[For Seniors] Enjoyable Brain Training! Finger Exercises That Help Prevent Dementia
Moving the fingers helps activate the brain, so it’s recommended as a recreational activity for older adults.
Finger exercises can be done while seated, making them safe and easy to start.
There are many ideas—such as doing different movements with each hand or coordinating with songs—so they can be enjoyed according to each person’s physical and mental condition.
Also, by adding ideas like speaking aloud while moving the fingers, you can make the exercises even more enjoyable.
Since these exercises can be done anywhere, they’re also great for filling small pockets of free time.
- [For Seniors] Hand and finger play roundup: Finger exercises that lead to brain training
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- [For Seniors] Extremely Effective Brain Training! A Fun Collection of Hand Games
- [For Seniors] Brain Training Recommended for Dementia Prevention
- [Brain Training for Seniors] Recommended Hand-Play Recreation for Dementia Prevention
- [For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Lively Mind Exercises
- [For Seniors] Popular Hand-Play Songs: Fun Brain-Training Ideas
- [For Seniors] Recommended Rhythm Play and Exercises
- [For Seniors] DIY Hand Rehabilitation Tools to Strengthen Fingertips: A Collection of Handmade Ideas
- [For Seniors] Liven Things Up With Different Left-Right Movements! Game and Exercise Ideas
- [Today's Recommendation] Gentle Health Exercises for Seniors
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
- [For Seniors] Core Training: Recommended Simple Rehabilitation
[For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Finger Exercises That Help Prevent Dementia (41–50)
Scissors switch exercise
Let’s try stimulating the brain with hand and finger play.
In this exercise, you make different “scissors” shapes with your left and right hands and then switch the finger positions back and forth.
Start slowly with “index and middle fingers” and “thumb and index finger,” but it’s surprisingly tricky.
Your fingers end up in shapes you didn’t intend, and you can’t help but laugh.
Once you get used to it, speeding up the tempo or doing it to music makes it even better.
It’s a fun way for everyone to get lively brain training together.
Alternating finger-counting exercise
I’d like to introduce a finger-folding exercise that’s perfect for when you want to move your fingertips thoroughly or do some brain training.
First, place both hands open on the table.
Then, start folding your fingers one by one in order from either the left or the right.
You can do this while sitting, even in a small space.
Once you get used to it, try adding variations, such as making different movements with each hand alternately.
Start at your own pace without rushing.
And if you make a mistake, don’t worry—just keep going.
They say that making mistakes is actually effective for activating the brain.
Finger-counting exercise with opposite hands (left and right reversed)
By deliberately taking on complex movements, you can give your brain more stimulation.
What I’d like you to try is the “opposite finger-counting exercise” with the left and right hands.
This exercise has three main actions.
First, count out loud from 1 to 10.
When you reach 10, count back down toward 1.
Meanwhile, use your right hand to count by raising fingers, and your left hand to count by folding fingers.
It may sound confusing just reading about it, but please give it a try.
Clap Hands Rock-Paper-Scissors Exercise
Exercises that incorporate clapping are easy to keep in rhythm and are recommended for older adults.
One such exercise involves randomly making rock–paper–scissors shapes with both hands while layering in claps.
It provides positive stimulation to the brain and supports the physical and mental health of seniors.
Because it uses all the fingers, it seems likely to train each individual nerve.
It’s wonderful that, with a bit of creativity, rock–paper–scissors can lead to so many different finger exercises.
Moving with the clapping rhythm may help energize both body and mind.
Finger exercise making a circle with your fingers
Making finger circles is another recommended hand game.
First, make an OK sign with both hands.
Then connect the circle parts together.
Next, switch to your middle fingers, then ring fingers, then pinkies.
If you clap in between and keep a steady rhythm, you can expect strong brain-training benefits.
By the way, you can also change it up—slow down the rhythm or just make the OK sign with one hand.
Start from whatever level feels comfortable for you.
A plastic bottle that trains fine finger movements
To open a plastic bottle cap, you need a firm fingertip grip and precise rotational movements.
This product uses the bottle-opening motion to train your fingertips.
First, cut the bottle so that the connection between the cap and the body remains, then use screws to fix them onto a board.
Next, attach tape with letters or symbols to each cap, and it’s ready.
You can arrange the caps in the order of the Japanese syllabary or form specified words—by adding these thinking elements, you can effectively train both the brain and the fingertips.
Finger training with clothespins
This activity uses clothespins to build fingertip strength and pinching motions.
You stick a large illustration onto cardboard and then attach clothespins to the illustration as if they were hair.
It’s fun because children can move their fingers while thinking about what kind of hairstyle to create.
When connecting clothespins to each other rather than just attaching them to the illustration, they need to carefully consider where to clip them, which also engages the brain.
While clothespins are commonly operated with the thumb and index finger, intentionally trying different fingers can help train finger strength more evenly.