Games and recreational activities enjoyable in a wheelchair

Surface Tension Game

Surface tension game, seniors, recreation, day service, rec, caregiving, party, game, indoor play

When you fill a glass to the brim with water, you can see the water bulge slightly above the rim.

This is called water’s surface tension.

Do you remember learning about it in middle school science? Here, let’s play a game using that surface tension.

All you need is a glass, water, and some coins.

You can also use other small items instead—like marbles, or stones and shells that everyone collects together.

Fill a glass to about 99% full, then take turns placing the items in.

The person who finally makes the water overflow loses.

It’s surprisingly thrilling!

A game where you place a ball on a towel

Day service, recreation, ball-on-towel, elderly, caregiving, indoor play, party, game

It’s a game where you roll a ball from a short distance toward an opened towel, and you succeed if the ball stops on the towel.

You can play with various variations, such as changing the distance or the towel’s size and placement, having multiple people surround the towel and try to land the ball on it at the same time, or adding a time limit.

It fell, it fell.

Brain training with no prep? Try this! It also sharpens your reflexes! What dropped?

It’s a hand game set to a rhythm, often seen in children’s shows.

You react to different things “falling” from above.

While it’s designed for young children and older adults, younger people can have fun by adding original or ad-lib reactions too.

Juggling

Beanbag Toss Game - Day Service Recreation

This is a game where players take turns tossing beanbags toward a large ball, and when everyone has thrown, the beanbag closest to the ball wins.

You can devise strategies like deliberately hitting the ball to move it or surrounding it, and it looks fun as either an individual or team competition.

butterfly case

Today's activity at Day Service Asumiru!

There’s a game called “Butterfly Catch” where someone drops butterflies made from chiyogami or tissue paper from the second floor, and you try to catch them.

It’s simple, but really fun.

Here, we’ll introduce a variation called “Butterfly Toss” that you can play while seated in a wheelchair.

First, make paper butterflies—use the lightest paper you can.

With leftover paper, make a ring to catch the butterflies and place it on a table.

Then use a fan to flutter the butterflies into the air and guide them into the ring.

It’s a recreation activity you can enjoy starting from making the butterflies themselves—highly recommended!

Forehead Biscuit

Forehead Biscuit, from “The Latest and Most Fun Recreation Games”

Here’s a recreation activity I’d love wheelchair users to try as well: the “forehead biscuit” game, which is great for playing with your facial muscles.

Prepare a small biscuit, tilt your head back, and place it on your forehead.

From there, use your forehead wrinkles and move your cheeks to guide the biscuit into your mouth—the first person to get it in wins.

If you drop it, you have to start again from the forehead.

It’s a surprisingly hard game to pull off, but the fun part is that it engages facial muscles you don’t usually use.

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Murakami Shinpei

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NG word

A game where saying an NG word means instant disqualification! [Akagami no Tomo] First Half

This is a conversational game where you can enjoy a battle of wits! You stick a card with a word on your forehead, and if you say that word out loud, you lose.

The last person remaining is the winner.

The interesting part of this game is that you can’t see what word is written on your own card.

Use clever conversation to steer your opponent into saying their word! But be careful—you might accidentally say your own word while trying to lead others.

It’s a surprisingly deep game that challenges you to use your brain to trap your opponents.

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Murakami Shinpei

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