With upbeat rhythm routines! Music therapy for seniors
When you listen to nostalgic songs, you find yourself humming along, keeping the rhythm, and moving your body naturally.
They may also bring back memories and spark lively conversations.
This time, we’ve gathered music activities that are fun and engaging.
At events, playing the melody on a piano or keyboard is recommended, as you can match the seniors’ singing and movements.
Adding accompaniment makes it even more exciting.
Let’s use our big voices to make it a joyful gathering!
With lively rhythm skits! Music therapy for seniors (1–10)
Ball juggling in time with the song
Let’s enjoy passing a ball to the rhythm of a song! Humming an old tune while everyone passes the ball around makes for a wonderful time.
Moving your body to the beat will naturally bring out smiles.
When you receive the ball, look your neighbor in the eye and say “thank you” to spark conversation.
If someone has a weak grip, a light ball or a balloon works well.
If you can’t recall the lyrics, humming is fine.
When everyone raises their voices together, a lovely sense of unity emerges.
It’s a wonderful activity that lifts both body and spirit in a cheerful atmosphere.
Rhythmic exercises to a children’s song
Rhythmic exercises set to a children’s song—what a wonderful idea! Moving your arms and legs and clapping along to “Antagata Dokosa” makes it twice as fun.
The key is to lift your foot on the timing of “sa.” It’s effective for dementia prevention and perfect for morning exercise.
With such a refreshing start to the day, you’ll feel ready to give it your all.
Nostalgic children’s songs are familiar and comforting for older adults too, and if everyone sings along while moving their bodies, it’s sure to become a time filled with smiles.
Now, let’s get moving with energy!
Brain-training exercises with nursery rhymes
Brain-training exercises with children’s songs sound wonderful! Moving your body to nostalgic tunes lets you build health while having fun.
How about making rabbit ears with your hands or showing a turtle’s shell to the song “Usagi to Kame” (The Hare and the Tortoise)? Changing movements to match the lyrics engages your mind too—two birds with one stone.
With “Tako Tako Agare” (Fly, Kite), you can add big arm-circling motions.
Singing together in unison will spark conversation and make for a delightful time.
Let’s exercise with smiles, wrapped in the gentle atmosphere of traditional children’s songs!
Brain-training game you play while singing
Let’s have fun moving our bodies with a brain-training game while singing! Songs that mention fruit are easy to remember and feel familiar.
It’s also great to sway to the rhythm or clap your hands.
Singing while recalling the lyrics naturally helps improve memory.
It’s fun to come up with simple choreography to match the music, too.
You might also try choosing favorite songs together with older adults.
If it’s a nostalgic tune, it could spark lively conversations about old memories.
Let’s all sing together and make both our minds and bodies feel energized!
Raise your voice
Raising our voices lifts both our hearts and bodies.
Let’s all have fun together by harmonizing our voices, singing, and playing word games.
The game where you answer “plum” when someone says “red” is perfect for a mental workout, too.
As the pace speeds up, everyone can have a great time laughing together.
Using our voices can also bring back old memories.
When we hum nostalgic songs, our bodies naturally start to move.
With piano or keyboard accompaniment, the fun doubles! Let’s speak up, sing out, and enjoy a wonderful time together.
Playing musical instruments
How about trying your hand at playing a musical instrument? Not only is it enjoyable, but it’s also said that playing instruments can strengthen the connection between the right and left hemispheres of the brain.
With a bit of creativity, it can even become a full-body activity.
For example, sit in a chair, hold a tambourine in your hands, and fasten castanets to the soles of your left and right feet.
This way, you can enjoy performing while using both your hands and feet evenly.
Song selection is also important, so try to find tunes that will get everyone excited.
Melody change rec
Let’s try making parody versions using songs that older adults are familiar with, such as nursery rhymes and TV drama theme songs.
Singing the lyrics of a different song to a familiar melody can really liven things up.
The key point here is to choose songs that older adults know well.
If you pick songs that aren’t widely known, their motivation to sing may drop, so please be careful.
With parodies, even if you make some mistakes in the lyrics or go off pitch a little, it can turn into laughter.
It also helps stabilize emotions and relieve stress, so we hope you’ll enjoy singing.
Consciously singing different lyrics to a familiar tune stimulates the brain and supports activation.
Please give it a try.
