[For Seniors] Hinamatsuri Recreation: Fun Ideas for Games, Crafts, and Snack Making
How about some recreation ideas for older adults to enjoy during the Hinamatsuri season? We’ve handpicked ideas that naturally get the mind and body moving while having fun—such as seated games like target practice and bowling with Hina-doll motifs, shell matching, enjoyable crafts for display, and seasonal snack activities.
These special, season-only events provide positive stimulation for physical and cognitive functions in older adults.
Enjoy time filled with smiles while chatting with those around you.
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Hinamatsuri Recreation for Seniors: Fun Ideas for Games, Crafts, and Snack-Making (11–20)
Spring lettering
Wrap beanbags with flower tissue paper to make balls that look like hina-arare, and write one hiragana character on each.
Prepare a five-letter target word and a box that holds five letters.
Using chopsticks, pick up the balls and move them to another box to complete the word.
The time spent deciding which letters to choose is fun, and natural conversation flows—“Huh? Is that wrong?” “That’s a good one!” Unexpected words can appear and spark big laughs, creating a warm, relaxed atmosphere.
It engages both the mind and the fingertips, promoting brain activation and fine motor movement.
It’s a perfect Hinamatsuri game you can enjoy while playing.
Making Hina dolls with origami
As Hinamatsuri approaches, many households display hina dolls, but they take up space and can be quite a hassle.
So, as a bit of recreation, let’s try making hina dolls with origami.
It’s also great for fine motor skills.
By changing the colors and decorations of the origami, you can create splendid hina dolls.
Shell-matching with clams (hamaguri)
On Hinamatsuri, there’s a traditional custom of eating clear clam soup made with hamaguri.
It’s said to carry the wish that one can spend their whole life with a single partner.
How about enjoying the soup and then, after thoroughly washing the clam shells, drawing your favorite pictures on both halves, flipping them over, and playing a matching game like Concentration? It’s a very elegant pastime that anyone can enjoy.
A game where you display Hina dolls
Back in the Showa era through the early Heisei period, the popular Hina dolls were the seven-tier type.
Many older people may still picture five- or seven-tier displays when they think of Hina dolls.
Let’s liven up Hinamatsuri with a fun game that evokes those seven-tier displays.
Prepare paper cups decorated with illustrations of the Emperor and Empress dolls, the three court ladies, the five musicians, lanterns, and more.
As shown in the sample, stack the paper cups to create a tiered display.
Each time you build up a tier, you earn more points.
Enjoy the thrill and excitement of seeing whether you can complete the paper-cup tiered display without it toppling over.
Ready, set, Hina stage!
Let me introduce a Hinamatsuri game that also works as brain training! It’s called “Hina Stand, Ready, Go!”—a game that tests your powers of observation.
Players take the randomly arranged Hina-doll display and rearrange the dolls to match a reference picture, competing to see who can do it the fastest.
To set up, you’ll need to make the tiered stand and the dolls.
For the stand, it’s great if you can create about three tiers using tissue boxes or candy boxes.
For the dolls, simply stick printed illustrations or photos onto paper cups.
Then take a photo of the correct arrangement and print it large so it’s easy to see—then you can play anytime! It’s a fun Hinamatsuri activity that gives your brain a workout.
Hina-arare Pyramid
Hina-arare are the colorful sweets eaten during the Doll’s Festival (Hinamatsuri).
This is a game where you build a pyramid using colorful balls similar to hina-arare.
By using balls instead of real hina-arare, it’s easier for older adults to hold them and enjoy the game.
First, neatly line up and pack the balls into a box made from newspaper.
Then two players take turns placing balls on top, and the person who places a ball at the very peak of the pyramid wins.
There are no special stacking rules—whoever claims the top wins! We recommend using colorful balls to resemble hina-arare, but balls made from newspaper work fine too.
Hinamatsuri Activities for Seniors: Fun Ideas for Games, Crafts, and Snack-Making (21–30)
Hina-arare tossing
Hina-arare are traditional sweets eaten during the Hina Matsuri (Girls’ Day).
Their crispy texture and the perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness make them so irresistible that you can’t stop eating them.
Here’s a game that uses hina-arare: Hina-arare Toss! Make a five-tier Hina doll display using paper cups or similar items to serve as targets.
Then use a homemade launcher to shoot the arare and compete to see how many pieces land in the cups.
If you make the launcher with items like clothespins and rubber bands, you can play without using much force.
It’s a game you can enjoy like a shooting gallery!