Recreation Activities to Liven Up January Events for Seniors
January is full of traditional, time-honored events.
It’s wonderful that the spirit of treasuring the start of a new year has been passed down for so long.
In this article, we introduce recreational activities to liven up January events for older adults! Many care facilities, such as day service centers, likely have annual events they hold every year.
If you’re thinking, “I’d like to add a new game this year,” you’ll find plenty of recreation ideas here to use as a reference.
Some are easy to try, so you can enjoy them at home as well.
- [For Seniors] January Activities and Recreation Games
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- [For Seniors] Enjoy the Cold Winter! Seated Activities You Can Do
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- Snacks and activity ideas for seniors to enjoy in January
- Performances to Liven Up New Year Parties for Elderly Care Facility Staff
- [For Seniors] January Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts. Brain training with quizzes about New Year and winter.
- Recreation Ideas for Seniors: Perfect for Setsubun and Bean-Throwing Activities
- [For Seniors] Fun Winter Activities: Recreation and Games
- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
- [Elderly Care Facility] Fun-filled recreational activities for a Christmas party: crafts, rhythmic exercises, games, and even a snack-time activity
- [For Seniors] Fun Recreational Activities Without Equipment
[For Seniors] Recreational Activities to Liven Up January Events (1–10)
Spinning tops
Many older adults likely have memories of playing with spinning tops when they were children! It’s said that wrapping the string is far more difficult than actually spinning the top.
When doing top-spinning at home or in a care facility, it might be a good idea for family members or staff to wrap the string for beginners.
Also, tops with a larger diameter are apparently easier to spin, so keep that in mind! Top-spinning lets you experience the joy of getting it to spin, and it’s a pastime that can help older adults recall their childhood.
Let’s dive in with childlike excitement and have some fun!
Steamed egg bread made with hot cake mix
Here are some snack activity ideas inspired by Daikan (the coldest day of the year) on January 20 and Hotcake Day on January 25.
We’re introducing an easy “Steamed Egg Bread” that you can make in a frying pan using eggs and pancake mix.
While eggs are now available in supermarkets year-round, it seems there used to be fewer hens laying eggs in winter.
Eggs laid during the winter, when nutrition is stored up, were said to be highly nutritious.
That’s why eggs laid around Daikan came to be called “Daikan Eggs.” This recipe is simple to make, so please enjoy a fun and delicious time with older adults.
Seven-Herbs Quiz
Let us introduce the Spring Seven Herbs Quiz, a quiz that asks about the names and characteristics of the seven herbs.
It helps you learn about the seven herbs, a part of traditional Japanese culture, and is enjoyed by people of all ages.
However, the Seven Herbs Quiz contains many things that are surprisingly little-known and can be quite challenging.
It’s great not only for daily brain training and recreational activities for seniors, but also as a source of fun trivia.
It’s a recreational activity that people across generations can enjoy while participating.
Please make good use of it as a topic or activity in care facilities such as day service centers.
[For Seniors] Recreational Activities to Liven Up January Events (11–20)
Making amazake
Amazake is one of those drinks that makes you feel the New Year, often served during the first shrine visit of the year (Hatsumode).
This piece introduces making amazake—fitting for such an auspicious image—and enjoying the season through its flavor.
Simply mix rice koji with hot water and keep it warm for a while; that alone creates the amazake base.
After that, dissolve it in hot water and enjoy amazake however you like.
Since koji mold cannot tolerate temperatures above 60°C (140°F), it’s important to set the water and warming temperatures accordingly.
Proverb Quiz
Let’s try a quiz about proverbs.
This quiz features classic proverbs that everyone has probably heard at least once.
You’ll see illustrations representing the proverbs and questions with some parts missing, so try to imagine which proverb they point to as you think.
It’s a multiple-choice format with three options, making it easy for everyone from children to seniors to take on, and it also explains the meanings of the proverbs, so it’s a great learning opportunity.
We may not use many proverbs in everyday life, but it never hurts to know them—so let’s deepen our knowledge.
Snowball Fight Game
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♬ Starman (2012 Remaster) – David Bowie
When it comes to winter snow play, nothing beats a snowball fight! Many of us played as kids and ended up covered in snow.
Here’s an event that brings back those fun memories: a snowball-fight game using balloons.
Put tape down the center of the room to divide it into two sides.
Place several inflated balloons on the tape, and at the starting signal, throw “snowballs” to knock the balloons over to the other team’s side.
When the game ends, the team that has moved more balloons into the opponent’s territory wins.
Throw lots of snowballs, get moving, and feel like a kid again!
party trick
Let’s try putting on an escape-game-style performance using cardboard, with staff presenting it for the seniors.
A person gets inside a box, and people insert swords into the box from the outside; when all the swords are finally pulled out, the person inside comes back to life.
It really livens things up if you let the seniors participate by inserting the swords.
You can get even more laughs by having the person inside react with exaggerated “pain” each time they get poked, or by adding other creative touches.
Staff can also make it more fun by wearing costumes or adopting characters that are different from their usual look.
And if someone figures out the trick, turn it into a funny moment by ad-libbing!
