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.
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[For Seniors] Recreational Activities to Liven Up January Events (1–10)
Daruma-otoshi
Daruma-otoshi is a lucky New Year’s game with a saying that “if you succeed, you can ward off bad luck.” Many older adults may remember playing it in their childhood.
You can enjoy it with a traditional wooden daruma and mallet, but if the pieces are small and hard to handle, a recommended alternative is to stack tissue boxes and use a stick made by rolling up newspaper into a long, thin shape.
The size and weight are just right, making it easy for seniors to enjoy.
You can take turns striking in pairs, or make it an individual or team competition—there are many ways to have fun depending on how you tweak the rules.
New Year’s Song Exercise
Let’s move our bodies to songs with a New Year’s theme, enjoy the season, and aim for fun, healthy living.
Use children’s songs like “Oshogatsu”; since the movements match the lyrics, familiar tunes make it easier to picture the actions.
We tend to focus on hand movements like clapping, but be sure to include steps and gentle swaying to keep the rhythm, engaging the whole body.
Start by checking the movements at a slow tempo, then gradually speed up the tempo to help everyone feel the rhythm—this flow is recommended.
Making a offertory box (saisenbako)
When it comes to New Year’s in Japan, hatsumode—the first shrine visit of the year—is an essential event, and we all offer our wishes into the offertory box so we can spend the year in good health.
This craft recreates that indispensable offertory box out of cardboard, letting you really feel the New Year atmosphere.
Use a rectangular cardboard box and apply a remake sheet or similar to give it a wood-like finish.
Since the slot where the money falls through is an important feature of offertory boxes, it’s recommended to make good use of the cardboard’s creases to faithfully reproduce this part as well.
Also pay attention to decorations like the characters typically seen on real offertory boxes to achieve a realistic look.
Menko Tournament
Menko is a game where you slam the card in your hand forcefully toward the cards laid out in the play area, aiming to flip them over—some of you might have played it long ago.
This version challenges you to play using a table and oversized cards, making it a game that encourages awareness of power and control.
Use vinyl tape to mark a zone on the table, lay out the cards there, then slam your card from hand; you aim to win cards by flipping them over or knocking them out of the zone.
If the cards don’t move because you’re not using enough force, try modifying the setup with lighter, easier-to-move materials.
Paper cup kendama
Kendama is a traditional Japanese toy, and many people associate it with New Year’s celebrations.
Here’s a way to recreate a kendama-like, ball-manipulating toy using paper cups, encouraging kids to focus on controlling force.
It’s a simple setup: attach five paper cups and a stringed ball to a cardboard base, and have the child hold the cardboard to maneuver the ball.
Using both hands, they lift the whole board with a quick motion, aiming to move the ball sequentially into the paper cups along the side.
If the paper cups make it too difficult, a recommended variation is to use paper plates instead.
Kagami-biraki (the ceremonial opening of a sake barrel or breaking of New Year kagami mochi)
On Kagami Biraki, let’s all eat mochi together! Kagami mochi, with its plump, rounded shape, is just so cute—a classic New Year’s decoration.
January 11 is called Kagami Biraki, an event where you take down the kagami mochi you had on display, break it apart, and eat it.
Since it’s a seasonal food for January, it’s perfect for a get-together everyone can enjoy.
A tip for eating mochi safely is to cut it into dice-sized pieces, grill them, and then add them to ozoni (New Year’s soup) or oshiruko (sweet red bean soup).
You can also coat the mochi with grated daikon to help reduce the risk of choking.
Making a lucky Okame face game (Fukuwarai)
Many older adults may have played “Fukuwarai” during the New Year, don’t you think? For a January recreation activity, let’s try playing with a handmade Fukuwarai.
Simply draw an Okame (traditional smiling woman) face on construction paper with a pen and cut out the facial features—it’s an easy, straightforward process.
The key to Fukuwarai is creating a unique face, so there’s no need to stress about making it perfect.
Spending time having fun together with a Fukuwarai you made yourself is wonderful, isn’t it? Please enjoy making it from scratch together with the older adults.
