For Seniors: Enjoy Every Day! A Collection of Senior Recreation Ideas

A puzzle where you fit counters (ohajiki) into a frame

[Solo, non-crowded recreation] Supervised by a Recreation Care Worker! Simple indoor handmade game video for seniors: “A puzzle game where you fit marbles (ohajiki) into frames drawn in a notebook.”

Group recreation where everyone gets lively together is fun, but taking time to think carefully and enjoy things at your own pace is important too.

This time, we’re introducing a finger dexterity puzzle using ohajiki (small glass game pieces).

Preparation is very simple: get some paper and ohajiki.

Draw circles on the paper about the same size as the ohajiki, and place the pieces around them.

Using your index finger, try to push the ohajiki into the circles.

You can change how it feels a lot by drawing circles slightly larger or smaller than the ohajiki and making a rule that they only count if they fit exactly, or by trying fingers other than the index finger.

Because it also engages spatial awareness, it serves as brain training.

It’s also recommended as a recreation activity in senior care facilities.

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kojifumi

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Ghost Scooping Game

Ghost Scooping Game - Day Service Recreation

Here’s a game that treats plastic bags like little ghosts.

Have older adults sit in chairs and use a stick made from newspaper to scoop up plastic bags placed on the floor.

Then have them place the scooped bags into a bowl set on the chair.

This game helps strengthen the biceps on the front of the upper arm.

It’s perfect for people who find it difficult to bring food to their mouth with a spoon, too.

Since it uses familiar items, it’s easy to do in short breaks.

Because they’re “ghosts,” it could be fun to add eyes and a mouth to the plastic bags.

It’s also great as a Halloween-season activity.

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Nakajima Junko

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Chopstick Ball-Carrying Game

[100-yen Brain Training] ADL training for eating: “Using chopsticks” movements

Here’s an introduction to a fingertip game where you use chopsticks to pick up and carry small items.

Games that involve fine finger movements can help stimulate the brain.

They’re also useful for training movements needed in daily life.

What you’ll need is an ice tray for making ice—one that makes small cubes is recommended.

Prepare some craft pom-poms (also called “pompoms”) and a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks.

You can get everything you need at a 100-yen shop, so preparation is easy.

Starting from one end of the ice tray, use the chopsticks to pick up the pom-poms and place them into the compartments.

This action helps train eating-related movements.

Since it’s a seated game, it’s likely to be easy for older adults to try.

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Nakajima Junko

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Finger exercises with rock, scissors, paper

[Senior Recreation] Create Laughter with Rock-Paper-Scissors Finger Exercises

When deciding something, people sometimes use rock-paper-scissors, right? Older adults, too, have probably made decisions that way at some point.

In rock-paper-scissors, you make rock, scissors, and paper with your hands.

These rock, scissors, and paper shapes are actually effective for hand and finger training.

What’s more, moving your fingers can also provide brain-training benefits.

Many senior and welfare facilities likely include finger exercises in their daily routines.

Once you get used to it, try gradually increasing the speed or doing rock-paper-scissors to the tune of a nursery rhyme.

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Nakajima Junko

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Heart Blocks Mameshiba

Kokoro Blocks – Mameshiba: The Fun of Stacking Together

We’re pleased to introduce “Kokoro no Tsumiki,” supervised by Mr.

Chitoku Ishihana of the Rock Balancing Laboratory.

Rock balancing is an art of stacking stones and rocks.

Many of us have likely stacked stones for fun at a beach or riverbank at least once.

This block set requires dexterity and delicate handling, as well as spatial awareness and concentration.

In other words, simply stacking the blocks becomes an unconscious brain workout.

Above all, the adorable Shiba Inu motif is soothing to the heart.

And when you discover an unexpected way to stack them, you’ll surely want to show others.

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scratch art

Tried DAISO’s scratch art! #shorts

Highly recommended for those who enjoy steady, hands-on work! Let me introduce scratch art sold at 100-yen shops.

You can create authentic artwork by using the included stick to scratch sheets that have designs applied with a special finish.

There’s a wide variety of designs—constellations, animals, flowers, landscapes, and famous characters—so just choosing one is fun.

It’s enjoyable to complete the design as-is for a vibrant result, but you can also freely customize it, allowing for many different ways to enjoy it depending on the person.

Because it involves fine work with your fingertips, it can also be expected to help with hand dexterity training and brain exercises.

Give it a try!

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Sticky

The ultimate board game!? “Sticky,” a game anyone can enjoy—from kids to seniors. #shorts #boardgames #ボードゲーム

Have you heard of a game called “Sticky”? You place three colors of sticks with different thicknesses inside a ring, roll a special die, and pull out a stick of the color that comes up.

The person who eventually knocks it over loses, and the others are ranked based on the points from the colors of the sticks they have pulled up to that point.

As turns progress, the number of sticks decreases, gradually upsetting the balance and making the latter half thrilling.

Beyond being a fun game, choosing which stick to pull and carefully extracting it can also serve as brain training.

Give it a try!

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