[For Seniors] Fun and Engaging Brain-Training Recreation

Calculation Brain Training

[Senior Brain Training × Care Recreation] Change Calculation 3: Dementia and Nursing Care Prevention Video for Seniors [Fukukuru]

This is a problem where you calculate the total amount when shopping and how much change you’ll have left from the money you have.

Because it resembles real situations like shopping at a grocery store, it’s easy to engage with.

Showing items on a screen and having people answer works well, but preparing real items and a basket for them to choose from is also recommended.

It’s a fun quiz that feels like shopping and doubles as brain training.

Try recording accuracy and speed for the calculations and encourage multiple attempts.

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mutō

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combined paper cup

Senior recreation · cooperate together · exciting/engaging · combined paper cups

This is a recreation activity using paper cups, done in groups of four.

Preparation is simple: tie four pieces of plastic string to a rubber band.

Once the four participants each hold one string, you’re ready to begin.

Each person pulls their string to stretch the rubber band and grip a paper cup.

Then, while keeping the cup pinched, carry it and stack it with the others.

The four participants must cooperate and adjust how hard they pull, which naturally gets them talking to each other and creates opportunities for communication.

It’s a lively, body-involving brain-training activity that everyone can enjoy together.

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Hane Keisuke

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Paper Cup Jenga

Recreation for seniors — guaranteed to be a hit! Jenga using plastic corrugated boards and paper cups from the 100-yen shop

Jenga is originally a game where you repeatedly remove wooden blocks from a stacked tower and place them on top.

This time, let’s try it using paper cups and corrugated plastic sheets! Stack the paper cups in three tiers, inserting a corrugated plastic sheet between each tier.

Then, take turns removing one paper cup and stacking it on the top tier.

Keep repeating this, and the person who causes the tower to collapse loses.

Not only does it help you imagine which piece to take so the tower won’t fall, but precisely moving your hands to avoid shaking the tower also seems like good brain training.

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Hane Keisuke

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Arunashi quiz

[Aru-Nashi Quiz] For Seniors! Introducing Fun Brain-Training Questions [10 in Total]

At the end of 2022, the M-1 Grand Prix was won by Westland.

Their stand-up routine, which cleverly flipped the “Aru-Nashi Quiz” on its head, had the audience roaring.

The “Aru-Nashi Quiz” is perfect material for brain training.

While it’s not as sharp-tongued as Westland’s style, let’s have some fun with an Aru-Nashi Quiz.

For example, in the “Aru” group: “isu (chair), kata (shoulder), uba (wet nurse)”; in the “Nashi” group: “beddo (bed), koshi (waist), yōfu (adoptive father).” The answer is “kuruma (car).” In the Aru group, you can add the character for “car” (車) to each word to form a different word.

Once you grasp the rule, anyone can make questions.

Try creating your own and quizzing each other! Another great point is that you don’t need any materials to play this quiz.

Animal sound brain training

[Whiteboard Brain Training] See and react! Answer with the animal sounds. Difficulty ★★★ Senior Recreation

This is a brain-training recreation that uses animal names and their sounds.

First, write the names of four animals—dog, cat, cow, and pig—randomly on paper or a whiteboard.

Participants then look at the written animal names and say the sound that animal makes.

For example, if it says “dog, pig, cow, cat,” you would say “woof, oink, moo, meow.” It may sound easy when you hear the explanation, but when you actually try it, saying a different word from what you see is surprisingly difficult and can make your brain feel a bit tangled.

It’s a fun activity that helps with brain training, so be sure to try it together with everyone.

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Hane Keisuke

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Dish guessing quiz

[Guess the Dish] Identify the Dish from the Clues! Fun Brain Training for Seniors [Word Association Quiz]

There used to be a segment on the popular show “SMAP×SMAP” called “BISTRO SMAP,” where the SMAP members cooked.

Watching Takuya Kimura, Masahiro Nakai, and the others wield knives in the kitchen looked cool every time, didn’t it? Some older folks may have grown up in an era when people said, “Men shouldn’t enter the kitchen.” Compared to those days, I think men now have far more opportunities to cook.

So how about trying a “Guess the Dish” quiz? You announce the ingredients—“potatoes, meat, carrots, onions, and various spices”—and everyone guesses what dish will be made from them.

The ingredients for nikujaga and curry are similar, and spaghetti and pasta salad also share many ingredients, right? After the quiz, cooking together would be a fun and delicious activity.

Hometown: A song-and-exercise routine that livens things up with three movements

Sing-and-Move Exercise That Gets Everyone Excited with Just '3' Movements (2): Children's Song 'Furusato'

Move your hands to the melody of the children’s song “Furusato,” and stimulate your brain not only through the hand movements but also by visualizing your hometown.

The flow is two claps followed by forming a number with your hands, thinking ahead to the next number while keeping the rhythm of the song in mind.

After making a 5 with both hands, the count returns to 1, so this is where you should focus carefully and aim for smoother movements.

Once you get used to it, we also recommend increasing the speed to further improve concentration.

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kappamaki

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