[For Seniors] Fun and Engaging Brain-Training Recreation
We’ve put together a collection of brain-training puzzles and simple exercises that you’ll want to actively incorporate into recreational activities.
It’s easy to get bored with the same types of puzzles and games, right?
Let’s liven up your recreation time with puzzles you haven’t tried before, or some quirky and fun challenges and exercises!
If it’s difficult, try allowing more time to think or offering hints so everyone can enjoy it as they go.
We’re also introducing plenty of activities that can make people laugh and lighten the mood, even if they don’t know the answer.
Feel free to use these as a reference and put them to good use!
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[For Seniors] Fun and Engaging Brain-Training Recreational Activities (31–40)
3-letter food shiritori
Even a simple shiritori game where you just connect words can feel challenging with a small rule tweak.
How about adding a rule where players can only use three-letter food names? While it’s limited to foods, there’s still a wide range of words you can use, so keep a steady tempo as you link them.
If you play in time with a rhythm, it adds a bit of pressure and makes the game even more exciting—highly recommended!
Lyrics shiritori
There are countless songs around the world, and the lyrics they sing cover a wide range, don’t they? Let’s try a shiritori game using lyrics—this will test not only your knowledge of songs but also your ability to pull lyrics from memory.
Instead of just saying the lyrics as words, it’s best to sing what comes to mind and link them together; if you use the high points of the songs, the game will get more exciting too.
It’s important to think about which songs to choose and where to stop singing, while also considering how easy it is to pick up the next word.
Brain Teasers: Riddle Quiz
The “Brain Gym Riddle Quiz” that sparks inspiration is a wordplay game that’s fun to think through.
Each prompt has a little twist, so the answer won’t always come to you right away.
By shifting your perspective—looking at the order or appearance of words, or everyday events—you’re nudged closer to the solution.
Part of the charm is how the puzzles can make you go “aha!” or even laugh.
Since it’s about creativity rather than knowledge, anyone can join in casually, and the time spent thinking becomes a pleasantly stimulating experience.
It’s a brain-training game that gently loosens up your mind while you enjoy yourself, and it’s especially recommended for older adults.
Treasure Hunt Game
It’s a “treasure hunt game” where you hide a beanbag under a paper cup and guess where it is.
The rules are simple, so it seems likely that many older adults would be able to join.
Preparation is easy too—just get some paper cups and a beanbag.
Remembering which cups don’t have the beanbag helps stimulate the brain.
Lifting the cups also serves as hand and arm training.
This time it’s a game to guess the hidden beanbag, but you can enjoy it with variations.
Draw pictures, such as fruits or fish, on the bottoms of the paper cups.
You can devise games where you try to find the picture that matches a given theme from among the cups.
It’s fun to play solo, and it’s also an engaging game to compete in pairs.
Restricted Shiritori: Autumn Foods
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♫ Original song – TBJ / Care • Rehabilitation • Nursing – TBJ / Care • Rehabilitation • Nursing
This is a word chain game that becomes brain training by intentionally setting constraints.
On a whiteboard, write “Starts with 〇 and ends with 〇,” then play shiritori using autumn foods that meet those conditions.
For example, with a word that starts with “sa” and ends with “n,” you could use “sanma” (Pacific saury).
The quiz master sets the conditions, and everyone thinks of words that fit.
By writing answers in sequence in a grid, it’s visually easy to follow, and the overall flow is clear, which helps build excitement.
Making the theme autumn foods lets you enjoy a seasonal feel while playing, and it also encourages broader conversation.
As autumn-specific foods keep coming up, participants can share memories and stories as well.
[For Seniors] Fun and Lively Brain-Training Recreational Activities (41–50)
Word association game: What comes to mind when you think of September?
@thinkbodyjapan Word association game on the whiteboard!CaregivingNursing care facilityCaregiver#Caregiver'sDailyLifeRecreation
♫ Original song – TBJ / Care • Rehabilitation • Nursing – TBJ / Care • Rehabilitation • Nursing
Here is an idea for a fall-themed quiz that also serves as brain training.
Ask participants, “What comes to mind when you think of September?” and write their answers on a whiteboard.
Based on the words that come up, expand into a word-association game using the initial letters or themes.
For example, if someone says “tsukimi” (moon viewing), you can think of foods that start with “tsu,” and so on.
As people associate words, seasonal topics naturally arise, helping stimulate memory, vocabulary, and creativity.
Adding a time limit or team competition boosts the game aspect and encourages smiles and conversation.
By starting with familiar topics, it lowers the barrier to participation and makes an excellent fall recreation activity that can also serve as a conversation starter for older adults.
2525 calisthenics
Let me introduce a finger exercise that also helps with brain training and fall prevention.
While saying “Niko niko nī,” you raise two fingers and five fingers.
You can add hand claps between raising the fingers, and make 2 and 5 with the fingers on each hand separately.
Mixing different movements increases the difficulty, right? Thinking about multiple things activates the brain.
Moreover, doing two or three things at the same time is said to help prevent falls.
As we get older, we tend to laugh less, but it seems this exercise can also help bring out richer facial expressions.