[For Seniors] Recreational Activities at Special Nursing Homes That Everyone Can Join
In special nursing homes for the elderly, recreational activities are held frequently.
Among residents with a wide range of physical conditions living together, some staff members may be wondering, “Is there a recreation activity that everyone can enjoy?”
In this article, we introduce recreational activities that people with varying physical conditions can enjoy.
Recreation is important not only for maintaining motor functions and cognitive abilities, but also for deepening interaction with others.
We cover a wide range—from brain-training activities to those that involve physical movement.
Please use this as a reference!
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- [For Seniors] Recommended! Seasonal Recreational Activities
- For Seniors: Effective Recreation for Preventing Care Needs—Have Fun While Staying Healthy
- [For Seniors] Recommended Even for People with Dementia! Simple Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Easy to try. Fun, crowd-pleasing recreation
- Recommended recreational activities for older adults with dementia
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- [For Seniors] Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities in Nursing Homes
- Games and recreational activities enjoyable in a wheelchair
- Recreation Activities Effective for Long-Term Care Prevention for Seniors
- Explaining interesting initiatives at nursing care facilities! We also introduce seasonal recreational activities.
- [October Health Topic] Introducing Recreational Activities for Seniors!
[For Seniors] Recreational Activities at Special Nursing Homes That Everyone Can Join (21–30)
Bowling
I’m sure there are many people who used to enjoy bowling when they were younger.
Why not try a handmade version you can enjoy indoors? Use plastic bottles as pins, and a rubber ball you can pick up at a 100-yen shop for the bowling ball.
You can make the plastic bottles all the same size, or vary the sizes and turn it into a point-based game to make it more exciting.
It’s also a great idea to decorate the pins by wrapping them with colored construction paper.
Let everyone experience the satisfying feeling when the pins topple over.
Brain-training exercises to music
Let’s have fun exercising while singing.
This time, we’ll do a workout set to the children’s song “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” Besides clapping your hands, follow the lyrics to stomp your feet and tap your shoulders and cheeks.
Start in order—clapping, then stomping, and so on—and once you’re used to it, switch to random sequences.
Not knowing which move comes next increases the difficulty and is said to boost the brain-training effect.
While singing, opening and closing your hands (making fists and spreading your fingers) also makes it an even better workout.
Singing helps release stress and contributes to emotional stability.
[For Seniors] Recreational Activities at Special Nursing Homes That Everyone Can Join (31–40)
ball toss (traditional Japanese beanbag/ball-throwing game)
How about incorporating a beanbag toss that can be enjoyed while seated into your recreation activities? Although beanbag toss is often associated with school sports days, it’s an easy game to adapt because the difficulty changes depending on the size and placement of the basket and the throwing distance.
If you have a large group, you can split into teams and enjoy it as a competition.
You can make the basket smaller, place it higher, or even have a staff member move around while holding the basket to make it more exciting.
It’s also fun to count together how many beanbags went in at the end.
Calculation Game
Let’s try a calculation game that makes mental arithmetic and math fun.
Many people find regular calculation difficult or feel they’re not good at it, so adding game and quiz elements can make it more engaging.
For example, turn it into a change-making game: you have 1,000 yen, and you buy an eggplant for 250 yen and a tomato for 180 yen—how much change do you get? Or make it a quiz about how much the coins you have on hand add up to.
Be sure to allow plenty of time to think.
Word association game
In an association game, you start with one word and keep coming up with related words.
The creativity and thinking involved stimulate the brain and help keep it active.
When doing this as a recreational activity, it goes smoothly if you write on a whiteboard or paper.
Don’t worry if it takes time to come up with answers—enjoy the challenge at your own pace.
Association games can be played by a large group, with everyone sharing the words they associate, or enjoyed alone with focused thinking.
Doing it with a few people also creates opportunities to interact with others and promotes communication.
Brain-training exercises with nursery rhymes
Nursery rhyme brain-training exercises are highly recommended because you can move your body to fun, nostalgic songs.
Moving your hands and feet to melodies you’ve known since childhood refreshes both mind and body.
Because you move while recalling the lyrics, it also helps activate the brain.
If everyone sings and exercises together, conversation naturally flows and you can enjoy a wonderful time.
You can adjust the difficulty of the exercises, so it’s easy to keep up without overexertion.
Why not try incorporating them into your daily routine?
In conclusion
For older adults, recreation is indispensable for maintaining physical function and cognitive abilities.
By participating while having fun, they can find purpose in life and improve their quality of life.
Some older adults, however, may not be fond of recreational activities.
Please respect their wishes while doing your best to support them so they don’t become isolated.