Games and recreational activities enjoyable in a wheelchair
We’ve gathered a selection of recreational games that people who use wheelchairs can enjoy.
When you’re playing together with someone who uses a wheelchair, what kinds of activities do you choose?
If everyone is using a wheelchair, a few ideas might come to mind, but it can be tricky when people who use wheelchairs and those who don’t are playing together, right?
So in this article, we’ve selected not only recreation that can be enjoyed in a wheelchair, but also activities that people who use wheelchairs and those who don’t can enjoy together.
Use this as a reference and have a great time with everyone!
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Games and Recreational Activities Enjoyable in a Wheelchair (21–30)
Yakiniku Game
It’s a game where you pick up blocks shaped like pieces of meat using chopsticks and the like.
For small children, it serves as chopstick practice, and for older adults, it helps exercise their fingers.
Also, if you use harder-to-grab items instead of blocks, it could be a challenging game for younger people too.
Ping-Pong Bingo
Bingo at the end of a bus tour or party is always such a hit.
Of course, part of the fun is wanting the prizes, but there’s something about watching those numbers line up that really gets people excited! Lightweight, small ping-pong balls seem easy to throw even while seated in a wheelchair—so definitely enjoy a round of “Ping-Pong Bingo”! Prepare a large commercial egg crate; you can probably get one if you ask at a restaurant or supermarket.
Then just toss ping-pong balls and aim for bingo.
For birthday parties or Christmas parties, it would be great to prepare special prizes, too!
Tube threader
Here’s a sudden question: do you think you can thread a string through a seashell? There’s a legend at Aritōshi Shrine that says they stuck a string to a grain of rice on an ant’s rear, lured the ant with sugar placed at the exit, and used it to thread the string through the shell.
With that little story in mind, let’s enjoy a “tube threading” activity that doesn’t require such delicate handiwork.
Make a tube out of newspaper and pass a marble through it to play.
Try making up various rules, like lining up three people and passing the marble along in order without dropping it—if you can keep it going, you win!
Picture shiritori
When I was in elementary school, I wasn’t particularly good at drawing, but I still got super excited about the annual sketching day.
How about you? Let’s try playing “Drawing Shiritori,” a game that’s fun even if you’re in a wheelchair and even if you’re not good at drawing! It’s a popular segment on many variety shows, so it’s sure to be a hit!! The rules are simple: look at the picture the previous person drew, imagine what it is, then draw your own picture and connect them like in regular shiritori.
In fact, it might be even more fun if the drawings aren’t great! Draw on a big sheet of poster paper, and after you’re done, put it up in the hallway or the hall so everyone can see it!
Wheelchair hockey
This is a recreation activity that can be enjoyed like a sport, including by people who use wheelchairs.
The name “wheelchair hockey” might make you think it’s very sporty, but this version is a game that can be enjoyed even in regular chairs.
Line up chairs in a single row facing another row.
Place cardboard boxes at both ends to serve as goals.
Then prepare a beach ball and rackets made from newspaper.
Hit the ball sideways and try to get it into the opponent’s goal.
It’s recommended for anyone looking for an active, team-based recreation activity!
scrubbing brush
A tawashi scrubbing brush is a strong ally in the kitchen for scouring off grime, starting with burnt-on residue from frying pans.
Most people have probably touched one or at least seen one.
But when you touch a tawashi without seeing it, you might be startled by its hard, prickly feel.
The person putting their hand in will feel a little thrill, and onlookers will get a kick out of watching them gingerly touch the brush.
They come in a wide variety of shapes—round, long, and more—and their easy availability is another appealing point.
Sukiyaki rock-paper-scissors
Here’s an introduction to a game with a delicious-sounding title: Sukiyaki Rock-Paper-Scissors! It starts with a question like, “What ingredients do you like in sukiyaki?” Each team names six sukiyaki ingredients, draws them, and makes cards.
Then all the cards go into a bag and are mixed.
Now rock-paper-scissors finally comes in: starting with the winners, players draw ingredients from the bag, and the first person to collect all six sukiyaki ingredients wins.
If you draw a duplicate of a card you already have, you have to return it to the bag, so luck plays a role too.
From the drawing phase onward, it’s a recreation activity you can take your time with and really enjoy.
Tea dumplings & tea buns
This is a finger game played to a song called “Ocha Dango & Ocha Manju.” For “Ocha Dango,” you answer with the number that adds up to 5 with the number the leader shows.
For example, if the leader shows 2, the correct answer is 3.
“Ocha Manju” works the same way, but you use both hands to show the number that adds up to 10 with the leader’s number.
It’s fun to play to the rhythm, and since you’re thinking as you play, it also works as brain training.
Gather in a circle and enjoy playing together.
Magical Banana
The popular variety show “Magical Brain Power!!,” hosted by Eiji Bando, was something everyone looked forward to every week.
The show spawned many games and became a huge craze among both kids and adults.
The most popular of all was “Magical Banana.” It’s a game that’s still enjoyed today in various forms.
The rules are very simple: you just link associated words—“Magical Banana: when you say banana, you think yellow; when you say yellow, you think sunflower; when you say sunflower, you think summer,” and so on.
It’s a game everyone can enjoy, whether they use a wheelchair or not.
Brimming with nostalgia, it comes highly recommended!
Bamboo Shoot Nyoki
Here’s a game called Takenoko Nyokki that everyone can enjoy together—both wheelchair users and non-users.
You chant the phrase “Takenoko takenoko nyokki-ki,” then raise your stacked hands upward as if a bamboo shoot is sprouting.
The first person to raise their hands says “1 nyokki,” the next says “2 nyokki,” and so on, counting up.
The key points are that if you say a number at the same time as someone else, you’re out—and if you end up being the very last person, you’re also out.
It’s a recreational game where reading the room and strategic timing are important, letting you enjoy the thrill and tension of interacting with others.