[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 (41–50)
Milk carton tossing
Use a stick made from newspaper, an empty milk carton, and a target made from newspaper or similar material.
Write point values on the target and set it up a short distance from the throwing spot.
Participants take turns using the stick to pick up a milk carton from the floor and fling it toward the target, competing to see who scores the highest.
It can be done while seated, so it’s safe and comfortable for older adults as well.
kite flying
Here we introduce a slightly smaller kite that you can even make from copier paper.
You can spin it yourself to make it fly even without wind, so it’s easy to enjoy both outdoors and indoors.
Making a handmade kite uses your fingers, so it’s sure to be a good workout for your brain too.
Create your very own original kite and give it a fly! It’ll bring back the fun memories of flying kites as a child and have you completely absorbed!
Curling
Curling is an easy table game to set up.
Connect desks to make a long, narrow curling course.
Mark lines for 10, 50, and 100 points, and have the thrower sit at one end of the table.
For the stones, you can just use golf balls covered with paper cups.
If you release them straight so they slide, they’ll glide smoothly like in real curling.
If everyone gathers around the table, it feels like you’re watching a match, so people can enjoy it while staying seated.
Bean picking
Bean-picking is a game where you use chopsticks to pick up beans and move them from one plate to another! If you’re doing it as a recreational activity, you can make the beans larger or even swap them for non-bean items that are easier to grasp, adapting it to the situation.
It’s fun as an individual competition, but if you have a lot of people, forming teams and passing the plate to the next person makes it even more exciting.
String Balloon Relay
It’s a game where you work with the person across from you to skillfully control a string you’re holding and carry a balloon to a target location.
Because you can’t move the balloon well with your own power alone, you feel a bit of frustration, but also the fun of cooperation.
If you make it like a relay where you pass the balloon to the next person, not only coordination with the person opposite you but also strategy with the person before and after you is tested, which makes the game even more engaging.
It’s a game where the spirit of cooperation is key, including how you tension and move the string.
Ehomaki Game
A fun recommendation for the Setsubun season is the Ehomaki Roll Game.
Prepare ingredients like nori, cucumber, and egg using construction paper, and use white hand towels as the vinegared rice.
For the fillings, just fold strips of paper in half.
Roll the fillings into the “rice,” then wrap with the nori and secure it with a rubber band to finish! You can compete to see how many you can make within a time limit, measure your speed, and enjoy it in lots of different ways.
Sugoroku
If you’re looking for a game that many people can join, Sugoroku is a great choice! Instead of making it on a large poster sheet, try creating it on A4 sheets divided into several areas.
By swapping the sheets up, down, left, and right, you can increase the variety of course layouts.
For the spaces, it’s good to include actions that encourage interaction and a bit of brain exercise, such as “Play rock-paper-scissors with the person next to you” or “Name three vegetables of a certain color.” It takes time to make, but since you can rearrange the course, you can use it over and over.