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

Funny Clapping Exercise

[Laugh-Inducing Exercise] How to Create Laughter with Just Clapping – Senior Recreation – Smile Up Exercise – Smile Up Taiso

Clapping exercises where everyone follows the model in the same way can stimulate the brain by requiring you to judge movements from the example.

As you proceed with clapping in various rhythms, people are likely to become more aware of the speed of their movements and how much force they use.

It’s also recommended to speed up the clapping and then stop suddenly—you might even get some laughs when seeing whether everyone can truly freeze their movement at that moment.

In addition to focusing on the model and controlling speed and force, patting the body can also help promote blood circulation.

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kappamaki

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Matching game

All you need are paper cups 😆 A matching game with paper cups ✌️ #dayservice recreation #braintraining #senioractivities #minigame #shorts #dementiaprevention

This is a game where you look at the pictures drawn on the bottoms of arranged paper cups and find and match the ones with the same picture.

By searching for matching pictures, you can train concentration, and by quickly stacking the paper cups, you can also encourage awareness of hand movements.

It’s also important to decide what kind of pictures to draw; for example, limiting them to a spring theme lets players enjoy the game visually as well.

Adding trick elements, such as pictures that look similar but are slightly different, is recommended, as it helps players focus even more on their hands.

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battery

Bunkyū Movie! (What's inside the box?)

Batteries, which are used to power various tools, come in different shapes depending on the type of tool, right? This is about whether you can accurately identify those many types of batteries by touch alone.

The difficulty will likely vary a lot depending on whether you choose commonly seen batteries as the theme or pick ones that are rarely used.

It might also work to arrange various kinds of batteries inside a box so that the broad answer of “a battery” can be reached.

The large number of types serves both as a hint and as a source of confusion.

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kappamaki

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Hand play to go with ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’

[Brain-training Hand Game] A high-difficulty hand game that adults struggle with: 'The Hare and the Tortoise'

Let’s try a hand exercise to the children’s song ‘Usagi to Kame’ (The Hare and the Tortoise).

Because this song is familiar to many older adults, it may make it easier for them to participate.

In time with the lyrics, extend one hand forward at a time, alternating between a fist and an open hand.

When the cue ‘hantai’ (reverse) comes up in the song, switch the fist and open hand to the opposite.

It may look simple, but adding the ‘reverse’ cue makes it a bit more challenging.

Hand-play activities like this can involve many older adults, and they’re great for lively group fun.

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Nakajima Junko

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Goo-Paa Exercise

[Exercise for Seniors: Open-and-Close (Goo-Paa) Routine] Dr. Arai’s Rock-Paper-Scissors Exercise — Recommended for brain training, dementia prevention, and care prevention. Please use it in care settings such as day-service centers. by FUKUKURU

I think many nursing homes and welfare facilities have also incorporated the “Gu-Pa” exercise into their daily routines.

The Gu-Pa exercise is a simple routine of opening and closing the hands.

However, it is said to help activate the brain and improve blood circulation.

Since it can be done while lying down, it’s an easy exercise for many older adults to try.

You can move both hands the same way, but if you raise the difficulty by making each hand do a different motion, it also becomes a brain-training exercise.

Adding leg movements to engage the whole body further increases the exercise benefits.

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Nakajima Junko

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