Lovely senior life

[For Seniors] Collection of Pet Bottle Cap Puzzle Challenges

Social worker / Care workermoko
My name is Moko, a mother of three who admired my mother and worked in the care industry as a care worker and as a medical social worker (MSW) in a hospital. I will be drawing on my previous experience to write mainly about caregiving. Thank you in advance.
Worked as a certified care worker for 17 years.Nanaka
I’ve been working as a certified care worker for 17 years. I’m Nanaka, a caregiving web writer. I decided to pursue this profession because I wanted a job that would help people. Having worked in day care for many years, I’ve experienced a wide variety of recreational activities. Exercise set to music, in particular, always created a cheerful atmosphere and was very well received. I’d be delighted to continue delivering writing that resonates with readers through caregiving-related articles. Thank you for your support.

There are many recreational activities that make use of plastic bottle caps, aren’t there? Among them, have you heard of the plastic bottle cap puzzle, which is recommended for preventing dementia? It’s a recreation that uses sheets with pictures or letters and matching caps that have the corresponding pictures or letters on them.

Because small caps are used, it helps with hand and finger rehabilitation and also stimulates the brain.

In this article, we introduce a variety of prompts you can use for plastic bottle cap puzzles.

There are a wide range of ideas—from simple pictures and numbers to national flags and difficult kanji—so please choose prompts that match the physical and mental condition of the elderly participants.

[For Seniors] Collection of PET Bottle Cap Puzzle Challenges (1–10)

Family crests of the Sengoku period

[History] Sengoku-period family crests quiz [10 questions total]

Family crests of the Sengoku period

This is a recommended game about Sengoku-period family crests for seniors who enjoy history.

There were several types of crests in the Sengoku era; famous examples include the Tokugawa clan’s triple hollyhock (Mitsuba Aoi) and the Toyotomi clan’s Paulownia crest (Go-Shichi no Kiri).

It is said that family crests indicated lineage, bloodline, family status, and social rank.

Draw these crests on plastic bottle caps and place them on a sheet with the names of warlords.

If you’re familiar with the Sengoku period, this can spark stories about episodes from the time and the historical background.

By the way, family crests are said to be a unique cultural tradition found only in Japan.

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proverb

[Proverb Quiz: One Question, One Answer] 77 Famous Proverbs That Also Teach Lessons

proverb

Proverbs, packed with various kinds of wisdom, are likely familiar to many older adults.

Simply answering proverbs can be a quiz in itself, but with plastic bottle caps you can make something more inventive! Prepare sheets with proverbs where key kanji parts are left as blanks, and match them with caps labeled with the corresponding words.

It might be hard to get the right answer without knowing the proverb, but the humor of made-up, non-existent proverbs can spark unexpected laughter and help lighten the mood.

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Ways to count things

[One-Question-One-Answer Counters] How to Count Things and Units (General Knowledge You Should Know)

Ways to count things

Fuji TV’s variety show “Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!” had a hugely popular segment called “Kazutori-dan.” It was a game where you had to correctly state the counting unit for things—for example, horses are counted in “to,” houses in “ken,” and so on.

If you know the show, you’ll surely be reminded of “Kazutori-dan” by this activity: “Place the counting caps on sheets labeled with object names!” and get the excitement going.

From famous ones like rabbits counted in “wa” and udon in “tama,” to trickier units like konnyaku in “chō” and castella in “kin,” make the sheets together while looking them up and having fun.

Some people might even find learning the units more enjoyable than the game itself!

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[For Seniors] Collection of PET Bottle Cap Puzzle Challenges (11–20)

Kanji for vegetables

Kanji for vegetables

Kanji for vegetables

When it comes to vegetables traditionally written in kanji, you might think of daikon, hakusai (Chinese cabbage), and ninjin (carrot).

In the past, gobō (burdock) and kabocha (pumpkin) were also written in kanji, but these days you see them in hiragana more often.

And when it comes to terms like amatōgarashi (sweet pepper) and kanran (cabbage), seeing them in kanji makes them completely unrecognizable.

But that very unfamiliarity might actually make it more fun.

I think vegetable kanji are perfect for a game where you “place a cap with the same kanji on top of the kanji written on a sheet.” If you’re doing it at an event with kindergarteners, an arrangement like “illustrations on the sheet and hiragana on the caps” could work well.

Make everything a bit larger and it could be a great activity for birthday parties and other gatherings.

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national flag

[Flag Quiz] Let's learn the flags of the world's 197 countries!

There are many countries in the world, and it’s said there are flags for 197 of them.

Here’s a PET bottle cap puzzle featuring these various flag designs.

Put flag stickers on bottle caps.

Then place each cap with its flag sticker onto the matching flag on a printed sheet.

If you don’t have flag stickers, you could attach drawings of flags on construction paper instead.

Through this game, even older adults can enjoy gaining new knowledge about countries they may not know.

It will likely spark comments and conversations like, “Which country does this flag belong to?”

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Prefectural emblem

Prefectural Emblem Quiz Part 1

Prefectural emblem

The prefectural emblems are marks that represent each prefecture in Japan.

Many of them are designed based on history, culture, geography, and other characteristics.

Older adults have probably seen the emblem of the prefecture where they live or their hometown at least once.

Let’s play with a PET bottle cap puzzle inspired by prefectural images.

Put the prefectural emblems on the caps and write the prefecture names on a sheet.

If you look closely at the prefectural emblems often found on PET bottles, you might find some hidden hints.

By the way, Ishikawa Prefecture is said to be the only prefecture in Japan that has not established an official emblem.

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Kanji characters that have the grass radical

[Brain Training] Answer the readings of the following kanji ✏️ «Radical: grass crown (kusa-kanmuri)»

Kanji characters that have the grass radical

Aren’t there also some senior care facilities where residents do gardening or grow vegetables in planters? It’s also called horticultural therapy, and I’ve heard that cultivating plants can have positive effects physically, mentally, cognitively, and socially.

It may even help seniors recover certain functions.

Many older adults seem to enjoy flowers and plants.

Here’s a PET-bottle-cap puzzle that uses kanji with the grass radical, which often signifies plants.

With this puzzle, seniors might find it easier to give it a try.

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