[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! Finger-Play Recreation (101–110)
Let’s make Pokémon with rock-paper-scissors
Pokémon are popular characters among children, aren’t they? Some older adults might also like Pokémon because of their grandchildren’s influence.
It seems there are as many as 809 Pokémon characters.
Let’s make those characters while singing the “Rock-Paper-Scissors, What Shall We Make?” song.
It might be a bit difficult to express popular Pokémon characters using only your hands, but let’s try to do it well.
Each Pokémon has its own unique features, so explaining those traits would likely make things more exciting too.
Goo Choki Paa Laugh-Out-Loud Exercise
Simply doing rock-paper-scissors in the usual way doesn’t really make people laugh, does it? What we’re introducing here is a rock-paper-scissors exercise that’s essential for recreation and guaranteed to spark laughter.
There are methods like doing rock-paper-scissors quickly, or changing the order—such as scissors-paper-rock.
By adding variations, you can give your brain good stimulation and make the exercise more fun.
Another recommendation for older adults is a rock-paper-scissors exercise where you form animals with your fingers as you go.
More important than doing it perfectly is communicating and having fun together.
Guu-Choki-Paa Exercise
The “Goo-Choki-Paa Exercise” is a workout that combines making rock–scissors–paper hand signs with full-body movements.
Because it involves not just the fingers but the whole body, it seems likely to have positive effects on both physical and mental health.
It can be done while seated, which is appealing because it allows older adults to adjust it to their physical and mental condition.
First, move your upper body while doing the rock–scissors–paper hand motions.
Tilting your head upward involves moving the neck, which is also a good exercise.
Next, use your legs to do rock–scissors–paper.
This helps loosen the muscles in the legs and hips, making it a very beneficial workout.
Guu-Choki-Paa Exercise
The “Rock-Paper-Scissors Exercise” is recommended for preventing dementia.
There are many nerves in the fingers, and since they connect to the brain, using them helps activate both mind and body.
The best way to prevent cognitive decline is to use your head while moving your body.
The Rock-Paper-Scissors Exercise combines all of these elements.
This time, we’ll switch rock, paper, and scissors between the left and right hands.
Alternating movements provide good stimulation for the brain.
Let’s all enjoy doing it together.
A game where you make parody versions of the song Tulips
This activity involves taking the lyrics of Tulips, a classic spring children’s song, dividing them into blocks by character count, and then changing the words in each block.
Which part each person is responsible for is determined by a game using a target marked with numbers, and from there, participants come up with words that match the specified character count.
As long as the number matches, any words are acceptable; however, if you have everyone think of words with a spring theme, it should help them focus more deeply on the language.
Once all the blocks are filled, everyone sings the new lyrics together and checks whether the sound and flow feel pleasant.
