[For Seniors] Collection of Pet Bottle Cap Puzzle Challenges

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.

proverb

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

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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KEI

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prefectural capital

One-Question Drill to Memorize Prefectural Capitals: Mnemonics for the Capitals of Japan’s 47 Prefectures / Listen-Only / Geography

There are 47 prefectures in Japan, right? How about a plastic bottle cap puzzle with the capital of each prefecture written on it? Write the prefectural capitals on both the caps and the sheet.

It might be nice to make the sheet look like a map of Japan.

Some seniors will likely have connections to certain prefectures where they live or where they’re from.

They may have memories tied to those regions and feel nostalgic about the past.

It seems like this game could spark lively conversations about memories from all over Japan.

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Nakajima Junko

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Olympic sports pictograms

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Moving Pictograms – All 50 Events | TOKYO Olympic Pictograms

The pictograms used on emergency exit signs.

Pictograms are symbols that convey information or warnings through pictures and diagrams.

There are also pictograms inspired by Olympic events.

At the Paris 2024 Games in France, there were reportedly 62 pictograms in total, including both the Olympics and the Paralympics.

I think many older adults are also interested in the Olympics.

A bottle-cap puzzle that uses the pictograms from the Olympics held in Japan in the familiar year of 2020 would likely be a hit.

It might even remind some people of the Tokyo Olympics held in 1964.

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Nakajima Junko

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Road sign

[Road Signs / Traffic Signs] A video for adults to learn road signs. Kids can learn numbers from 1 to 100 at the same time.

There are many different road signs.

Even when taking a walk with older adults, you may come across signs.

Many signs seem to have similar designs.

Apparently, even the pedestrian signs come in several varieties.

Write the same sign on a cap and on a sheet, and have the older adults match them.

Since many look alike, you can almost hear cheerful laughter and comments like, “Oops, I got it wrong.” It might also be nice to share little trivia about road signs while doing the puzzle.

Gaining new knowledge could make it an even more enjoyable time for the older adults.

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Nakajima Junko

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Ways to count things

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

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!

Kanji with the shinnyō radical

Try listing as many kanji with the shinnyō (辶) radical as you can!

Let me introduce a kanji PET-bottle-cap puzzle.

There are many kanji in Japan, and by using radicals such as the ones for “fish,” “tree,” or “metal,” you can create an interesting puzzle game.

For example, write kanji that include the shinnyō radical—such as 進, 辺, 逆, and 遊—on caps and on a sheet.

Then place the cap with the matching kanji onto the corresponding kanji on the sheet that has the shinnyō radical.

You can also color the kanji on the sheet and the caps.

Through this puzzle game, you might even discover an unexpected side of older adults, such as their deep knowledge of kanji.

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Nakajima Junko

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