[Brain Training for Seniors] Recommended Hand-Play Recreation for Dementia Prevention
Fingerplay recreation that also helps prevent dementia.
Because it can be done while seated, it’s easy for older adults who have difficulty standing or walking to participate, and it’s offered in many senior care facilities.
That said, it’s tough for staff to plan activities by choosing from the many different fingerplay options, isn’t it?
So this time, we’re introducing recommended fingerplay recreation activities that can also help prevent dementia.
We’ve gathered a wide variety—from simple fingertip exercises to activities that involve moving the hands while singing, which can also help strengthen the muscles used for speech.
The fingertips are so rich in nerves that they’re often called the “second brain.”
Let’s have fun together while moving our fingertips and hands a lot to activate the brain!
- [For Seniors] Hand and finger play roundup: Finger exercises that lead to brain training
- [For Seniors] Easy and fun seated activities you can do in your room
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
- 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] Fun and Engaging Brain-Training Recreation
- [For Seniors] Popular Hand-Play Songs: Fun Brain-Training Ideas
- Cognicise you can do while seated. Simple dementia prevention.
- [For Seniors] Enjoy safely even during the COVID-19 pandemic: Seated activities
- [For Seniors] Brain Training Recommended for Dementia Prevention
- [For Seniors] Recommended Even for People with Dementia! Simple Recreational Activities
- Simple games for preventing and improving dementia
- [For Seniors] Liven Things Up With Different Left-Right Movements! Game and Exercise Ideas
[Brain Training for Seniors] Recommended for Dementia Prevention! Hand Play Recreation (91–100)
clothespin chain
Do you know where muscle strength in older adults starts to decline? The answer is that it begins with the fingertips.
When fingertip strength decreases, it can affect daily life—for example, making it difficult to get dressed or causing more food to be dropped while eating.
Try using clothespins to train the fingertips.
Set up a string slightly higher than the head height of a seated older adult.
Then attach clothespins to the string.
It’s a simple activity, but it provides fingertip movement training with minimal strain on the body.
It can also be done as a game while chatting with people around you.
Milk Carton Stacking Game
Introducing a milk carton stacking game you can enjoy with just a little preparation.
All you need are milk cartons.
Cut the cartons into many ring-shaped slices a few centimeters wide.
Stack the square-ring pieces as high as you can without letting them fall.
You can start with a “Ready, go!” or simply stack at your own pace—both are fun.
Deciding where to hold each piece, how to place it, and adjusting while watching the balance engages upper-limb movement as well as thinking and judgment, making it great brain training.
It’s easy to prepare and enjoyable with any number of players, from a small group to a larger one, which is part of its appeal.
Brain-training Exercise Song: Chatsumi (Tea Picking)
The balmy month of May is a time when it’s easier for older adults to get moving.
This time, we’re introducing a brain-training exercise with singing that’s perfect for the season.
May is also the season of fresh green tea.
“Chatsumi” (Tea Picking) is a children’s song that symbolizes early summer in Japan, known for its bright, rhythmic melody.
It’s easy to learn, making it suitable for older adults to exercise to.
We’ve incorporated traditional Japanese tea-picking movements into the routine, so it’s easy to enjoy casually.
Singing together as a group also creates a sense of unity and makes for a delightful time.
butterfly
Here’s an easy “butterfly” craft you can prepare quickly with just a few simple steps.
First, prepare three sheets of origami paper: two for the wings and one for the body.
On the two sheets for the wings, draw lines freely with colored pencils.
This will make the finished piece much more vibrant.
After drawing the lines, fold the origami paper into an accordion, then fold it into a V shape.
Next, cut the remaining sheet into the shape of a butterfly’s body.
Attach the wings to the body symmetrically, and you’re done.
If you make butterflies in various colors and display them, they can become a fantastical wall decoration.
Because this craft uses fine motor skills, it also provides good stimulation for the brain and is recommended as a recreational activity in senior facilities.
Brain-training finger play
Here’s a no-prep recreation activity: a finger-play brain exercise.
It’s simple to do! First, hold your hands up with your palms facing you and make fists.
Open only the thumb on your right hand and only the pinky on your left hand.
Next, switch: open the pinky on your right hand and the thumb on your left hand.
Keep repeating this.
It sounds easy, but it’s surprisingly hard.
Try doing it to a rhythm—one, two, one, two—and you might find yourself laughing at how tricky it is.
But don’t worry.
The goal isn’t to do it perfectly; performing two different movements at the same time stimulates your brain, so just trying it provides a brain-training effect.
With practice, you’ll get the hang of it and feel a sense of achievement.
Give it a try!
High touch rec
A high five is when two people clap each other’s hands, often when greeting brightly or feeling happy.
Let’s turn this high five into a recreation activity that seniors can enjoy.
Have everyone sit in a circle on chairs and high-five the person next to them.
Try high-fiving with just one hand, or flip the hands over to change the palm orientation as you go.
Make the seated circle smaller so people can reach to tap someone’s hand, or do double high fives with both hands.
Thinking about who has a free hand and counting to ten while high-fiving can also help train the brain.
It’s an activity that may spark conversations with people who don’t usually talk and broaden communication.
Flying Fukuwarai
Some older adults may have played fukuwarai during the New Year holidays.
Fukuwarai is the game where you’re blindfolded and place facial features onto a face, right? Part of the fun is not being able to place the features correctly.
But with “Flying Fukuwarai,” there’s no blindfold.
Instead, you toss large facial feature pieces onto a sheet of paper with a large face drawn on it.
Of course, it still often results in hilariously misplaced features, which makes it exciting.
And because you throw the pieces while looking at the face, it’s said to help train spatial awareness.
Spatial awareness is the ability to perceive positions and shapes within space.
When it declines, people may get lost on familiar routes or bump into things more easily.
Give Flying Fukuwarai a try for a fun brain workout!