[For Seniors] Enjoy May! Recommended Recreational Activities and Games
May is full of events, isn’t it?
Did you know that in addition to Children’s Day and Mother’s Day, there are also days like Makeup Day and Hyakunin Isshu Day?
In this article, we’ll introduce May-themed recreational activities and games for seniors.
It’s perfect for those thinking, “What should we do for May activities?”
With the warm weather, why not enjoy recreation not only indoors but also outdoors?
These activities will enrich the minds and bodies of older adults.
Let’s savor the feeling of the season in May through these recreational ideas.
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[For Seniors] Enjoy May! Recommended Recreational Activities and Games (21–30)
Making items for a mural
Let’s try making some wall decoration items.
Have you heard of “ohanagami” (flower paper)? It’s not ordinary colored paper—it’s slightly thinner and perfect for making paper flowers.
In this video, instead of round blossoms, it shows how to make wisteria flowers using a tsumami-zaiku (pinching) technique.
Round flowers that you can stick on are cute too, but these hang down, have movement, and look bright and elegant.
Finger training for rice planting
May, considered the start of summer, is the season for rice planting and sowing, making it an important time for farmers.
With a recreation activity themed around rice planting, let’s enjoy the seasonal atmosphere while giving the brain a solid workout.
Tear newspaper by hand into thin strips to represent rice seedlings, and use plastic bottles as rice paddies.
Insert the thin newspaper strips into the bottles as if you were planting rice.
Pay attention to finger movements as you work—such as rolling the tip into a fine point with your fingertips and considering the angle for insertion.
Support the plastic bottle with one hand and insert the newspaper with the other; switching hands midway will further enhance the brain-training effect.
Dropping Colored Balls
Here’s an activity called Color Ball Drop that is done in pairs.
Have two older adults sit facing each other and hold the ends of two rods.
Place baskets labeled with colors between them.
Roll balls along the rods that match the colors written on the baskets, and drop each ball into the basket with the corresponding color.
Cooperation between the two participants is key to this game.
Encourage them to communicate and synchronize their movements.
It’s a fun way to spark conversation and broaden social interaction.
pressed flower(s)
May is the season when all kinds of flowers sprout, isn’t it? How about picking some wildflowers you like on a walk and trying your hand at making pressed flowers? You can use them not only as bookmarks but also create panels to display.
Small flowers with low moisture content are best suited for pressing.
It’s a lovely activity for older adults to enjoy as well.
It may take some time, but that will make you grow even more attached to the results.
Let’s make kashiwa-mochi.
When it comes to Children’s Day and the Boys’ Festival, kashiwa mochi is a must! It’s delicious, isn’t it? Let’s try making kashiwa mochi at home.
Mix the rice flour, steam it, pound it, roll the sweet red bean paste into balls and tuck it inside, wrap with oak leaves, and steam.
That’s all there is to it.
As long as you have the bean paste ready, it’s surprisingly easy to make.
And when you make it yourself, it tastes so much better!
Hyakunin Isshu
Are you all good at Hyakunin Isshu? Recently, competitive karuta has become popular thanks to manga.
And apparently May 27 is Hyakunin Isshu Day.
Hyakunin Isshu isn’t just about reading and grabbing cards like in karuta.
Here, the first half of the poem appears as a video, and it’s also read aloud, so everyone answers the second half together.
This way, you can just sit, respond, and repeat—making it easy and fun to enjoy.
Tea Picking Rec
From late April to early May is said to be the season for picking the first tea leaves.
Some older adults may enjoy fresh new tea.
For a May activity, how about a recreation set to the children’s song “Chatsumi” (Tea Picking)? Place long, thin strips of newspaper in a box and use sticks to scoop them up as if picking tea leaves.
Having older adults help cut the newspapers into long strips also provides fine motor training for their fingertips.
Doing this while singing or listening to “Chatsumi” can help them feel the season.