![[For Seniors] Fun Winter Activities: Recreation and Games](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/ey2TbAvKm5E/maxresdefault.webp)
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 (1–10)
Daifuku smileNEW!
@karitasunosato This is Hamanomiya Shochikuen Day Service 🤗 For the past few years, this has become our customary New Year’s recreation 😊 We added a twist to the tabletop Fukuwarai game and made it bigger so that all the users watching can enjoy it 🫶 It’s great when everyone can have fun together, isn’t it? 😘TranslationCertified Care WorkerRecreationLovely smileFun time
♬ Feels This Good – Jon Mero & LÒNIS
Let’s try playing a jumbo version of Fukuwarai, a classic New Year’s recreation.
Make a large base sheet for Fukuwarai using poster paper or another big sheet, and complete the face by tossing the parts onto it.
When tossing the parts, be sure to throw from the designated spot.
This game isn’t about one person completing the face; everyone works together.
Make the parts from light, sturdy materials like cardboard so they’re easy to throw.
Classic faces like Okame and Hyottoko are recommended!
Sugoroku gameNEW!
Let’s get moving and loosen up bodies that tend to stiffen in the cold while enjoying a game of sugoroku! This handmade sugoroku board has instructions in each space, such as “march in place 15 times,” “lift your toes 20 times,” and “juggle a beanbag 10 times.” Have older adults roll the die and do what’s written in the space they land on.
No matter where they land, they’ll get moderate physical activity, making it a great way to combat lack of exercise.
When you actually make this sugoroku, be sure to write activities in the spaces that can be done while seated in a chair.
New Year’s calligraphy contestNEW!
When it comes to traditional New Year’s events, kakizome—the first calligraphy of the year—comes to mind.
How about putting your thoughts into words, such as your goals and wishes for the new year? In today’s world, where smartphones are widespread and we don’t write by hand as much, using a brush and ink naturally makes you sit up straighter.
Don’t worry about how good your handwriting is—just write with your heart.
If you line up everyone’s pieces and display them on the wall, it may bring back memories of elementary school and spark lively conversations about the old days.
It might be a good idea to prepare sample phrases of classics in advance so people can choose from them.
Battledore and Shuttlecock TournamentNEW!
Hanetsuki is a traditional New Year’s game where you hit a shuttlecock with a battledore.
It’s a classic New Year pastime, but since quick movements are required, it can be a bit challenging for older adults.
However, by using a balloon in place of the shuttlecock, you can enjoy playing indoors.
When you play, have the players sit facing each other at a large table.
At the starting signal, hit the balloon with the battledore and try not to let it fall.
If you make it a team competition, you can race based on how long it takes until the balloon drops.
If you stick strips of flower paper cut lengthwise onto the balloon, it will look more like a shuttlecock.
Spinning tops
Watching a spinning top twirl around and around is so much fun that you never get tired of it, right? Some of you might even recall competing with friends to see whose top would keep spinning the longest without stopping.
The typical top uses a string wound around it and takes a bit of skill to launch, but you can also make an easy version by folding origami into shape and attaching a toothpick—highly recommended because it’s simple to make.
Colorful tops can even be displayed in your room after you’re done playing with them.
New Year’s gift envelope game
Even as adults, we never forget the happiness of receiving New Year’s gift money when we were children.
It’s a once-a-year special day, which is why it stays in our memories.
Many seniors probably look forward to giving New Year’s money to their grandchildren or relatives, too! The recreation we’re introducing this time is a game where you toss beanbags into cups labeled with different amounts of money.
It’s exciting to see your total increase with each beanbag that lands in a cup.
It’s also fun to turn it into a friendly competition with everyone.
Christmas gift exchange
Christmas is such a special time, isn’t it? Many older adults might remember that when they were children, they rarely received presents.
This time, we’ll play a musical-chair-style game where you pass a Christmas present to the person next to you in time with the music.
When the music stops, whoever is holding the present gets to keep it.
It’s exciting to wonder what kind of gift you’ll receive, isn’t it? The present you chose might even come back to you—what a fun twist that would be! This recreation also works as brain-training exercise, so it helps strengthen both mind and body.