[For Seniors] Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities in Nursing Homes
In this article, we introduce lively recreational activities for seniors to enjoy at day service centers and other care facilities!
Facilities offer many different types of activities every day.
We’ve gathered a wide variety—from ones that are great for lively group fun to those enjoyable for individuals or small groups—so please use this as a reference when you’re wondering, “What should we do today?”
Many activities can be enjoyed while seated, so everyone can participate and have fun together.
It can also be interesting to change the rules or add your own twists depending on the facility!
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[For Seniors] Lively Recreational Activities to Enjoy at Nursing Homes (111–120)
Billiards Challenge
Here’s a billiards challenge that lets you train your hands and arms while having fun.
Attach paper cups to the edge of a table and put up a scoring chart with values like 10 points or 30 points.
Place the balls at the designated spot on the opposite side, and use a stick-made cue to strike the balls and aim for high scores.
Adding bonuses—such as doubling the points for balls of a specific color—makes it even more exciting.
It can be done standing or seated, so anyone can join and enjoy.
It’s also recommended as a recreational activity for senior care facilities.
Ball Wrapping Game
Let me introduce a “ball winding” game where you use your wrists and fingertips to reel the ball in faster than your opponent.
Tie a piece of tape to a basket and stretch it out; wrap the other end of the tape around a stick.
Once you place a ball on top of the basket, you’re ready to go.
At the starting signal, use your hands to twist the stick and pull the basket toward you.
If the ball falls off, you incur a penalty and can’t move, so be careful not to drop it while trying to pull the basket in faster than your opponent.
Because it uses both hands, it can also be used as a fun functional training activity.
Mop Game
Cleaning is essential in daily life.
This time, we’ll introduce a way to boost practical life skills while having fun with a game.
Use a mop made by attaching tissue to a stick to tidy paper cups into a designated area.
To place them without knocking them over, you’ll need to use push, pull, and slide motions with the mop, as well as adjust your force and speed.
Adding a time limit or setting a maximum number of touches on the paper cups increases the game-like challenge and makes it more enjoyable.
Move your body while playing, and engage the muscles that are useful for everyday life.
Evil Spirit Banishment Game
We’d like to introduce a game for driving away evil spirits by fanning them off with a paper fan.
First, attach a photo of a person to a plastic bottle, pour in a little water, and stand it on a table.
Draw a picture of an evil spirit on a plastic bag with a felt-tip pen, then slip the bag over the bottle with the staff member’s photo on it.
Hand a paper fan to each participant, and at the signal to start, have them fan to drive away the evil spirit.
Using real photos of people will likely spark laughter with comments like “They’re possessed!” and “They’re saved!” Because participants need to fan vigorously, it can also serve as an exercise for the wrists and arms.
This activity is also recommended as a recreation for senior care facilities.
Newspaper Pull-Out Game
Here’s a game you can enjoy using old newspapers.
All you need are newspapers, a basket, and some tape.
Open the newspaper, cut it in half, and tape the pieces together lengthwise to make a long strip.
You can add more later, so adjust the length according to the participants’ condition and ability.
Roll the long newspaper strip into a cylinder, place it in the basket, and you’re ready to go.
When the game starts, use your hands to wind it up as fast as you can—whoever finishes first wins.
It’s simple, fun to watch, and great for large groups.
Because it also trains upper-limb function while playing, it’s recommended as a recreation activity in senior care facilities.
Persimmon Picking Game
It may look like you’re just using your hands to pick persimmons, but in fact there are points written on the back.
You can’t see the points while you’re picking, and only find out afterward—that’s what makes this “Persimmon Picking Game” fun.
Since there’s a time limit, you can enjoy deciding whether to aim for persimmons you predict will be high-scoring or to pick as many as possible.
If you yank in a hurry, the persimmons get caught on the pins, so the key is to use your fingertips to unhook them from the pins.
Because there’s an element of luck, there are fewer issues of aptitude or skill differences between players, and anyone can enjoy it.
Lightly lifting the ball with the foot
Let me introduce “Foot-Toss Flick,” a game that doubles as lower-limb functional training.
Prepare a small inflatable pool or a box, and place an overturned trash bin inside it.
Add raised areas around it and assign each area a point value.
The harder the spot, the higher the points.
Once you have some beanbags ready, the game begins.
Place a beanbag on the top of your foot and flick it toward a scoring zone.
Do this 10 times and compete on total points.
Unlike simple stepping in place, doing it with a clear goal can be more effective for maintaining leg function.
Give it a try!