For seniors: Fun shiritori—enjoyable and easy to play

Naka-tori

More challenging than Shiritori! Nakatori: A quick downtime recreation game

Nakatori is recommended for older adults who are used to playing shiritori by linking words from their final syllables.

In Nakatori, you play shiritori using the middle part of a word.

There are also rules like “answers must have an odd number of characters,” or “it’s okay to end with ‘n.’” For example, in regular shiritori, “ringo” (apple) is acceptable, but in Nakatori it’s incorrect.

If there’s an ‘n’ in the middle of the word, there won’t be any valid next words, right? Since the rules differ from regular shiritori, the difficulty level goes up.

It seems like it would be fun with a large group if you write it out on a whiteboard.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Nakajima Junko

Report a problem

Shiritori with country names of the world

[Easy Quiz] Let’s play shiritori with country names of the world – Beginner Level – [20 Questions in Total]

There are many countries in the world, right? Let’s try playing shiritori using country names.

That said, it might be hard to think of lots of country names.

If you turn it into a question like “Name a country that fits between Italy and Canada—one that starts with A or R and ends with ‘ka’,” it becomes easier to answer.

By the way, the answer is America.

It could get lively with people naming capitals instead of countries, or coming up with country names that are one letter off.

Through shiritori, you might even discover unexpected sides of older adults, such as being very knowledgeable about world geography.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Nakajima Junko

Report a problem

Japanese traditional colors shiritori

Movie assignment: “Japanese Traditional Colors Shiritori”

Akane, ai, daidai—how many traditional Japanese color names do you know? Perhaps older generations might know more of them.

How about playing shiritori using only traditional Japanese color names? It’s a charming and elegant game, isn’t it? That said, many people may not be familiar with these names, so it might be helpful to provide a color chart as a hint.

Discovering “Oh, this color has this name” while playing is part of the fun, too.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Hane Keisuke

Report a problem

Brain training with picture shiritori

Pictionary Shiritori! A fun brain-training word chain game

In a regular shiritori game, players take turns saying words out loud.

This time, we’ll introduce picture shiritori, where you look at drawn illustrations, think of their names, and play shiritori.

Look at several drawings, such as a dog or a bus, and figure out an order that allows the shiritori to work.

Since you associate words from the final sound of each illustration’s name, it can help improve or maintain memory and thinking skills.

Also, before playing, it might be nice to have older adults color the illustrations you’ll use.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Nakajima Junko

Report a problem

Limited Shiritori: Food Edition

Brain Training for Seniors: Limited Shiritori Challenge (Beginner)

What kinds of foods do you all like? Eating is something many people still experience every day, isn’t it? If we play shiritori using only food words, lots of older adults might be able to join.

For example: onigiri, ringo (apple), goma (sesame), mābō-dōfu, and so on.

Limiting it to food words raises the difficulty level.

But since the words are all related to eating, it might be easier to make associations.

You might also come up with foods unique to where you live or where you’re from.

That could naturally spark more conversation and make things lively.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Nakajima Junko

Report a problem

Three-letter shiritori

Three-letter shiritori is way too funny lmao www #Justistar #shorts #tiktok

Let me introduce a shiritori game played with three-letter words.

For example, words like tsue (cane), eiga (movie), and ganka (ophthalmology) can be used.

Shiritori with a word-length restriction can be more difficult than the usual version.

However, it’s said that doing only easy tasks doesn’t stimulate the brain much.

Tasks that feel challenging are said to be more effective for brain training.

Sometimes, it may be hard for older adults to come up with three-letter words.

Before starting the shiritori game, have everyone read through a few three-letter words together.

That way, it’s said that words will come to mind more smoothly during the game.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Nakajima Junko

Report a problem

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.”