[For Seniors] Fun Winter Activities: Recreation and Games
We’d like to introduce recreational activities and games that older adults can enjoy during the still-chilly winter season.
Winter is full of occasions like New Year’s and Valentine’s Day.
Many senior and care facilities may be planning events that match these occasions.
With our “Recreation and Games for Older Adults to Enjoy in Winter,” your events might become even more enjoyable.
We also have ideas for activities that are usually played outdoors but can be done in a warm indoor setting.
From activities you can focus on and enjoy alone to ones that a small group can tackle together and get excited about, we’ve prepared a wide variety.
We hope everyone can fully enjoy winter indoors while still feeling the season.
- [For Seniors] Recommended in December! Safe and Fun Indoor Recreation
- [For Seniors] Enjoy the Cold Winter! Seated Activities You Can Do
- [For Seniors] January Activities and Recreation Games
- [For Seniors] Simple Tabletop Games: Fun and Engaging Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Fun Recreational Activities Without Equipment
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- [For Seniors] Recreational Activities Enjoyable in Large Groups
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Indoor Activities! Recreations and Games That Engage the Mind and Body
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Day Service: A Collection of Fun Event Ideas
- [For Seniors] Enjoy safely even during the COVID-19 pandemic: Seated activities
- [For Seniors] Winter Haiku: Introducing Beautiful Masterpieces by Famous Haiku Poets
- For Seniors: Fun Activities in February — Celebrate Setsubun, Valentine’s Day, and Snow
[For Seniors] Fun Winter Activities: Recreations and Games (71–80)
Ring Relay
In March there are some days when you can feel the warmth, but there are also days with sharp temperature swings.
At times like that, let’s liven things up indoors with a “ring relay.” To prepare, use paper or toilet paper rolls to make rings in large, medium, and small sizes, and pass them to the next person by threading them onto chopsticks.
It works well as a small-group game, and it’s also fun as a team competition for larger groups.
Through the relay, you’ll naturally interact with those around you and help promote communication.
Since you can do it while seated, it should be easy for older adults to join in too.
Enjoy your time!
Making a roly-poly toy
Let’s make a Daruma roly-poly toy! You’ll need paper clay, a marble, an empty capsule from a capsule toy, paint, and a brush.
First, spread a thin layer of clay on the inside bottom of the capsule.
Once that’s done, place the marble on top and cover it with more clay to secure it.
Next, attach the top half of the capsule and apply clay over the entire outside as well.
Press the capsule to make sure it springs back upright, then let it dry for a day and paint it to look like a Daruma.
If you use lightweight paper clay, you can make it without a capsule; it’s easier to handle, so it’s recommended.
New Year’s dishes
When welcoming the New Year, you can’t skip traditional New Year’s dishes! Preparing an elaborate spread can be difficult, but if everyone shares one dish, it can be fun to make together.
It’s best to decide the menu based on things like whether someone is good at cooking and the number of participants.
You may use knives and fire, but cooking also stimulates the brain, so it’s great to get creative—like having people use a peeler instead of a knife—and try a variety of dishes.
Fold a celebratory crane
The celebratory crane origami is a bit advanced.
It’s recommended for when you have plenty of time or when you want to boost your focus with a more challenging activity.
It might bring back memories of doing origami in the past, and you may find yourselves chatting away as you work.
It’s more difficult than a regular crane, but it’s perfect for New Year decorations, so give it a try with everyone.
If you use double-sided patterned paper, both sides will stand out and the result will look more festive.
Shimenawa wreath making
When it comes to important events that arrive in winter, New Year’s is at the top of the list.
Many people probably hang a shimenawa every year, wishing for a good year ahead.
If you try making a shimenawa yourself, it will carry your feelings and care, and I think it will make your New Year’s wishes even more meaningful.
Form a ring by tightly shaping newspaper, then wrap it with crepe sheets to create the base of the shimenawa.
After that, craft and attach decorations that evoke the New Year—such as a fan or camellias—and it’s complete.
The key points are how easy it is to make and how gorgeous the finished piece looks.
Round-robin shogi for everyone to enjoy
Do you know about Shogi Day? It is said that November 17 was designated based on the fact that during the time of the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, there was an annual “Castle Shogi Day,” when playing shogi before the shogun was an official duty.
So how about enjoying “Mawari Shogi,” a version that even people unfamiliar with shogi can have fun with? Also called “Maru Shogi,” it’s basically like a board game similar to sugoroku that uses shogi pieces.
If many people are playing, a regular shogi board is a bit small, so it might be good to prepare a large, handmade board.
By the way, Go Day is January 5—easy to remember, isn’t it?
mochi pounding
When it comes to winter fun, nothing beats mochi pounding! Many of you probably have memories of making kagami mochi at home at the end of the year.
If you have a mortar and pestle, you can do it indoors; working near the kitchen makes it easy to move the heavy steamed glutinous rice.
Take turns with the mallet, and take a break when you get tired.
Mochi pounding in a circle with everyone is sure to be a blast!