[For Seniors] Autumn Whiteboard Activities: Fun, Lively Ideas
After getting through the hot summer, autumn has arrived—a comfortable, easy-to-spend season.
Seniors will likely feel even more motivated to join recreational activities.
In this article, we introduce whiteboard-based activities perfect for autumn.
We’ve gathered classics like word-scramble quizzes and association games.
Why not try each quiz or game with an autumn theme? From seasonal flavors and tricky autumn kanji to photo quizzes, this piece lets you enjoy the season while having fun.
Put on some autumn songs as background music and take on the challenges in a cheerful atmosphere!
- [For Seniors] Let's have fun with an autumn-themed quiz!
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- [For Seniors] Enjoy September’s Autumn Fun! A Collection of Craft, Game, and Exercise Ideas
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- [For Seniors] A Collection of Famous Autumn Haiku: Introducing Beautiful Verses That Evoke Vivid Scenery
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- September Health Topic: Introducing Recreational Activities That Capture the Feeling of Autumn’s Arrival
[For Seniors] Autumn Whiteboard Activities: Fun, Lively Ideas (1–10)
Proverb fill-in-the-blank
This is a quiz-style recreation where you write proverbs on a whiteboard with part of the phrase left blank, and participants guess the missing words.
For example, using familiar proverbs like “〇〇 saki ni tatazu” (“It’s no use crying over spilt milk”-type sayings) makes it easier for people to join in.
You can offer hints or set a time limit according to the difficulty, which adds tension and a sense of gameplay and naturally livens up the room.
The process of recalling and thinking of the answer helps stimulate the brain, and each answer check brings the joy of rediscovery—“That’s right!” Using long-cherished sayings evokes nostalgia and shared topics, making it easier for older adults to chat with each other.
Keeping a brisk pace also helps maintain concentration.
Autumn Word Collection Brain Training
This is a brain-training activity where participants freely write words related to the season on a whiteboard under the theme “What comes to mind when you think of autumn?” Participants say as many words as they can think of, and staff write them on the board.
Once a certain number has been collected, the board is hidden, and participants are asked to recall and say as many of the words as they remember.
This activity stimulates memory while naturally developing creativity and vocabulary.
Talking about seasonal topics helps evoke shared memories and emotions, encouraging the enjoyment of speaking and broadening conversation.
Because it focuses on enjoyment rather than right or wrong answers, it allows older adults to use their brains without strain, making it a suitable and enjoyable recreation.
Picture shiritori
Picture shiritori on a whiteboard is a game where players take turns drawing pictures to continue a word chain.
For example, if the first person draws an apple (ringo), the next person draws something that starts with “go.” Because you connect words using only drawings without letters, it requires ingenuity to convey ideas accurately and adds the fun of guessing, making it an activity that keeps everyone engaged.
Even those who feel unsure about drawing can participate by thinking together—“What could this be?”—so it becomes a cooperative and enjoyable time.
What matters is getting the idea across, not artistic skill, which naturally leads to laughter and surprises and serves as a great conversation starter among older adults.
[For Seniors] Autumn Whiteboard Activities: Fun, Lively Ideas (11–20)
Autumn Letter Rearrangement Quiz
It’s a quiz where you write scrambled letters of autumn-related words on a whiteboard and guess what the word is.
Choosing themes like seasonal foods and traditional autumn scenes makes it easier for older adults to participate.
When someone gets the right answer, there’s applause and cheers, which naturally encourages conversation.
By offering hints and thinking together, you can stimulate the brain and improve concentration.
It also sparks stories about past memories and discussions of seasonal flavors, helping deepen connections among older adults.
It’s an activity that’s easy for anyone to join and can be enjoyed repeatedly.
Photo Quiz: Autumn Plants
This is a quiz-style activity where you prepare printed photos of autumn plants, post them on a whiteboard, and have participants guess their names.
Choose images that evoke the season visually, such as cosmos, red spider lilies, persimmon trees, and chestnuts.
Show one photo at a time and ask, “What is this?” to engage participants’ memory and observation skills.
When revealing the answers, adding anecdotes or fun facts about each plant will help capture participants’ interest.
It can also spark conversation, such as sharing memories of seeing the actual plants.
Because it can be done while seated, it places little physical burden on older adults and is also effective as cognitive stimulation.
Vertical and Horizontal Fill-in-the-Blank Quiz
@thinkbodyjapan Prevent running out of activity ideas! Whiteboard activity ideas!CaregivingCaregivertranslation
♫ Original song – TBJ / Care • Rehabilitation • Nursing – TBJ / Care • Rehabilitation • Nursing
Let’s try a fill-in-the-letter quiz on a whiteboard.
We’ll write three-letter words in a horizontal row on the board.
Leave the middle letter blank, and have the seniors guess it.
By thinking of different letters that could fit in the blank, it becomes a brain-training activity.
The key is to make sure that when you fill in the blank letters and read across, they form words.
Everyone’s suggested answers can be correct, and another single word will also emerge, giving the seniors a sense of accomplishment.
Arunashi quiz
Many older adults are probably familiar with the “Aru/Nashi” quiz (Yes/No riddle), right? You write words that fit into the “aru” (has) and “nashi” (doesn’t have) categories.
It’s a game where you guess what the items in the “aru” group have in common.
Because it involves thinking about associations from the characters or words, it’s said to train reasoning and insight.
Write the “aru” and “nashi” lists on a whiteboard and have everyone contribute lots of answers.
It seems like it would get lively and fun for older adults, too.
It can spark conversations with people around them and may help expand social interaction.