[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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- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
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[For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Lively Mental Exercises (21–30)
World Travel Quiz
From Japan’s breathtaking scenery to UNESCO World Heritage Sites! Here are some ideas for a world travel quiz.
If travel is your hobby, you may have visited places all over Japan and countries around the world.
This quiz is perfect for people like you.
It features 20 questions in various formats—either-or questions, knowledge quizzes, majority-vote questions, and riddles—making it a fun challenge for groups as well.
Be sure to use it to liven up recreational activities or events!
Showa-era Buzzword Quiz
Let’s use it for recall training! Here are some ideas for a Showa-era buzzword quiz.
This is a quiz I’d love for anyone who feels their memory has been declining lately to try.
It features questions about buzzwords from 1950, which is Showa 25! The video also has segments that look back on the situation and history of the time, so many of you might find it nostalgic.
The quiz is in a multiple-choice format with three options for each question, so feel free to give it a try.
[For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Exciting Mental Exercises (31–40)
Memory Challenge Quiz
“Do you remember what the picture we just saw was?” With this prompt, you begin a memory quiz that involves looking at and remembering pictures.
It’s a highly effective activity that engages vision, memory, and concentration at the same time.
Images and photos tend to be absorbed more intuitively than words, and they’re easier to grasp instinctively even for older adults.
By enjoying colorful illustrations and nostalgic items, the brain is naturally activated.
The sense of achievement from saying “I remembered it!” or “I got it right!” helps build confidence.
Shiritori using 2 letters
Speaking of shiritori, it’s the classic word game where you take the last character of a word and connect it to a new word.
Let’s make it a bit trickier by using the last two characters to link to the next word.
Even though you’re using more letters, that part isn’t too hard—the real challenge is making sure the second-to-last character isn’t “n,” which would end the chain.
Once you get used to the rules, you can spice it up further—like limiting it to four-letter words—to make it even more exciting.
Same Letter Fill-in-the-Blank Quiz
Effective brain training! Here are ideas for a same-letter fill-in-the-blank quiz.
On the screen, words are shown in hiragana, but they have holes marked with circles.
No matter how many circles there are, complete the word by using the same hiragana for all the circles! For example, the characters “○か○ま” appear, and you’re told, “Fill the circles with the same character.” There are 20 such questions.
Each one has a 20-second time limit, but there are hints, so take your time and think it through.
You’ll feel refreshed when you find the answer!
Kanji quiz with characters many people misread
Easily misread words! Here are some ideas for a kanji quiz featuring characters that many people read incorrectly.
Even words you use every day might actually be ones you’ve been misreading.
In recent years, there have even been cases where incorrect usage spread and became socially accepted.
This time, let’s try a kanji quiz that many people get wrong.
For example, a word like “呑気” is shown, and you’re asked, “How do you read this kanji?” There are 15 such questions.
Each has a 10-second time limit, so if you want to think more carefully, try pausing the video as you go.
Kanji riddle problems
Here is an idea for a spark-of-inspiration style brain-training game themed around kanji: “Kanji Riddle Challenges.” Instead of focusing on readings or radicals, the appeal lies in a fresh way to enjoy kanji by paying attention to their appearance and how they combine.
What happens if you split this kanji in two? What if you flip the top and bottom? Seemingly simple, yet surprisingly deep—these puzzles demand a shift in perspective.
For those who’ve grown up familiar with kanji, the satisfaction and delight of reaching the answer are exceptional.
As you play, your concentration and memory are naturally stimulated.
It’s an intelligent and fun kanji riddle game, perfect both for quiet, thoughtful moments and for lively play with others.
