Lovely senior life

[For Seniors] Great for Brain Training! Enjoy Handmade Puzzles

Social worker / Care workermoko
My name is Moko, a mother of three who admired my mother and worked in the care industry as a care worker and as a medical social worker (MSW) in a hospital. I will be drawing on my previous experience to write mainly about caregiving. Thank you in advance.
Care Worker Initial Training Certification ObtainedNakajima Junko
Leveraging my experience working as a care worker at a day service, I am currently active as a writer in the caregiving and welfare fields. Beyond writing, I hope to expand my work into web design and illustration. I am a mother of three who has begun studying to become a certified social worker.

Puzzles used in recreational activities at senior care facilities.

Thinking about where pieces fit based on their shapes and colors, and using your fingertips to place the pieces, helps stimulate the brain.

Puzzles that can be done while sitting and concentrating alone are an easy type of recreation for older adults.

Here are some handmade puzzle ideas recommended for brain training.

Because they’re handmade, you can also enjoy making them together with seniors as a craft activity.

We’ve gathered uniquely creative ideas that only handmade projects can offer, such as using plastic bottle caps and milk cartons! With a bit of ingenuity, you can create a wide variety of puzzles.

[For Seniors] Recommended for Brain Training! Enjoy Handcrafted Puzzles (31–40)

Family crests of the Sengoku period

[History] Sengoku-period family crests quiz [10 questions total]

Family crests of the Sengoku period

This is a recommended game about Sengoku-period family crests for seniors who enjoy history.

There were several types of crests in the Sengoku era; famous examples include the Tokugawa clan’s triple hollyhock (Mitsuba Aoi) and the Toyotomi clan’s Paulownia crest (Go-Shichi no Kiri).

It is said that family crests indicated lineage, bloodline, family status, and social rank.

Draw these crests on plastic bottle caps and place them on a sheet with the names of warlords.

If you’re familiar with the Sengoku period, this can spark stories about episodes from the time and the historical background.

By the way, family crests are said to be a unique cultural tradition found only in Japan.

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Kanji of country names

[Kanji Country Name Quiz] Country names in kanji <40 countries>

Kanji of country names

In Japan, country names are often written in katakana.

However, when written in kanji, some countries use surprisingly unexpected characters.

So, let me introduce a bottle-cap puzzle that uses country names in kanji.

Prepare a sheet with one character missing from the kanji spelling of each country.

Then, place plastic bottle caps labeled with single kanji characters into the blanks.

It’s fun to create these kanji sheets over a world map, and it also serves as a hint.

Have participants imagine each country, think about the appropriate kanji, and place the caps accordingly.

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Number puzzle

A number puzzle that kids and adults can enjoy — all you need is a piece of paper to start.

Number puzzle

It’s a puzzle game where you use slits and folds on a sheet with numbers to line up four of the same number.

There are numbers on both sides of 12 squares—24 numbered faces in total—and there are three slits in the middle.

By cleverly folding and making good use of these slits, you complete square sets of four matching numbers in order, starting from the smallest number.

If you place the numbers incorrectly, the puzzle may become unsolvable, so be very careful to arrange them precisely when you create it.

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A puzzle where you fit counters (ohajiki) into a frame

[Solo, non-crowded recreation] Supervised by a Recreation Care Worker! Simple indoor handmade game video for seniors: “A puzzle game where you fit marbles (ohajiki) into frames drawn in a notebook.”

A puzzle where you fit counters (ohajiki) into a frame

Group recreation where everyone gets lively together is fun, but taking time to think carefully and enjoy things at your own pace is important too.

This time, we’re introducing a finger dexterity puzzle using ohajiki (small glass game pieces).

Preparation is very simple: get some paper and ohajiki.

Draw circles on the paper about the same size as the ohajiki, and place the pieces around them.

Using your index finger, try to push the ohajiki into the circles.

You can change how it feels a lot by drawing circles slightly larger or smaller than the ohajiki and making a rule that they only count if they fit exactly, or by trying fingers other than the index finger.

Because it also engages spatial awareness, it serves as brain training.

It’s also recommended as a recreation activity in senior care facilities.

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Grape Puzzle

[November Indoor Recreation for Seniors] A “Grape Puzzle” Using Plastic Bottle Caps

Grape Puzzle

This is a recreation activity where you use plastic bottle caps to create a bunch of grapes.

It’s fascinating how you can assemble it simply with caps and a bit of creativity! Draw the grape stem on a sheet like A4 paper, then arrange the caps—used as the grape berries—to form a bunch.

If you use tea bottle caps, you can repurpose what you normally drink and make it right away, so it’s very easy and convenient.

Of course, making plain white caps look grape-like with construction paper is a more elaborate option.

Expanding imagination is important for the brain, so it could be beneficial as a kind of brain-training activity as well.

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