[For Seniors] Play Long and Have Fun! A Whiteboard Activity with Brain-Training Elements

Fukuwarai (a traditional Japanese “lucky laugh” face-making game)

Today's activity at Day Service Asumiru

How about trying Fukuwarai, a traditional game that has been loved since ancient times? Normally, you play Fukuwarai on a sheet of paper about A4 size.

However, I recommend scaling it up and doing it on a whiteboard.

That way, it’s easy to move the parts around, and people watching from the back can enjoy it too.

If you’d like a slightly more unusual recreation, you can also customize the Fukuwarai design.

Using the face of a mutual friend or someone everyone knows tends to make it more exciting.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

yamamoto

Report a problem

Calculation Brain Training

[Carefully Selected] Tetsumaru’s Top 5 Hilarious Whiteboard Brain Training Activities [Senior Brain Training]

There are many types of arithmetic brain-training exercises.

One I recommend is where you leave a blank between numbers like “1 ○ 1,” and the quizmaster says one of “add,” “subtract,” “multiply,” or “divide,” and you answer accordingly.

For example, if the quizmaster says “add,” then 1 + 1 = 2 is correct.

Prepare several patterns by changing the numbers and writing them out, and the quizmaster points to one with a pen and says what goes in the circle.

If they point to 25 ○ 5 and say “multiply,” the answer is 125.

It’s a fun, slightly nerve-racking exercise—you might be misled by how it looks and blurt out 20 by mistake—so I recommend it!

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Yuuki

Report a problem

Common Radical Fill-in Quiz

[Common Radical Problems] Kanji Fill-in-the-Blank Quiz! Introducing 10 Perfect Brain-Training Questions for Seniors [All 10 Questions]

If you want to tackle a slightly more complex task, I also recommend the common radical fill-in quiz.

A radical is a component that makes up a kanji.

For example, the common radical in “松” (matsu), “村” (mura), and “林” (hayashi) is the tree radical (kihen).

First, pick out many kanji that share a common radical, then remove the radical and line up what remains to create the quiz.

Alternatively, you can use YouTube videos and the like.

In that case, adjust the difficulty by pausing the video to give time to think, and so on.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

yamamoto

Report a problem

Fill-in-the-blank Kanji Problems

[Today's Rec] “Thursday, June 2” An easy indoor recreation using a whiteboard: “Fill-in-the-blank Quiz”

Many young people these days struggle with kanji due to the widespread use of computers and smartphones.

So, drawing on the idea of ‘skills once learned,’ let’s have seniors enjoy a “kanji fill-in-the-blank” game.

You place a single kanji character in the center, then set one blank each to its top, bottom, left, and right.

This time, using the kanji 地, you create two-character compounds like 土地 (land), 湿地 (wetland), 現地 (on-site), and 地下 (underground).

It’s like a kanji version of a crossword puzzle.

Depending on whether you make the blank come before or after the central character, the variations increase, making it great brain training as well.

Making words with the 50 sounds

[Prevent Running Out of Ideas] Whiteboard Activity Using Dates and the Japanese Syllabary (A–I–U–E–O) [Cognitive Training for Seniors]

This is a recreation activity where you write the 50 Japanese syllables on a whiteboard and form words from them.

Each letter you use is erased from the whiteboard, so it’s important not only to find words but also to decide which letters to leave for later.

It’s difficult to use every single letter, but since the goal is to leave as few letters as possible, it’s important not only to recall words but also to visualize them.

Once you get used to it, you can add constraints—like only three-letter words—to adjust the difficulty, making it a game you can play repeatedly without getting bored.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Hoshino Takashi

Report a problem

Making kanji

Recreation for Seniors: Super-Engaging! Whiteboard Activity—Kanji Building

It’s a recreational activity often seen on quiz shows where you add a certain number of strokes to a specific character to create a different kanji.

For example, by adding two strokes to the character 口, you can form 目 or 旦—surprising kanji that you might not realize until you actually write them, which makes it exciting.

Because the rules are simple, it’s easy to remember and adapt, so it’s sure to provide long-lasting enjoyment if done at senior facilities.

It’s a brain-stimulating game that tests your ability to visualize combining characters in your head and your memory for recalling kanji.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Hoshino Takashi

Report a problem

An association game using initials

[June Recommended Rec] Two Patterns of Association Brain Training Games [Whiteboard Brain Training]

How about some brain training with a word association game? We’ll start by listing keywords for the prompt “What comes to mind in June?” Once we’ve got words like “rainy season,” “hydrangea,” and “snail,” we’ll use the five-letter word “hydrangea” (ajisai) this time.

Take the initial sounds “a,” “ji,” “sa,” and “i,” and set each to form a word of any length.

It’ll look like: “a〇〇,” “ji〇〇〇,” “sa〇〇〇〇,” “i〇〇.” Finally, think of letters to fill in the 〇’s and complete the words.

It’s that thing they do on variety shows as a comedy-improv segment.