[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.
- [For Seniors] Fun and Engaging Brain-Training Recreation
- [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! Lively Mental Exercises (71–80)
A wordplay character using ‘ri’ and numbers
Let’s think by combining characters! Here’s a wordplay puzzle that uses the character “り” and numbers.
You see the string “り234り6.” Without a hint, many people might find it hard to reach the answer.
The hint is that the numbers “1” and “5” have been replaced by “り.” The correct answer is “strawberry picking.” Some of you may have had the experience of picking and eating strawberries at a strawberry farm.
This was a puzzle that makes you crave sweet strawberries!
A wordplay character puzzle using ‘イ’ and ‘物’
Let’s try a word puzzle that combines characters! This is a puzzle using the characters “イ” and “物.” The katakana “イ” is placed inside the kanji “物.” The hints are that the character “物” is split, and that “イ” is inside it.
The answer is “Handle with care (Fragile).” Once you get it, you might feel totally refreshed.
The puzzle giver can adjust how the hints are presented, so everyone can have fun and enjoy a wonderful time participating.
I made one sheet of paper into ten without tearing or cutting it. How did I do it?
It’s a simple riddle whose answer you can figure out by recalling everyday actions.
I turned one piece of paper into ten without tearing or cutting it.
How did I do it? The hint is something related to money.
Think of a 10,000-yen bill or a 1,000-yen bill.
The answer is “exchange.” For example, you might exchange one 10,000-yen bill for ten 1,000-yen bills in various situations.
The number of pieces increases without tearing or cutting, right? It’s a simple yet humorous riddle.
A wordplay lettering using “ka,” “n,” and “mai”
Let’s try a riddle that feels satisfying once you get the answer.
Here’s a wordplay puzzle using “ka,” “n,” and “mai.” The letters “mai” are arranged vertically three times between “ka” and “n.” The hints are that it’s a type of greeting card and that there are three “mai” inside “ka” and “n.” The answer is “kanchū mimai” (a midwinter greeting card).
The key is reading the three “mai” as “mimai.” Once you reach the answer, the confusion clears up nicely!
A wordplay rebus using the characters “ri,” “u,” and “n”
Let's focus on each character's distinctive features and think! Here's a wordplay puzzle using the characters “り,” “う,” and “ん.” You can see a blue “り,” a black “う,” and an “ん” that has fallen over.
There’s not much uniformity, so many people might need time to reach the answer.
The hints are that it’s a phrase describing a dangerous act, and that in addition to the blue “ri,” the “n” has toppled over.
The answer is “あおり運転” (aggressive driving/road rage tailgating).
Once you hear it, you think, “Oh, that’s what it means!”
A wordplay riddle using the character “sky”
Let's use the hints to figure out the answer! This is a word puzzle using the character for 'sky' (空).
The simple character 空 turns blue, and its corners are rounded off.
These two points are your clues! The time limit is 30 seconds.
If having a time limit makes it hard to think carefully, try removing the limit and giving it a go.
The answer is “a clear, blue sky.” It’s a clever and funny wordplay puzzle where a single character can express a whole scene.
Witty characters using the kanji for ‘insect’
Let's think flexibly! Here's a wordplay puzzle using the character for 'insect' (虫).
The character 虫 is shown as if it has fallen over—what does that represent? The hint is to focus on the fact that it’s “an insect” and that it’s fallen.
If you consider whether the action “to fall over” (korobu) can be expressed with a different word, you might reach the answer.
The answer is “ladybug” (tentōmushi).
That’s because “to fall over” (korobu) can be rephrased as “転倒” (tentō), so we get “テントウ虫” (tentōmushi, ladybug).
It’s one of those puzzles that makes you say, “Ah, I see!”