Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
Hand-based activities are a fun and effective way for older adults to stimulate the brain.
Even simple hand games can stimulate the brain by moving the fingertips, helping to maintain or improve cognitive function.
In addition, doing them to music or together with others naturally brings more smiles and increases opportunities for communication.
In this article, we introduce hand games that are easy for seniors to enjoy without strain and also work as brain training.
Incorporate easy activities into your routine to maintain your health while having fun!
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[For Seniors] Lively Hand Games That Get Everyone Involved—Also Great for Brain Training (121–130)
PET bottle cap grab game

Here’s a game that uses PET bottle caps to train finger dexterity.
Pick up PET bottle caps and drop them into paper cups.
However, you’ll use clothespins to pick up the caps.
Handling clothespins requires a certain amount of strength.
Simply using clothespins can also improve fine motor skills by encouraging nimble finger movements.
Let’s not only aim for brain-training benefits through finger use, but also strengthen the fingers and hands.
By making it a game, older adults can enjoy themselves while getting in some training.
Give it a try!
Paper Core Bowling

Back in the Showa era, there was a time when bowling was hugely popular.
Some older adults may have been into bowling back then.
Let’s rekindle those memories and get our fingers moving with a bowling game.
Use toilet paper rolls as pins, and a lightweight rubber ball that doesn’t feel heavy to knock them down.
Since it can be played on a table, people who have difficulty standing can participate as well.
Keeping score like in real bowling will make it even more exciting.
Ball fishing game

Let me introduce a game that lets you practice fine motor skills while having fun.
It’s a game where you use a stick to pick up rubber balls.
The tip of the stick is fitted with the sticky side of tape, so the rubber balls attach to it.
It gets even more exciting as a two-player competitive game for older adults.
You’ll grip the stick and move your arms and hands a lot.
The person who picks up more balls than their opponent wins.
It can be played while seated, and with a bit of ingenuity, people who have difficulty moving their bodies freely can also participate.
Please use this as a reference and enjoy a fun time.
Handmade spinning top

Let’s play with spinning tops made from origami.
Are you familiar with tops crafted from origami? There are types that look like flowers with a cross-shaped handle in the center for spinning, and ones where a toothpick is inserted into the center of a square top.
Some folding methods are complex, but older adults who enjoy origami will likely have fun making them.
Let’s spin the origami tops everyone has folded.
Both making the origami and spinning the tops use the fingertips, making it good training.
With the nostalgic game of spinning tops, older adults can relive their childhood and enjoy a pleasant time.
clothespin chain

Do you know where muscle strength in older adults starts to decline? The answer is that it begins with the fingertips.
When fingertip strength decreases, it can affect daily life—for example, making it difficult to get dressed or causing more food to be dropped while eating.
Try using clothespins to train the fingertips.
Set up a string slightly higher than the head height of a seated older adult.
Then attach clothespins to the string.
It’s a simple activity, but it provides fingertip movement training with minimal strain on the body.
It can also be done as a game while chatting with people around you.


