[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!
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- [For Seniors] Introducing Recreational Activities Anyone Can Enjoy at Geriatric Health Facilities!
- [For Seniors] Exciting Team-Based Recreational Activities
- Entertainment and Performances That Delight at Day Services for the Elderly
- [For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
- [November Health Topic] Indoor Recreation Ideas for Older Adults
- For Seniors: Fun Entertainment That Excites at Nursing Homes
- [For Seniors] Today’s Recommended Activity: Fun and Engaging
- [Easy to Start!] Simple Recreational Activities to Enjoy in Nursing Homes
- [For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Lively Whiteboard Activities
[For Seniors] Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities in Nursing Homes (201–210)
Pull-the-string game
As the name suggests, here’s a fun game where all you do is pull a string.
Preparation is simple.
First, prepare many paper cups with long strings wound around them.
Get one basket and you’re set.
Have the participating seniors sit in a circle and hold the ends of the strings.
Gather the paper cups in the center and cover them with the basket.
Now the game begins.
Lift the basket, and before it can be dropped back down to cover the cups, pull the strings to snatch the paper cups away.
That’s all there is to it, but it gets very exciting.
It also helps build agility, so it’s recommended for recreation at senior facilities.
Fluffy ball
Let’s have fun with a game where you compete for points using balloons.
Inflate a balloon and tie a string to it with a weight attached to the end.
Before you start, write point values on the floor.
Aim for the spaces with the written points and throw the balloon.
The person who scores the most points wins.
The trick seems to be to swing the weight firmly as you throw the balloon.
Throwing the balloon can also be an effective workout for the upper body and arms.
Since balloons aren’t very heavy, there’s little risk of injury if they’re dropped, which is nice.
Makimaki Apple Game
As a recreation activity for day services or childcare settings, we propose the “Roll-Up Apple Game”! First, place paper apple motifs on construction paper and attach them.
Set them a short distance away; connect the stick and paper with clear tape, then roll the stick to wind the tape and draw the apples toward yourself.
It should get very lively if several people compete! By starting with the crafting process, participants can experience both making the materials and playing the game.
Please give it a try together and have fun!
Whac-A-Mole
Here’s a fun and brain-training activity using paper cups: Whack-a-mole! Prepare about 10 to 20 paper cups and draw moles on them to make your moles.
Attach a pair of chopsticks to a paper cup to create a hammer for whacking the moles.
By involving older adults from the making stage, it also becomes a craft activity.
Whether as a craft or as a whack-a-mole game, it uses the hands.
Dexterous finger movements help stimulate the brain.
The whacking motion can help improve joint movement and is expected to boost concentration as well.
It would be exciting to turn it into a team competition for a recreation session.
karaoke
Karaoke is something you can enjoy even in a short bit of free time, and it’s great for relieving stress.
There’s a unique pleasure in singing at the top of your lungs that nothing else can replace.
Solo karaoke is fun, but getting lively with a group also sounds exciting.
Another way to enjoy karaoke is to use a machine with a scoring feature.
It will surely motivate you to go to karaoke.
Plus, since it analyzes your singing voice, it’s perfect for anyone who wants to improve.
Card flip
This is a simple card game where each card has a different color on the front and back, and players keep flipping them to a designated color.
It’s basically a competitive format: both players flip cards to their own color and compete to see which color is more prevalent when time runs out.
Consider rules like allowing flips with only one hand to help balance participants’ abilities as much as possible.
A 2-on-2 team match is also recommended, as it gets heated by emphasizing not just speed but strategy as well.
Kick Darts
This is a game where you sit in a chair and kick a beanbag into the air, aiming to land it on a high-scoring area of the dartboard in front of you.
It helps develop the leg strength needed to send the beanbag to a distant dartboard and the ability to control force to reach the target spot.
The farther the dartboard is, the more power is required, so have participants try at distances suited to their stamina and muscle strength.
If you run it as a face-to-face match, players will likely focus even more as they try to beat their opponent.