Aged Care Re:fresh

Mini Olympics Day

Updated on Tuesday, 28ᵗʰ January, 2025

One key element of healthy ageing is staying active. Organising a sports day at your facility is a fun way to get your residents moving, help them stay motivated and work up an appetite in the process. Win-win!

Utilising simple props and either an indoor or outdoor space, you can involve almost everyone, athletes or spectators for an exciting and interactive event.

A clear space such as a terrace or lawn which can have seating placed around the edge for those who wish to spectate and cheer from the sidelines. The surface must be smooth enough to ensure no bumps or trip hazards, and at the same time not be slippery.

You will also need ‘sporting equipment’. Most items can be sourced from your aged care home or purchased at a minimal cost.

First things first; make sure there is plenty of food and liquids for everyone. We have a list of delicious meals for the occasion. Our top recommendations are:

Provide a sandwich picnic

Serve finger food

High Energy High Protein meals

Or combine the above to ensure that there is something for everyone.

Competitive games

1. Balloon Volleyball

A seated or standing game where residents bat a balloon or beach ball back and forth improving hand-eye coordination and providing light exercise.

2. Indoor Bowling

Residents can enjoy a modified version of 10 Pin Bowling using lightweight pins and a soft ball. It encourages movement and friendly competition. You can also use empty plastic soft-drink bottles as pins.

3. Ring Toss

Residents can throw rings onto pegs, exercising their hand-eye coordination. This game can be set up indoors with large, colourful rings and a board.

4. Egg and Spoon Race

A classic race sure to bring back memories. Great for coordination and full-body movement. We suggest using hard-boiled eggs and larger spoons to avoid mishaps.

Participation activities

While not everyone might feel like entering a competitive race, you can also involve people with simple participation activities that get people moving and interacting.

1. Ball Pass Circle

Residents sit or stand in a circle and pass a lightweight ball to each other, sometimes adding a “name the object” game for memory and social engagement.

2. Scarf Toss

Residents can toss lightweight scarves into the air and try to catch them, which encourages hand-eye coordination and gentle movement.

3. Dance Chair Exercises

Chair-based dance routines with simple, rhythmic movements to music from their era can provide gentle exercise and boost their mood.

4. Parachute Games

A lightweight, colourful parachute is great for group games. Residents can hold onto the parachute edges, lifting and lowering it together, sometimes with a lightweight ball placed on top.

Spectator Activities

Every sporting event needs its spectators, and the non-participating residents can be led into gentle yet genial cheering activities.

Cheerleading Chants

Get the spectators to create their own rhyming, rousing or inspiring cheerleading songs to motivate their fellow participants.

Clapping Captains

Devise simple clapping routines as a way to combine simple hand exercises while encouraging applause for the participants.

And don’t forget the closing ceremony. You can give out fun prizes to participants and spectators or download our certificate templates and customise them for your event.

It is also a good excuse to reward everyone with some sweet treats. Here are our top 3 recommendations to end the day on a sweet note. They are very easy to make: