[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] Fun Brain Training! Lively Mind Exercises (131–140)
Picture matching cards
It’s a simple card game where the goal is to match the illustrations drawn on the backs of the cards.
To keep players from guessing what’s on the back, make sure the fronts are the same color and shape.
Any illustrations are fine as long as they form pairs, but having a theme—like “Fruits”—adds excitement as players anticipate what kinds of images might be included.
Increasing the number of cards raises the difficulty, so it’s best to adjust the deck size to suit the number of participants.
Color Card Matching Game
This is a game where you collect the specified colors from among cards painted on cardboard or construction paper and stack them in front of you.
The key point is that only the backs of the cards are colored, so encourage players to focus on the finger movements used to check colors and on remembering the placement of the cards.
The more color types and cards there are, the higher the difficulty, so once everyone gets used to it, gradually increasing the number should make it even more exciting.
It sounds fun not only with rules where individuals compete on speed, but also with cooperative rules where two people facing each other complete two sets together.
Memory Challenge
This is a memory challenge where participants quickly memorize illustrations drawn on paper or a board.
Within a limited time, they remember each illustration one by one.
When time is up, have them say aloud what they saw or write it down.
Repeating the same set multiple times to improve accuracy also serves as brain training.
You can adjust the difficulty by giving hints like “Let’s find what the illustrations have in common!” Why not try using this as a quiz activity in settings such as day services where older adults gather?
Strawberry Quiz
Strawberries are a familiar food, but there may be more you don’t know about them than you think.
For example—this often shows up in quiz questions—it’s said that people in Japan began eating them in the late Edo period; each of the tiny seeds on the surface is actually a fruit; and strawberries are, in fact, vegetables rather than fruit.
Surprising, isn’t it? Try this quiz and boost your strawberry trivia.
Absorbing all kinds of knowledge might just help you stay youthful.
Cognicise with A I U E O
Sit in a chair and practice vocalizing the Japanese vowels while marching your feet.
We’ll go from the A-row to the NA-row, and we’ll add movements besides foot marching.
For example, raise one finger for “u, ku, su, tsu, nu,” and add a handclap for “o, ko, so, to, no.” As you get used to it, try increasing the pace of the exercise or adding different movements.
The key is to gradually introduce movements to suit older adults.
Applying a slight physical challenge can increase effectiveness, but it’s important to keep it within a comfortable range for seniors.
Please try adding your own variations and give it a go.
