[For Seniors] Guaranteed to Liven Things Up! A Collection of Brain Training Activities That Will Spark Laughter

Brain training with gojūon (Japanese syllabary) cards

[Fun Recreation] Brain Training with Japanese Syllabary Cards! Directly from Kenichi Yamaguchi!

As we age, it seems we may sometimes forget words.

So let’s use a set of kana cards to stimulate the brain.

First, arrange the cards in order starting from the A-row together with the older adult.

The act of arranging itself is said to help activate the brain.

Use the cards to form words—the more letters a word has, the higher the points.

Additionally, once a card has been used to make a word, it cannot be used again.

Treat voiced and semi-voiced marks (dakuten and handakuten) as a single card and make them count for points as well.

If someone can’t think of a word, it’s helpful for those around to offer hints like, “Let’s think of a word that starts with A.”

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Nakajima Junko

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Shiritori using 2 letters

The two-letter shiritori game got super heated lol

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.

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kappamaki

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Chinese cuisine card

@firstkidstv

We played a fast-paced Chinese-food-making card game as a family and it was a blast 🤣👍Supersonic RestaurantFamily game

♪ Original Song – First Kids TV – First Kids TV

Feel the irresistible rush! How about enjoying a card game that uses the names of Chinese dishes? Players hold cards with parts of dish names like “tan,” “men,” and “chā.” They take turns quickly stacking their cards onto the plate in the center so that the combined cards form proper dish names.

The player who runs out of cards first wins.

Because you have to instantly recognize dish names and play your cards, it really tests your reflexes and sense for word sounds! It’s a humor-filled game that’s sure to spark laughter with slip-ups and the creation of weird new “dishes.” Give it a try and make your own version at home!

Magical Banana

[Viral] We tried playing the Magical Banana game with all the members and burst into laughter lol

Let your imagination grow from the prompt and give your answers! Here are some ideas for the game “Magical Banana.” It’s a simple game where you chant “Magical Banana,” clap your hands, and keep making associations.

Try to avoid using the same words as much as possible, and take on the challenge with a slow rhythm.

For example, if the person sitting in front of you says, “When you say banana, I think fruit,” you would answer, “When you say fruit, I think apple,” and then the next person might say, “When you say apple, I think red,” and so on, as the prompt changes and goes around.

Give it a try while expanding your imagination!

Shiritori

Shiritori Anywhere

Shiritori, a word game many of us have played since childhood, is also a recommended recreation for people with dementia.

One of its strengths is how easy it is—no materials or preparation required.

It’s handy for filling small pockets of time, like on the bus when going out to the suburbs.

Another plus is that you can adjust the difficulty to match the person’s cognitive level.

You can customize freely with rules like “three-letter words only” or “food items only.” You could also set a goal, such as “finish after connecting 50 words.”

Gesture Game

Gesture game #nursingCare #dayService #careFacility #careHome #elderly #game #recreation #triedPlaying

A gesture game you often see on variety shows.

It doesn’t require any props—just your body—so it’s easy to enjoy and even gives you a bit of exercise.

As you know, the way it works is that the performer conveys the prompt to the participants using only body movements.

There are many ways to express it: capturing distinctive features, imitating actions, and highlighting key points of expression.

The performer thinks about how to communicate and how to represent the prompt through movement.

Participants, watching and wondering what it could be, focus on the motions and make associations, so it can also be expected to have brain-training benefits.

Give it a try!

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kojifumi

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Word search with hiragana cubes

Word search game

Prepare eight cubes with hiragana written on them and roll the cubes.

Combine the hiragana that appear to form as many table-friendly words as you can.

If the word changes, it’s okay to use the same hiragana more than once.

Since the hiragana change each time, you’ll get a different kind of stimulation every time you play.

There are many ways to enjoy it, such as changing the number of cubes or trying to form as many words as possible within a time limit.

Finding words and assembling them from characters activates the brain, so you can enjoy yourself while getting brain-training benefits.

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kojifumi

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