Recreation Ideas for Seniors to Enjoy March
Here are some March-perfect recreational activities recommended for seniors!
It’s still quite cold, but this is the time of year when we start looking forward to the warmth of the coming spring.
March is full of fun events like Hinamatsuri (Doll’s Festival), the spring equinox week (Ohigan), and White Day.
We’ve gathered activities you can enjoy indoors where it’s warm, even on chilly days.
From light exercises to crafts, there are options that are great for small groups or for spending time with your grandchildren.
We hope you enjoy a wonderful time together at senior facilities or day service centers!
[For Seniors] Recreational Activities to Enjoy in March (1–10)
beanbag pouch
Prepare boxes labeled with points and throw beanbags into them.
Decide in advance how many beanbags each person gets.
Assign higher scores to boxes that are harder to hit—such as smaller boxes or those placed farther away—and compete by totaling the points of the boxes that the beanbags land in.
It would be great to enhance the atmosphere with seasonal illustrations and background music.
Onigiri Kororin Game
How about trying the sure-to-be-exciting “Rolling Rice Ball Game”? Attach yarn to a paper plate and make rice balls and obstacles.
Place the rice balls you made on the paper plate and start the game! Reel in the yarn, and if you can bring the rice ball all the way to you without dropping it, you succeed.
There are obstacles made from plastic wrap or construction paper along the way, so be careful not to let it fall! The winner is decided both by speed and by how many rice balls you can transport without dropping them.
It’s a recreation activity that gets not only the older adults pulling the string excited, but also everyone watching around them.
Please feel free to use this as a reference!
Spring Bingo
Let’s collect lots of spring-themed words and try a bingo game! Normally, bingo uses cards with numbers and you cross off the numbers that are called, but this version uses words.
Prepare several dozen spring-associated words in advance—for example, “sakura (cherry blossoms)” or “Ohigan.” Get sheets with blank grids, and have each person fill the squares with any words they like.
Once the grids are filled, you’re ready to go.
Starting from one end, take turns calling out any words you like; if you have the called word on your sheet, cross it off.
Keep playing like that!
Bamboo Shoot Digging Game
Bamboo shoots are one of the tastes of spring.
Some older adults may even have gone out to dig for them.
Here’s a bamboo shoot digging game that’s perfect for spring.
All you need are two things: newspaper and paper cups! Roll up the newspaper to make a stick, then attach a paper cup to one end.
Place more paper cups on the table to represent bamboo shoots, and you’re ready to go.
Drawing pictures or adding illustrations to the cups will make it feel even more authentic.
If you cover the “bamboo shoots” with the stick’s cup and lift, they come up surprisingly easily.
Set rules like “the first to collect five wins” to make it exciting.
It’s also a fun way to exercise the arms, elbows, and shoulders, so it’s recommended for senior facilities as well.
Butterfly, land on the flower.
When you spot a butterfly, it really feels like spring has arrived, doesn’t it? The way they flutter about is so cute and soothing.
In this article, we’ll introduce a recreation activity that uses butterflies.
First, treat paper plates as flowers and decorate them with origami or markers, then write point values in the center of each plate.
Use a fan to blow the butterflies, and if you land one on a plate, you earn the points written on it.
Moving the fan exercises the hands while also training concentration.
It sounds like it would be great fun and lively whether played individually or in teams.
We hope everyone enjoys a wonderful time with this recreation activity.
Hina Doll Rearrangement Game
The Hina doll rearrangement game is such a wonderful recreation activity.
Making Hina dolls out of paper cups and working together to rearrange them sounds like a lot of fun.
It’s a great way to reminisce while engaging your mind—two birds with one stone.
It allows older adults to participate comfortably, so everyone can enjoy it in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.
Thinking about the correct order for placing the dolls and using your hands also helps stimulate the brain.
Enjoy a delightful time while feeling the arrival of spring.
Strawberry picking
The strawberry-picking recreation activity looks like something seniors can enjoy too.
The key is to make strawberries out of paper cups and hang them from a hanger.
Grabbing the strawberries with a reacher/grabber can also help improve grip strength.
Skillfully moving the hanger and neatly picking up the strawberries are perfect for boosting dexterity and concentration.
If everyone joins in and has fun together, smiles are guaranteed.
The appeal is that you can move your body while enjoying a new game.
Why not give it a try with everyone?