[For Seniors] Activities to Enjoy March: Games, Crafts, Music, and Snack Recreation
March, when it gradually gets warmer, is a season that lifts our spirits as we feel the signs of spring.
Why not incorporate seasonal activities into recreational programs to enjoy with older adults? We’ve gathered ideas full of seasonal flair—from games and crafts themed around spring icons like cherry blossoms, butterflies, and bamboo shoots, to snack-time activities that spark the appetite with sweet aromas, and even music sessions that make you want to move.
Many can be done while seated or prepared with familiar, easy-to-get materials, so be sure to try them in your daily recreation programs.
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[For Seniors] Enjoy March: Activities, Games, Crafts, Music, and Snack Recreation (41–50)
White Day Buffet Rec
A White Day buffet recreation is a wonderful idea.
It sounds like it would be an elegant time that seniors can enjoy as well.
By preparing a variety of sweets and light snacks, everyone can have fun choosing as they go.
It might also be nice to bring homemade treats to share.
Just looking at the colorful desserts is enjoyable, isn’t it? Spending time savoring delicious food while chatting together in a friendly, lively atmosphere—this will surely become a heartwarming and lovely memory.
It seems like it will be a delightful recreation filled with smiles from the seniors.
Making amazake
How about making amazake from scratch and enjoying it together? Amazake made from rice koji uses only rice koji and water—no sugar at all—yet it’s very sweet, and despite the word “sake” in the name, it contains no alcohol.
You can easily make it by mixing rice koji with lukewarm water and keeping it warm for a set period of time.
There’s also a simple method using sake lees, so choose whichever you prefer.
‘365-Step March’ Exercise
Isn’t Kiyoko Suizenji’s “365-Step March” one of those songs that makes you want to start moving as soon as you hear it? March 1 is “March Day,” so it’s perfect for seasonal March recreations, too! Let’s do some exercises to this nostalgic tune that many seniors will remember.
You could also arrange a lively choreography inspired by the lyrics.
Be sure to adapt it to seniors’ conditions—consider versions that can be done while seated in a chair.
Bamboo Shoot Digging Game
It’s a game where you use a stick with a paper cup attached to the end to stack and pick up paper cups with bamboo shoots drawn on them, and compete for speed.
The key to successfully picking up the bamboo shoots is to fit the cup on the stick perfectly over the target cup, so your stick control is put to the test.
If you do it well, you can stack multiple cups, so strategy matters—do you carefully stack and grab a bunch at once, or focus on speed and collect them one by one? The longer the stick, the harder it is to control, so adjusting the stick length is also a recommended way to set the difficulty.
Ball Grabbing Game
Let’s play a game where you grab balls using newspaper.
All the tools used in the game are made from newspaper.
Make the balls by crumpling newspaper into a sphere, and make the grabbing sticks out of newspaper as well.
You can create everything you need for the game using everyday materials.
Place several balls inside a circle, grab them with the stick, and put them into a basket.
If you set a time limit, the game gets more exciting.
Forming teams and competing for the best time will make it even more fun.
Strawberry Picking Game
The bright red fruit, strawberries, are one of the foods that evoke the feeling of spring, and strawberry picking is also an event that brings a sense of the season.
This game is inspired by the scene of strawberry picking, where players compete to collect as many strawberry mascots as possible within a time limit.
A string is stretched out in front of you, and clothespins attached to it hold strawberry motifs.
You remove them and place them into a basket.
It’s a game that values the pinching motion used to remove the strawberries from the clothespins, as well as the speed and concentration needed to aim for a higher count within the time limit.
Beanbag Tower
Many older adults may have played with beanbags when they were young.
Some may have also played beanbag games with their own children or grandchildren.
Here’s a game that uses those beanbags to build a tower.
The rules are simple: compete to see how many beanbags you can stack on top of an upside-down paper cup.
By holding and stacking the beanbags, you can expect to improve or maintain fine motor balance and concentration.
You can focus and play on your own, or make it a team competition for extra excitement.
If you like, please give it a try.