Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training

Othello

Brain workout with Othello! #nursinghome #cognitiverehab #Othello #focus #attention #shorts

Move the Othello discs with your hands and keep those fingers active.

Othello has simple rules, so many older adults are probably familiar with it.

Through the game, you’ll pick up the discs with your fingers and move them around.

Just moving your fingertips alone can help stimulate the brain.

But Othello isn’t only about finger movement, is it? You also think things like, “What will happen if I place it there?” or “How can I prevent them from taking the corner?” You take on the game while thinking.

Advancing the game while considering your opponent is said to be good brain training as well.

With seated Othello, many seniors can engage in it and have fun at the same time.

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Nakajima Junko

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Wobbly Cap Game

Exciting Indoor Recreation for Seniors: The Wobbly Cap Game Using 2-Liter Plastic Bottles

As we age, the dexterity of our fingertips declines.

In fact, it’s said that more than half of the brain’s regions are involved in moving the hands and processing sensation.

As a result, with aging, the commands from the brain to the hands and fingers can become sluggish and don’t transmit as smoothly.

Finger exercises can help your hands and fingers move more smoothly.

So let’s train our fingertips with a game that uses an empty plastic bottle.

Cut the bottle so that about the top half from the mouth remains.

Cover the cut edge with vinyl tape to finish.

Place the bottle upright with the capped mouth facing down, and put a bottle cap inside.

A game where you try to drop the cap into a wobbling, swaying bottle seems like something everyone can enjoy together with lots of laughs.

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Rock, paper, scissors

Tips for Big Laughs: 5 Patterns to Create Humor Using Only Rock, Paper, Scissors

Movements of the hands and fingers are closely connected to the brain’s nerves, so they have a deep relationship.

It’s said that moving the hands and fingers can help prevent dementia and reduce the risk of falls.

Many senior care facilities likely incorporate activities that move the fingers, such as the rock–paper–scissors exercise.

So, let’s add a little twist to your usual finger exercises.

Try doing rock–paper–scissors gradually faster, or go in reverse—paper, scissors, rock—while speeding up.

It’s also great to add handclaps in between, or make a fox shape with your hand.

It’s okay to make mistakes with this exercise, and not doing it perfectly will probably bring some laughs.

It’s a finger workout you can enjoy while having fun.

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Nakajima Junko

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Finger exercises with rock, scissors, paper

[Senior Recreation] Create Laughter with Rock-Paper-Scissors Finger Exercises

When deciding something, people sometimes use rock-paper-scissors, right? Older adults, too, have probably made decisions that way at some point.

In rock-paper-scissors, you make rock, scissors, and paper with your hands.

These rock, scissors, and paper shapes are actually effective for hand and finger training.

What’s more, moving your fingers can also provide brain-training benefits.

Many senior and welfare facilities likely include finger exercises in their daily routines.

Once you get used to it, try gradually increasing the speed or doing rock-paper-scissors to the tune of a nursery rhyme.

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Brain training with rock-paper-scissors

[Congratulations on surpassing 400,000 views!] We’ll show you a surefire, exciting brain-training routine! [Preventive care]

It’s a game where you create patterns that switch between rock, scissors, and paper hand shapes, then go through those different patterns in order.

The key is thinking about what shape comes next.

Having players say the shapes out loud while making them is also important; thinking, moving the hands, and speaking at the same time helps activate the brain.

Start at a slow tempo at first, then gradually increase the speed to make it more challenging.

It might be easier if you write the sequence on a board in words so players can refer to it while figuring out the shapes.

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kappamaki

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Heart Blocks Mameshiba

Kokoro Blocks – Mameshiba: The Fun of Stacking Together

We’re pleased to introduce “Kokoro no Tsumiki,” supervised by Mr.

Chitoku Ishihana of the Rock Balancing Laboratory.

Rock balancing is an art of stacking stones and rocks.

Many of us have likely stacked stones for fun at a beach or riverbank at least once.

This block set requires dexterity and delicate handling, as well as spatial awareness and concentration.

In other words, simply stacking the blocks becomes an unconscious brain workout.

Above all, the adorable Shiba Inu motif is soothing to the heart.

And when you discover an unexpected way to stack them, you’ll surely want to show others.

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kojifumi

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3 Fun Rubber Band Games

Senior Recreation: [Daiso / Seria] Can Be Done While Seated! 3 Fun and Exciting Rubber-Band Activities #RecreationForSeniors #Daiso #Seria #Fun

Rubber is characterized by its springy motion, and controlling your strength is necessary to make it move the way you want.

Let’s take on games that use rubber’s movement to help improve strength control and concentration.

In Rubber Rubber Shooter, you’ll feel the force used to launch; in Rubber Rubber Kick Bowling, the force of the rebound; and in Rubber Rubber Curling, the nuances of delicate movement.

By paying attention to how the way you apply force affects how it springs back and by adjusting that force, you’ll likely find your movements become smoother in everyday life as well.

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