[For Seniors] Hand and finger play roundup: Finger exercises that lead to brain training
For older adults, moving their hands and fingers is very important because it helps stimulate brain activity.
That’s why many senior care facilities incorporate hand and finger play as a way to help prevent dementia.
Among these activities, brain-training style hand and finger games may seem difficult at first, but they allow participants to talk and think together—saying things like “I did it!” or “How do you do this part?”—so they can enjoy the activity while engaging in communication.
There are exercises that involve different movements with the left and right hands, or moving the fingers while singing.
Please choose and adapt activities according to each older adult’s physical and mental condition.
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[For Seniors] Collection of Hand and Finger Games: Finger Exercises That Lead to Brain Training (21–30)
Let’s look up and walk with finger exercises
The song ‘Ue o Muite Arukou’ is a famous classic by Kyu Sakamoto.
It remains a beloved piece even today.
The familiar melody is wonderful, and the uplifting lyrics are lovely too.
This time, let’s do the Goo-Choki-Pa exercise while singing this song.
It’s an exercise where you have fun making rock-paper-scissors shapes with your left and right hands.
Doing it to such a soothing tune feels calming, doesn’t it? The tempo is relaxed, so it should be easy for older adults to keep the rhythm.
Guu-Choki-Paa Exercise
The “Goo-Choki-Paa Exercise” is a workout where you do body exercises while making rock–scissors–paper hand shapes.
Because it moves your whole body, not just your fingers, it’s likely to have positive effects on both physical and mental health.
It can be done seated, which makes it appealing because it can be adjusted to the physical and mental condition of older adults.
First, move your upper body while doing rock–scissors–paper with your hands.
Tilting your head upward also engages the neck, making it a good exercise.
Next, do rock–scissors–paper with your feet.
This helps loosen the muscles in your legs and hip joints, so it should be a very beneficial workout.
Clap Hands Rock-Paper-Scissors Exercise
Exercises with hand clapping make it easier to keep rhythm and are recommended for older adults.
In this exercise, you randomly make rock–paper–scissors shapes with both hands while continuing to clap.
It provides beneficial stimulation to the brain and supports the physical and mental health of seniors.
Because all the fingers are used, it seems likely to train each individual nerve.
It’s wonderful that with a bit of variation, rock–paper–scissors can become so many different finger exercises.
Moving with the rhythm of the clapping can help invigorate both body and mind.
Rock-Paper-Scissors Exercise
This Goo-Choki-Paa exercise is a workout performed while speaking out loud.
Vocalizing provides good stimulation for the brain, so it’s recommended.
Even a small voice is fine—the key is to add the Goo-Choki-Paa hand movements as you go.
Exercises that change the movement on each side are also effective for activating the brain.
These can be easy to get wrong, so it may be difficult to do them correctly right away.
However, making mistakes is important too, and it can be a great opportunity to spark communication with those around you.
Staff should actively speak to participants while doing the exercises.
Brain training with rock-paper-scissors
This version of the Rock-Paper-Scissors exercise mixes in brain training elements.
It’s recommended for those who want to do a Rock-Paper-Scissors routine that’s a bit different from the usual activities.
Examples include exercises where you alternate hands while making rock, paper, and scissors, or methods where one hand does rock-paper-scissors while the other hand keeps count.
All of them are tricky tasks that require your brain to work at full capacity.
It may be tough at first, but if you do it every day, your body will naturally learn the movements.
Using your fingertips provides good stimulation for the brain and can help support both mental and physical health.
Stacking paper cups
Here’s a cup-stacking game that boosts finger strength and concentration.
Get some paper cups and clothespins ready and have fun.
Use the clothespins to stack the paper cups.
Whoever stacks five cups before their opponent wins.
The key is the grip strength you use to open and close the clothespins while stacking.
Once you get used to it, try setting a time limit or playing in teams for an extra challenge.
It’s a game you can enjoy over and over, so give it a try!
Thumb and pinky finger exercise
This is a finger exercise where you raise and move the thumb and pinky in turn.
With both hands made into fists and your arms extended forward, raise only both thumbs.
Next, repeat the motion of tucking the thumbs in while raising the pinkies.
Once you get used to the simple movement, it’s also recommended to alternate the thumb and pinky back and forth.
As you practice, make sure the raised finger isn’t staying up by mistake and that the other fingers are properly lowered.
You can also move your fingers along with lively, rhythmic music or clapping.
Try incorporating this during recreation or exercise sessions at senior care facilities.
