[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: Recreation and Games (31–40)
Foot-stepping kite flying
Let’s try a kite-lifting foot-stepping game that also works your lower body.
Attach a kite-shaped piece of construction paper to a long piece of yarn.
You can’t see the back structure in the video, but it likely uses the same mechanism as a “climbing figure,” so use a straw or similar parts to build it.
Once the kite is attached, make loops at both ends of the yarn and, while seated, place your feet through the loops.
Hook the middle of the yarn onto a high point, and the game begins! As you step your feet, friction will make the kite rise upward.
Set a time limit or play with multiple people to see who comes out on top.
20 Winter Multiple-Choice Quiz Questions
Let’s take on a quiz all about winter! It’s packed with questions that let you enjoy the season from many angles—snow, constellations, winter sports, seasonal foods, New Year’s traditions, and more.
As you have fun with the quiz, you’ll deepen your knowledge of all kinds of winter-related facts.
There are also plenty of fun tidbits that can spark lively conversation, so you can enjoy chatting while tackling the quiz with family and friends.
All questions are presented in a three-choice multiple-choice format.
Daruma making
There’s something called a “picture daruma kit”! In Japan, there has long been a custom of displaying daruma dolls at New Year’s.
Please watch the video—it’s easy to make, and it also serves as good hand dexterity training, so I recommend it for older adults.
I’d love to see the scene of grandparents in a nursing or care home making them together with visiting grandchildren.
I bet the grandpas and grandmas would end up making them more beautifully than the kids!
Snowball fight
Snowball Fight is a tabletop game you can play indoors.
Roll up sheets of newspaper into balls to use as snowballs and keep plenty within reach.
Place targets on the table to represent ogres, then throw the snowballs from a distance to knock them down.
A single target gets toppled too quickly, so it’s better to set up several.
Playing in teams makes it even more exciting.
You can play while seated, so it’s a game that’s easy for everyone to join.
Present Balance Game
This is a game that lets you enjoy the challenge of balancing, inspired by a Christmas tree.
You stack toilet paper rolls with slits opened up and paper plates alternately to resemble a tree, and place them on a present box without letting it topple over.
By using a paper plate for the base of the tree as well, intentionally creating a wobbly structure, players are encouraged to pay close attention to balance when placing the boxes.
Put care into decorating the tree, presents, and the whole setup so participants can feel the Christmas atmosphere while focusing on their hand movements.
[For Seniors] Fun Winter Activities: Recreation and Games (41–50)
Nikoniko Exercises: Snow
Using your fingertips, arms, elbows, shoulders, and other parts of the upper body, it becomes a fun way to train your body.
At this point, it’s practically a proper dance, isn’t it? It resembles sign language and contemporary movement, expressing winter scenes through the body.
Dancing together creates a sense of unity and makes for enjoyable communication.
There’s no difficult choreography—it’s easy to learn—so those in care facilities or family members, please give it a try!
Mini Kadomatsu Making
If it’s the New Year season, handmade kadomatsu are also recommended.
You can make mini kadomatsu using construction paper and toilet paper rolls! There’s work like making pine needles by cutting thin slits in the paper and wrapping them around a bamboo skewer.
If someone isn’t confident using scissors, please keep a close eye on them.
It’s detailed handiwork, so it takes time, but since it’s a festive New Year’s decoration, you’ll feel a real sense of accomplishment when it’s finished!