For Seniors: Enjoy Every Day! A Collection of Senior Recreation Ideas
Wishing that older adults can spend each day in good health!
In this article, we’ll introduce senior activities that we truly hope you’ll try—ones that can energize you from the bottom of your heart.
We’ve gathered a wide range of options, from brain-training types to activities that get you moving.
There are ideas you can quietly work on alone, as well as recreational activities everyone can do together.
Read through to the end, think it over carefully, and choose the ones that are perfect for the seniors who will be participating!
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[For Seniors] Enjoy Every Day! Summary of Senior Recreation Ideas (81–90)
Making Umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums)
June 6 is said to be Ume Day, established by the Kishu Ume Association.
When June comes, supermarkets and home centers line their shelves with a variety of products for making umeboshi, don’t they? Making umeboshi is also a great recommendation for June events at senior facilities.
Some older adults may have made umeboshi every year.
If they have a plum tree at home, some may even have started with the “ume work” of removing the stems from the harvested plums.
If you host a umeboshi-making event, older adults could serve as instructors and really liven up the occasion.
Recreation using a bat and ball
This is a recreation activity where everyone sits in a circle and passes a ball or a stick to the next person, increasing the elements to think about by changing how the item is passed.
Start with a simple movement—passing a stick or ball to the person next to you—then, once everyone gets the feel for it, branch out into different forms.
For example, if you balance a ball on a stick and pass it along, it tests your sense of balance; clarifying which ability you want participants to focus on is an important point when designing the rules.
After setting the rules, increasing the speed or the number of items further stimulates brain activity.
Catch with a ball on one leg
This is a recreational activity aimed at strengthening the power used to move the legs by rolling a ball with your foot and passing it to the next person.
Because you perform the entire sequence—catching the incoming ball and rolling it—using only one leg, you can really focus on how you move your foot.
Whether you kick the ball to roll it or use the sole of your foot will change the ball’s speed, so be mindful of that as you proceed.
Once you get used to it, it’s recommended to increase the cognitive challenge by getting creative with where you roll the ball or by increasing the number of balls.
foot bath
Foot baths are really good for your body.
Soaking your feet in warm water and then massaging the soles and the tops of your feet improves circulation and can make you feel revitalized.
Adding bath salts, regular salt, or baking soda helps you warm up, too.
Even people who don’t want to take a full bath or find it a hassle might be willing to try just a foot bath, so please give it a try.
It also helps at the first signs of a cold.
Make sure the water doesn’t get lukewarm—add hot water as needed to keep it warm while you soak.
A stroll activity to the nearby park
When the weather turns warm and mild, I highly recommend a stroll activity.
In fact, going for a walk is packed with benefits! Exposure to sunlight helps your body produce vitamin D, which strengthens bones.
Planning a date and destination for an outing engages orientation skills—the ability to understand your situation—while getting ready to go out and following a route use executive functions, the abilities needed to achieve goals.
If you’re walking, you can also expect various effects such as maintaining muscle strength and improving circulation.
Even in a wheelchair, spending the day differently than usual can refresh both body and mind, so please give it a try.
Music Therapy Handbell Concert
Let me introduce music therapy using handbells.
In handbell ensembles, each person is responsible for specific notes on the scale, which actually requires a lot of concentration.
Even with familiar children’s songs, you need to remember exactly when to play your note.
The timing is important, and you also have to adjust the volume with your arm movements.
Because this sends a lot of stimulation to the brain, it can be expected to have brain-training effects.
In addition, since it is often done in groups, it naturally fosters interaction among participants, and the sense of accomplishment when it all comes together is exceptional.
[For Seniors] Enjoy Every Day! A Collection of Senior Recreation Ideas (91–100)
Music Therapy: Fun with Rhythm
Recreation that uses music is popular with many people.
This time, we’ll introduce ideas for rhythm-based music therapy.
When you move your body to a rhythm, it becomes a dual task: you have to both “listen” to the rhythm and “move” in time with it, processing these two actions simultaneously.
This creates a situation where the brain works to its fullest.
Above all, moving together to music tends to create excitement and a sense of unity, making it a fun activity for everyone.