For Seniors: Festive Attractions to Liven Up Festivals—Games and Recreational Activities
We’re introducing games and recreational activities recommended for festivals at senior care facilities.
There are plenty of attractions that can be enjoyed while seated so that older adults can participate comfortably.
Activities like “goldfish scooping,” “target shooting,” and “lucky string pull” may bring back memories of festivals enjoyed in childhood.
Festivals are exciting events for both adults and children.
They can also spark communication with people you don’t usually interact with.
Use this article as a guide to plan a festival that allows seniors to have fun safely.
- [For Seniors] Fun Activities That Liven Up Cool Evening Festivals and Summer Festivals
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Classic Autumn Songs to Sing in November: From Children’s Songs to Popular Enka and Kayōkyoku
- [Let's Enjoy Japanese Festival Songs!] Songs about festivals. Famous songs related to festivals.
- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
- Entertainment and Performances That Delight at Day Services for the Elderly
- [For Seniors] Recommended Dances You Can Move To and Enjoy
- [For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Lively Whiteboard Activities
- [For Seniors] Introducing recommended songs to give on Respect for the Aged Day
- [For Seniors] Crowd-Pleasers! Recommended Songs Everyone Can Enjoy Together in October
- [Today's Recommendation] Gentle Health Exercises for Seniors
- Recommended Songs for Nursing Home Recreation [Fun Exercise, Soothing Songs]
[For seniors] Festive attractions for livening up a festival: Games and recreational activities (21–30)
Underwater Coin Drop
This is a game where you drop coins into a glass placed underwater.
The coins gently drift down through the water, and you score points if they land in the glass.
The large container holding the glass can be anything that holds water and coins, such as a bathtub or an inflatable pool.
Using foreign coins or stylish coins makes it more exciting, so it’s recommended.
Watermelon splitting
Let’s turn the classic summer activity “suikawari” (watermelon splitting) into a summer festival event.
How about letting seniors feel like kids again and rekindle that sense of excitement? Since it might be hard to break a watermelon with seniors’ strength, try making small cuts or other adjustments so it can be split with less force.
If you just want to enjoy the atmosphere, you could use a beach ball with a watermelon pattern instead of a real watermelon!
Bon Odori while seated
Speaking of Bon Odori, the typical image is people dancing while circling around a yagura tower.
What I’m introducing this time is a seated Bon Odori.
Many older adults worry about their legs, and standing can raise the risk of falling and getting injured.
As the name suggests, this “Seated Bon Odori” is done while everyone remains seated, focusing on upper-body movements.
It’s also charming for everyone to hold matching uchiwa fans.
shaved ice
When it comes to the fun of festival food stalls, shaved ice is a must.
It’s the best on a hot day.
While many shaved ice machines are hand-cranked, there are also electric models these days.
They’re easy and effortless to use, which is great.
Let’s prepare lots of syrups—strawberry, lemon, melon, and more—and have a lively time together.
Since it’s cold, be careful not to chill your stomach!
Table curling
Curling, which became a boom and excited fans during the Winter Olympics, can be enjoyed easily right on your table! Draw lines with point values on the tabletop.
Put a marble inside a paper cup and roll it across the table.
The farthest line is worth the most points, but if you slide it too hard trying to reach it, it will fall off.
Getting the strength just right is tricky, which makes it a thrilling game.