[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 (21–30)
Rock, paper, scissors
There’s a hand game where you repeat rock, scissors, paper.
It’s simple, but moving your fingers is said to help activate the brain.
Once you get used to it, try gradually speeding up or changing the order of rock, scissors, paper—for example, paper, rock, scissors.
You can also mix in claps while rearranging the sequence.
Adding claps not only makes the movements more complex, but also helps create a sense of rhythm.
OK finger exercise
Consciously moving your fingers helps activate the brain, improve circulation, and support smoother daily life.
This simple exercise strengthens and improves finger movement by intentionally engaging your fingers.
You’ll alternately perform a clenching-and-opening motion and a wrist-twisting motion, while also checking that you’re moving properly.
It’s also recommended to do the same with your toes, not just your hands, to help promote circulation throughout your entire body.
Rock, paper, scissors in a cross
Crossed Rock-Paper-Scissors is a calisthenic exercise done with your hands crossed.
Instead of just doing rock-paper-scissors normally, you cross your hands, so it’s a workout for your brain, too.
It can be hard to do it perfectly on the first try.
By repeating it, your body will learn the movements.
There are also variations like tapping your feet while doing rock-paper-scissors, or adding hand claps, so give them a try.
They all require mental focus, so it feels like your brain gets a full workout.
Pa-Ta-Ka-Ra finger exercises
When eating, not only mouth movements but also finger movements—like holding chopsticks or bringing food to your mouth—are important.
This is an adaptation that adds finger movements to the Patakara exercise to coordinate the mouth and fingers.
The content is simple: as you pronounce each syllable, fold a finger to count at the same time.
Once you get used to the motions, try changing the finger movements and gradually making them more complex to expect brain-training benefits.
While it’s important to focus on finger movements, it’s also crucial to be mindful that your mouth movements don’t become small.
Where are you from?
Temari ball song themed around the exploits of a hunter, “Antagata Dokosa.” How about trying a hand play using this song? It’s not only great finger exercise, but singing while doing it can also help strengthen the muscles around the mouth.
The choreography is simple: on each “sa” in the lyrics, tap your knees or clap your hands.
Start slowly as you sing, then pick up the pace as you like.
Another charm of this hand play is that you can do it while seated.
Under the big chestnut tree
Familiar nursery rhymes have a slow tempo, so you can enjoy exercising by moving your hands and arms to the rhythm.
This time it’s “Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree,” a song everyone probably danced to at least once in childhood.
Start at a slow tempo, and as you get used to it, gradually increase the speed.
Moving while paying attention to hand positions and sequences that match the song stimulates the brain and is effective as brain training.
And if you can move your hands while singing, it’s even more fun.
Foot rock-paper-scissors clapping exercise
This is a game where you make the rock-paper-scissors shapes with your feet in sequence, and make the order more complex by inserting hand claps.
By switching the order of the shapes and where you add the claps, you can turn it into brain training.
Repeat the same movements for a while, then change the order once you’re used to it so you can focus clearly on the sequence.
If movement alone is confusing, saying the steps out loud as you go is an easy-to-follow option I recommend.