For seniors: Fun shiritori—enjoyable and easy to play

Shiritori

8 Brain Training Methods Using Shiritori: Fun Ways to Spend Time at Home

As we get older, some people find it harder to recall names or words and experience more forgetfulness.

So why not try shiritori, a simple brain-training game you can do anytime? In shiritori, you think of and answer with a word that starts with the last sound of the previous word.

That makes it great for training memory and thinking skills.

Strengthening memory and thinking is also said to help prevent dementia.

Many older adults have likely played shiritori at least once, so it’s an easy activity to try.

Once you get used to it, challenge yourself with variations like drawing-based shiritori or using the middle character of three-letter words.

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Nakajima Junko

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Restricted Shiritori

Snow Man [10th Single Commemorative Project] Huge excitement with a restricted shiritori game!!

Shiritori is a simple word game you can enjoy anytime, anywhere—a classic recreational game for all ages.

But playing plain shiritori can get dull, and people often lose interest halfway through.

How about trying a variant with a small twist—shiritori with restrictions? It’s still shiritori, but adding light rules like “only three-letter words” or “food items only” makes it much more thought-provoking and exciting.

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utatane

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Cognicise with Shiritori

Cognicise Shiritori

This is a “Shiritori Cognisize” you can enjoy casually like a game.

While playing shiritori, sit in a chair and do a marching motion with your feet.

Shiritori is a game most older adults have played at least once, and it’s recommended for preventing dementia.

Searching for a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word engages memory and thinking skills, stimulating the brain.

By training the brain, it can help prevent dementia.

Once you get used to regular shiritori, try adding variations, such as clapping your hands when you answer.

It’s an exercise you can do with several people, so it also encourages interaction with others.

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Nakajima Junko

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Word-Specified Shiritori

[Elder Care] Senior Recreation! Shiritori with Specified Words!

Let’s play a fill-in-the-blank style, word-specified shiritori.

We’ll prepare the starting word, some words in the middle, and the ending word in advance.

The older adults participating will connect words to match those preset words.

As you get used to it, try gradually increasing the number of letters to fill in between.

It’s said that the brain is stimulated when something feels “a little difficult.” You can focus on doing the written shiritori by yourself, or work in pairs—it should be fun either way.

Please give it a try.

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Nakajima Junko

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Lyrics shiritori

[Lyrics Shiritori] Use All Your Power! Three of Us Tried This Ultra Brutal Game

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.

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kappamaki

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Kanji Fill-in-the-Blank Quiz

Brain training with a Kanji Shiritori quiz

Here’s a recommended Kanji fill-in-the-blank quiz for seniors who are knowledgeable about kanji.

You play shiritori using kanji compound words.

For example: 親身 (kindness), 身長 (height), 長年 (many years), 年月 (years and months) — you take the last character of one compound and use it as the first character of the next.

Doing it on a whiteboard can make it easier for seniors to see and answer.

If you print the questions on paper, individuals can also focus and work on them alone.

It doesn’t require much preparation, so it’s perfect for small pockets of free time.

Enjoy a fun time with the Kanji fill-in-the-blank quiz!

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Nakajima Junko

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Shiritori Anywhere

Shiritori Anywhere

Shiritori, a word game many of us have played since childhood, is also a recommended recreation for people with dementia.

One of its strengths is how easy it is—no materials or preparation required.

It’s handy for filling small pockets of time, like on the bus when going out to the suburbs.

Another plus is that you can adjust the difficulty to match the person’s cognitive level.

You can customize freely with rules like “three-letter words only” or “food items only.” You could also set a goal, such as “finish after connecting 50 words.”