[For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Lively Mind Exercises
Activities like games and brain training exercises conducted in senior facilities—often called “mental workouts”—are said to help prevent dementia or slow its progression.
So this time, we’re introducing “mental workouts for seniors”!
Mental workouts not only provide a sense of accomplishment when a problem is solved and activate brain functions, but they also play an important role in creating opportunities for communication with other seniors.
They are also recommended as a way to relieve stress for seniors who may fall into repetitive daily routines.
By adjusting the difficulty level to suit each senior’s condition and adding creative touches to make the activities easier to engage with, you can further increase their sense of satisfaction.
Try incorporating them into your recreation time or daily routine.
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- [For Seniors] Guaranteed to Liven Things Up! A Collection of Brain Training Activities That Will Spark Laughter
- [For Seniors] A Brain-Training, Crowd-Pleasing Word Search Game
- [Brain Training for Seniors] Recommended Hand-Play Recreation for Dementia Prevention
- [For Seniors] Brain Training Recommended for Dementia Prevention
- Fun Brain Training! Memory Games for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Brain-Training Recreation Using a Whiteboard
- Simple games for preventing and improving dementia
- [For Seniors] Find daily brain training. Today’s recommended brain workout.
- [For seniors] Fun brain training! Let’s get excited with the “Aru-Nashi” quiz
- Recreation Activities Effective for Long-Term Care Prevention for Seniors
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Brain Training! Finger Exercises That Help Prevent Dementia
[For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Exciting Mental Exercises (61–70)
Word Search: Constellations Edition
Among the letters scattered in a 6-by-6 grid, the names of constellations are hidden.
The names can appear in three directions—vertical, horizontal, and diagonal—and some must be read from right to left or bottom to top, so read carefully to find the correct combinations.
Each puzzle has a time limit, which can make you feel rushed, but it’s important to stay calm and focused.
Since the answers are constellation names, it may be somewhat difficult for those not familiar with them.
Studying constellations in advance could be the key to success.
Learning new knowledge also helps stimulate the brain, so it may be effective in preventing cognitive decline.
Word Search: Fruits Edition
Amid the letters scattered across a 6-by-6 grid, there are hidden names of fruits.
The names can be arranged in three ways—vertically, horizontally, and diagonally—and some words must be read from right to left or bottom to top, so read carefully to find the correct combinations.
Each puzzle has a time limit, which can make you feel rushed, but it’s important to stay calm.
The difficulty is a bit high, but you can try as many times as you need until you find them.
In addition to concentration, this also develops thinking skills and word retrieval, and may help prevent cognitive decline.
Where is the food?
Hiragana characters are arranged within a 5-by-5 grid.
From this grid, try to find words that are names of foods.
It’s simple, but actually quite challenging.
Even characters you could find if you stay calm and take your time can suddenly become hard to spot if you set a time limit.
When creating problems, it’s good to prepare multiple answers rather than limiting it to just one.
In senior facilities, having participants create puzzles for each other and swap them not only fosters interaction but also doubles the brain-training effect.
Give it a try!
What is the letter that exists only once?
Among the same words lined up, there is one that differs by just a single character.
Try to find it.
You can check them one by one or take a bird’s-eye view—choose whichever approach you prefer.
By firmly remembering the characters and their meanings, it becomes easier to spot the differences, and doing memorization and discrimination tasks at the same time provides good stimulation for the brain.
Because it’s simple and enjoyable for both individuals and groups, it’s also recommended as a recreational activity in senior care facilities.
A wordplay using the letters “BC”
Let’s combine symbols and letters to think it through! This is a wordplay puzzle using “BC.” It shows the characters “Star BC,” which don’t have motion or color, so it might be hard to find the answer from that alone.
The hints are that it refers to an actor and that the “A” in “ABC” has been replaced by a star.
The answer is “movie star.” It’s a clever twist where the “A” becomes a “star,” so it makes sense once you hear it! Bursts of insight stimulate the brain, so try posing it to people around you.
A witty wordplay using “shō” and “jō”
Let’s solve a riddle that looks like an official-style problem! It’s a wordplay puzzle using “shou” and “jou.” The display shows “shou × 2” and “jou ÷ 2.” The hints are that it suggests a bustling crowd, and that “shou” is doubled while “jou” is halved.
The answer is “shoubai hanjou,” meaning “prosperous business.” It makes sense if you think of it as “shou” multiplied and “jou” halved—“shou-bai” and “han-jou.” It’s a perfect brain teaser with clever wordplay, and once you get it, it’s quite satisfying.
Give it a try!
A wordplay puzzle using the characters “mi” and “ri”
ひらがなを組み合わせよう！「み」と「り」を使った言葉遊びパズルだよ。
The character “み” is stacked vertically and is sandwiched by “り” on both sides.
The hints are that it’s a food and that there are two “mi” with “ri” on both sides.
The answer is “nikomi ryōri” (simmered dishes).
Thinking of two “mi” and “ri” on both sides, you might go “I see!” Simmered dishes like nikujaga, oden, and nimono warm both the heart and body.