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 (51–60)
Roll the ball game
The Roll-the-Ball Game is a simple, tabletop recreation you can enjoy easily.
You place a frame on the desk, put a ball inside it, and pull the ball using a string.
It’s played one-on-one, and because you can do it while seated, it’s easy on the body.
As you pull the ball, you wind the string around and around, which can help develop fine motor skills.
It’s also a bit thrilling, since you’re disqualified if the ball leaves the frame.
The key is to pull the ball without letting it slip out of the frame.
Thinking about how to pull the ball effectively can also help improve both mental and physical functions.
magic hand grab
Here’s a “magic hand grab” activity that you can arrange in many different ways.
In this version, you use a grabber tool to collect paper cups lined up on a table.
Because it engages both the head and the hands, it can help stimulate the brain.
Another key point is that you can enjoy this activity in connection with the seasons.
For example, in spring you could draw cherry blossoms on the cups, and in summer you could draw seashells.
Doing so can make it easier to regain a sense of time.
There seem to be many possible variations.
Recommended for recreation! Hōrun Bingo
Let me introduce “Hōrun Bingo,” a bingo game with elements of sports that gets you moving.
Draw lines on the floor to make a grid where each row has five squares.
You can use sturdy rope or masking tape, so it’s a game you can enjoy anywhere.
Throw a ball into the grid; if you line up three or more in a row, you score points, and you get higher points for four or five in a row.
Decide how many rounds to play and compete on total points.
It’s usually played standing, but you can change the throwing position and try it while seated in a chair too.
It’s an easy bingo game to customize with your own rules.
Have fun catching the ball with your body
A recommended recreation activity for seniors using a rubber ball.
Rubber balls don’t slip easily, so they’re easier to catch.
This time, work in pairs and toss the ball back and forth, catching it by clamping it between your hands.
It seems like it will train your reaction speed more than catching with your palms.
Switching to one-handed catches or knee catches also adds excitement, so they’re recommended.
Receiving the ball in various ways can help stimulate both mind and body.
A key point is not to overinflate the ball so it’s easier to grip.
Games that liven up group homes: Fun recreation (61–70)
Get in a circle and amp it up! Ball game
A recreation activity where everyone sits on chairs, forms a circle, and tosses a ball to each other.
Since you never know who will get the ball next, it’s a thrilling, heart-pounding game.
Forming a circle also helps deepen interaction among participants, which is a big plus.
And because a rubber ball is used, it’s safe as well.
As for how to throw, you can pass it with a one-bounce method, which builds strength by bouncing the ball off the ground.
It’s also exciting to fake a throw to add a bit of feinting and liven things up.
Let’s find words within a word.
I’d like to introduce a game where everyone can play at the same time and get excited: a “find words inside a word” game.
In this game, you rearrange or extract letters from a given target word and see how many other words you can make.
For example, if the target is “とうもろこし” (corn), you can make words like “うし” (cow) or “しも” (frost).
Decide on a target word and a time limit, and you can compete to see who can find the most words.
You can also share with each other, saying, “Here are the words I found.”
combined paper cup
Here’s an introduction to a recreational activity called “Combining Paper Cups.” Prepare one rubber band with several strings tied to it.
Using the rubber band setup, pick up a paper cup and stack it onto another.
Adjust the rubber band by pulling or loosening the strings.
It’s a fun game that also provides gentle arm exercise, making it highly recommended.
Because it’s done with several people, it naturally encourages cooperation and interaction, which helps promote communication.
Talking with others also stimulates the brain, offering potential brain-training benefits.
The interaction itself becomes something to look forward to and can help you feel more lively and positive each day.
