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 group homes: Fun recreation activities (31–40)
Enjoy Sports! Pictogram Cards
These are cards that use pictograms, familiar from labels of Olympic events.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell which event it is from the pictogram alone.
Let’s have players infer the event by looking at the pictogram’s silhouette.
On the back of each pictogram, include the event name and a clear illustration so players can check the correct answer.
You could also arrange the pictograms in the order of a program listing the event names, among other rules—there are many ways to enjoy these cards.
Passing a ball using towels
Let’s do a lively recreation activity using towels and a ball.
First, have the older adults sit facing each other, each holding a towel with a ball placed on top.
Since the ball rolls easily, adjusting balance is important.
Coordinate your movements with your partner and smoothly pass the ball onto the towel of the person next to you.
The suspense will keep everyone on edge—in the best way—so it’s sure to be a hit.
Because it’s a cooperative game where everyone works together to keep the ball moving, it will also help deepen relationships among the older participants.
Tower game
Here’s an idea for a tower game that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Stack paper cups to build a tower, and once it’s complete, place a ball on top.
You can challenge yourself to see how fast you can do it, or compete against another person for extra fun.
In this kind of tower game, it’s common for the tower to collapse if you rush.
Try to proceed with a bit of tension, wondering, “Will I knock it down?” That way, when you manage to do it quickly, you’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment.
Team battles included! Let’s search for the letters together.
There’s also a word-hunting game everyone can work on together.
The idea is to search the facility for slips of paper with words on them and then rearrange them to form several new words.
That way, it’s exercise for the body as well as the mind.
It could get exciting as a solo challenge or a team competition.
In team mode, it can also be a good opportunity for participants to bond with each other.
If you have enough space, definitely give it a try.
By the way, aiming for around five words to create seems like a good balance—not too few and not too many.
Number Cop
The “Number Cups” game is played by matching the numbers written on paper cups with the numbers written on paper.
Memorizing the numbers serves as brain training, and picking up and placing the cups can help train the arms and hands.
You can enjoy it alone, but turning it into a head-to-head match would make it even more exciting.
It’s a simple game, and that’s exactly the point.
To make brain training more effective, it’s said that “continuing regularly” is important.
Plus, when it’s fun, it motivates you to think, “Next, I want to try that too.” Please give the Number Cups activity we introduced here a try.
