[For Seniors] Recommended Events for May: A Roundup of Ideas That Get Everyone Engaged
May is a refreshing season that makes your heart feel light.
As the weather warms up, it becomes easier to hold events at facilities and similar venues.
It’s also a time when older adults may feel like trying new things, isn’t it?
With that in mind, we’re introducing recommended May events for seniors.
We selected activities designed so that even those who find it difficult to move around can still enjoy themselves.
May features many events and observances, such as Golden Week, Children’s Day (Tango no Sekku), and Mother’s Day.
There are also interesting commemorative days that make event planning fun, like “Makeup Day” and “Hyakunin Isshu Day.”
Through these events, seniors within the same facility can communicate more and deepen their connections.
We hope everyone enjoys them together.
- [For Seniors] Enjoy May! Recommended Recreational Activities and Games
- [For Seniors] Enjoy May: A Collection of Seasonal Craft and Wall Decoration Ideas
- [May Health Topic] Introducing recreational activities for seniors!
- [For Seniors] May-Themed Wall Decoration Ideas Full of Seasonal Flair
- [For Seniors] Enjoy at Day Service: A Roundup of May Craft Ideas
- [For Seniors] Introducing May-themed Origami!
- [For Seniors] Enjoy Koinobori Indoors: Wall Decoration Ideas Collection
- [For Seniors] Celebrate Children's Day: Make Your Own Koinobori (Carp Streamers)
- For Seniors: Enjoy the Rainy Season—Event Ideas Perfect for June
- [Childcare] Let's make and display in May! Wall Decoration Craft Ideas
- [For Seniors] Introducing trivia related to May!
- For Seniors: Snacks to Make in May That Capture the Season
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
[For Seniors] Recommended Events for May: A Roundup of Crowd-Pleasing Ideas (31–40)
crochet
This is a recreational activity where we make koinobori (carp streamers) with crochet.
It can be tiring on the eyes and hands, but since you can do it indoors while seated, it’s recommended for older adults.
After everyone receives a quick lesson on how to make them, you can enjoy working at your own pace.
When you’re finished, you can decorate your room with it, or give it as a gift to your grandchildren or great-grandchildren—they’ll be delighted.
You’ll end up with a very cute koinobori.
Be sure to give it a try during recreation time!
Bingo game
At events, the classic bingo game is a staple.
For occasions like seniors’ gatherings, try making it extra special with a slightly more luxurious selection of prizes! After all, the prospect of winning something is exciting at any age—not just for kids, but for adults too.
You don’t have to use store-bought bingo cards; handmade ones can be just as fun, and you can make them larger and easier to read.
Searching for the numbers is a mental exercise and works well as brain training.
Everyone will get enthusiastic—maybe you’ll even find yourself calling out numbers louder than usual!
dining out
In seasons that are perfect for going out, such as spring and autumn, it’s a great idea to make dining out an event! It may be challenging with a large group, but try coordinating by splitting the dates or using other creative approaches.
Buildings, nature, and the atmosphere of the town—things we don’t often see in daily life—can be very stimulating for older adults.
Through experiences like a slightly luxurious lunch or tea at a café, let’s give older adults who can’t go out as freely a taste of the extraordinary.
In addition, taking a walk in a scenic park to feel the season can enrich both mind and body and may also help relieve stress.
Original Hyakunin Isshu
Because the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu is said to have been completed on May 27, 1235, May 27 has been established as “Hyakunin Isshu Day.” In this season with a commemorative day, trying out Hyakunin Isshu—often associated with New Year’s—could make for a fresh experience.
Enjoying the classic Ogura Hyakunin Isshu is great, but if you’re looking for more of a brain workout, creating your own original Hyakunin Isshu is also recommended.
Focus on how a waka poem is formed by pairing the upper and lower halves, and split phrases into the first and second parts to make the reading and grabbing cards.
It’s a good idea to incorporate familiar catchphrases from commercials and the like—search your memory for well-known phrases to use.
Simple carnation
The second Sunday of May is Mother’s Day—a day to express gratitude to mothers—and many people have either celebrated it or been celebrated themselves.
When it comes to gifts for Mother’s Day, carnations are a classic choice, known for their soft appearance and gentle, pale colors.
With Mother’s Day in mind, why not try making carnations out of tissue paper? Fold several sheets together like an accordion and trim both ends; then, imagining the flower’s softness, gently open it up while adding light wrinkles.
Since the process involves carefully separating and spreading each sheet one by one, paying close attention to the movement of your fingertips is also important.
[For Seniors] Recommended Events in May: A Collection of Crowd-Pleasing Ideas (41–50)
iris bath
When it comes to May 5th—Tango no Sekku, Children’s Day—alongside carp streamers and kashiwa-mochi, shobu-yu (iris bath) is also iconic.
By soaking in a bath with shobu, a medicinal herb believed to ward off illness and evil spirits, people pray to stay healthy through the hot summer ahead.
There are various ways to add the iris to the bath, but if you put the long leaves in without cutting them, it’s easier to recognize them as shobu and it emphasizes the seasonal feeling even more.
Precisely because this is a custom long cherished in Japan, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on its origins and the meanings embedded in it.
Gardening
May is often considered the beginning of summer, and the greenery deepens, doesn’t it? By engaging with plants during this season, we can heighten our awareness of nature and feel the changes of the season more closely.
In gardening, you prepare flowerpots and various kinds of flowers, then arrange them freely to complete your creation.
The mental process of selecting pots and flowers and planning the design, as well as the movements of your hands and fingertips as you place the flowers and cover them with soil, are key points.