[For Seniors] July Events: Recommended Recreation Ideas for Senior Facilities
July is when the feeling of summer really ramps up.
When planning recreational activities during hotter weather, it’s important to pay close attention to heat precautions and the health management of older adults.
To avoid the heat, people tend to spend more time in cool indoor spaces.
At times like these, you’ll want to offer recreation that doesn’t feel monotonous.
Try incorporating a variety of activities themed around July events such as Tanabata, Marine Day, and the Day of the Ox (Doyo no Ushi no Hi).
Please use this article as a reference for planning July events at senior care facilities.
- Activities perfect for July for seniors: Introducing games and recreational options
- [For Seniors] Fun Activities That Liven Up Cool Evening Festivals and Summer Festivals
- [For Seniors] Enjoy July! Easy and Fun Snack Activities
- [Elderly Care] Summary of Ideas and Recreational Activities Linked to August Events
- [For Seniors] Exciting! A Collection of Game Ideas Using Uchiwa (Japanese Hand Fans)
- [For Seniors] Enjoy and Beat the Summer Heat! July Craft Ideas
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- [For Seniors] July health topics: a wide range of ideas including exercises, crafts, and quizzes
- [For Seniors] Recreations to Experience in August
- [Care Facilities] Tanabata Activities Everyone Can Enjoy: Lively plans including decorations, Tanabata-themed games, and snack activitiesNEW!
- [For Seniors] Haiku Selections for July: Ideas to Feel the Summer
- [For Seniors] July-Themed Origami: A Collection of Fun Ideas
- [For Seniors] July Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts. Easy and Engaging
[For Seniors] July Events: Recommended Recreation Ideas for Senior Facilities (1–10)
Making tanzaku (paper strips)NEW!
On Tanabata, we decorate bamboo branches with tanzaku slips bearing our wishes.
I’m sure many of you, as children, freely and boldly asked the gods for what you wanted.
So let’s have older adults enjoy making Tanabata tanzaku as well.
The slips themselves are easy to make using colored construction paper or origami paper.
Have them write whatever they like on them.
As adults, we rarely have chances to write down our wishes, so it might feel fresh and engaging.
It will also be fun to see what everyone wishes for!
Fishing gameNEW!
An indoor fishing game you can enjoy all year round will liven up any event.
Even if fishing isn’t your hobby, seeing the colorful fish lined up on a blue tarp makes you feel an irresistible urge to reel in a big one! You don’t have to buy a fishing set; it’s easy to make by combining scrap materials and items from a dollar store.
In fact, making it yourself might be even more fun, since you can create all kinds of fish.
Try setting a time limit and competing to see how many you can catch.
It’s also fun to specify which fish to catch and race for speed.
Tanabata Ball Rolling GameNEW!
@seasoncafe.yokohama TranslationDay care (elderly day service)RecreationTanabataElderlyCaregivertranslationMilky Way#CardboardCrafts
♬ Moana: How Far I’ll Go: Main Theme – Geek Music
This is a game where you roll a ball along a course designed to look like the Milky Way, aiming for the goal.
Use the handles to tilt the course left, right, up, and down to move the ball forward.
Be careful where there are no edges, as the ball can fall off.
At the goal, Orihime and Hikoboshi are waiting with smiles.
Between them is an illustration of an embrace, and when the ball reaches the goal, that section closes to create the effect that Orihime and Hikoboshi are reunited.
The course is made of cardboard, and I think the handles can be recreated with materials from a 100-yen shop.
[For Seniors] July Events: Recommended Activities for Senior Facilities (11–20)
Tanabata ConcentrationNEW!
@user2230836748136 Tanabata recreationConcentrationCaregiving Artisan
♬ Chu,Tayousei. – ano
Perfect for brain training too! Let’s enjoy “Concentration” in a Tanabata version.
While playing Concentration with playing cards is common, this time we’ll make original cards using construction paper.
Cut the paper into star shapes and attach Tanabata-themed illustrations like Orihime, Hikoboshi, bamboo leaves, and the Milky Way.
If you’re playing with older adults, it’s a good idea to make the cards larger and add numbers to make them easier to remember.
It could also be fun to set a rule that anyone who finds Orihime and Hikoboshi consecutively wins and is out at that point.
Let’s defeat the aliens of the Milky WayNEW!
@hirose_ds TranslationElderlyRecreationTanabata 2020AliensFishingpaper cupColor matching
♬ RAINBOW – J SOUL BROTHERS III from EXILE TRIBE feat. Yellow Claw
Let’s fish up the aliens occupying the Milky Way so Orihime and Hikoboshi can meet! This is a paired challenge where you compete by the total number of aliens you reel in.
The aliens come in different colors, so choose a color and try to catch those.
Drawing lots to decide pairs might add some exciting suspense.
In the end, it would be great if you could fish up all the aliens and let Orihime and Hikoboshi cross the Milky Way.
Both the aliens and the fishing rods can be made from familiar items like paper cups, so please use this as a reference and have fun playing.
Hoshi Tobashi GameNEW!
@hirose_ds TranslationElderlyRecreationTanabata 2020Star skipping
Original Song – Nikko – please, stop the war
Compete for points by launching stars using a launcher made from disposable chopsticks and a plastic bottle cap.
Prepare star-shaped dishes where the stars will land—if a star lands in one, you score points.
It’s a good idea to assign different point values based on the color of the dishes.
The launcher is easy to use—just press and release with your finger—so anyone can enjoy it.
Feel free to play as individuals or in teams in various formats.
Placing a base under the launcher that evokes the Milky Way will make it feel more like a festive event.
Milky Way with magnetsNEW!
@hirose_ds TranslationElderlyRecreationJulyTanabataEventMagnettranslation
♬ Pop Star – Ken Hirai
It’s a game where you throw star-themed balls onto a Milky Way that’s been placed on a whiteboard.
The balls are made by attaching finely cut vinyl tape to magnets.
Since magnets stick to the whiteboard, you only need magnets on the ball side.
Everyone, throw your stars and complete the Milky Way.
You can run it as a decoration-making game, or make it fun by awarding points based on the area where the ball lands.
Taking a group photo in front of the completed Milky Way will make for an even more wonderful memory.