
Group homes are senior care facilities with the charm of a warm, homelike atmosphere where residents can feel as if they’re at home.
Recreation is an essential part of everyday life in such settings.
Since most residents are older adults living with dementia, you’ll want to offer activities that help stimulate both mind and body.
For those seniors, how about trying “games and recreational activities that liven up the group home”?
This article introduces recreational ideas that are useful in the daily lives of older adults.
Care workers, please use this article as a reference.
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- [For Seniors] Fun Recreational Activities Without Equipment
- [November Health Topic] Indoor Recreation Ideas for Older Adults
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Indoor Activities! Recreations and Games That Engage the Mind and Body
- [For Seniors] Today’s Recommended Activity: Fun and Engaging
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- [For Seniors] Have Fun! A Collection of Group Game Recreation Ideas
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
- For Seniors: Effective Recreation for Preventing Care Needs—Have Fun While Staying Healthy
- [For Seniors] Fun Small-Group Recreation
- [For Seniors] Introducing Recreational Activities Anyone Can Enjoy at Geriatric Health Facilities!
Games that liven up a group home: Fun recreational activities (21–30)
Rock-Paper-Scissors Ball Passing Game
Here’s a team-vs-team, high-energy Rock-Paper-Scissors Ball Relay game.
First, divide into teams.
Arrange chairs in a single row for each team, facing each other, and have everyone sit.
Next, the two players at the front each hold a ball and play rock-paper-scissors.
The winner passes their ball to the next teammate, and this repeats down the line.
The team that gets their ball back to the front first wins.
It’s exciting because you can clearly see which side is in the lead, and it’s great for engaging both the mind and body at the same time.
String Balloon Relay
It’s a game where you work with the person across from you to skillfully control a string you’re holding and carry a balloon to a target location.
Because you can’t move the balloon well with your own power alone, you feel a bit of frustration, but also the fun of cooperation.
If you make it like a relay where you pass the balloon to the next person, not only coordination with the person opposite you but also strategy with the person before and after you is tested, which makes the game even more engaging.
It’s a game where the spirit of cooperation is key, including how you tension and move the string.
Pinball Catcher
Pinball Catcher: catch rolling balls with your feet! Set a board with multiple obstacles at an angle and roll a ball from the top.
Then attach a net to your feet, position them under the board, and keep catching the balls as they come down.
For the foot nets, we recommend fixing them to milk cartons so you can slip your feet into the tubes and use them easily.
Moving your feet side to side or lifting them slightly is surprisingly tough even while sitting! It may look like a low-activity game, but it actually gives you a sneaky good workout.
Bowling
I’m sure there are many people who used to enjoy bowling when they were younger.
Why not try a handmade version you can enjoy indoors? Use plastic bottles as pins, and a rubber ball you can pick up at a 100-yen shop for the bowling ball.
You can make the plastic bottles all the same size, or vary the sizes and turn it into a point-based game to make it more exciting.
It’s also a great idea to decorate the pins by wrapping them with colored construction paper.
Let everyone experience the satisfying feeling when the pins topple over.
Recreation that stimulates cognitive function using a ball
Recreation using balls is recommended for dementia prevention because it activates both mental and physical functions.
This time, we’re focusing on ball-based recreation that is particularly effective for dementia.
Participants sit in a circle and pass the ball to the person next to them, changing directions—clockwise or counterclockwise—and adjusting according to the ball’s size.
By doing this, older adults have to think as they play, which helps strengthen both mind and body.
Additionally, switching to the opposite direction provides beneficial stimulation to the brain.
Newspaper-ball rolling relay
This is a game where two people sit facing each other, hold a single sheet of newspaper together, and carry a ball on top of it.
The idea is to pass the ball to the next pair without dropping it, which makes not only the amount of force you use but also your cooperative attitude important.
The heavier the ball, the more firmly you need to support it with the newspaper, so try various adjustments such as changing the ball or the size of the newspaper.
If you split into teams and compete to see who can transport the ball faster, the game will heat up and you can also boost the sense of speed in movement.
Showa Quiz
Showa Quiz is an effective way to stimulate the brains of older adults who lived through the Showa era.
By revisiting the quiz, they can reaffirm the events and trends of the years they experienced.
It enriches emotional reminiscence, strengthens memory, and creates opportunities for interaction with other visitors.
The feeling of nostalgia is said to bring various benefits to the brain, such as reducing stress, increasing happiness and helping maintain brain health, and fostering a more positive outlook toward one’s future self.