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

Inchworm Brain Training Exercise

Inchworm Brain-Training Exercises: Today’s Brain Workout #154 – Preventive Care and Dementia Prevention

Let’s stimulate your brain with a finger play that mimics an inchworm’s movement.

Inchworms move by stretching and contracting their bodies, right? We’ll recreate that motion with your fingers as a hand game.

Touch the tips of your index finger and thumb together on both hands.

From there, bend one thumb and touch it to the index finger of the other hand.

Then alternate by bending an index finger to touch the thumb on the other hand, and keep repeating this pattern.

The motion looks like an inchworm, doesn’t it? At first, it can be hard to make each finger meet the opposite one smoothly, but working to make the connections is said to help activate your brain.

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Nakajima Junko

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Flag-raising game

Day Service Center Ranpuen Flag-Raising Game

This is a game where you move red and white flags in your hands up and down according to given instructions.

Your ability to listen carefully and then move—distinguishing between commands like “raise” vs.

“don’t raise” and “lower” vs.

“don’t lower”—is put to the test.

Once you get used to it, it’s recommended to gradually increase the speed of the instructions.

By requiring quicker decisions, you can further stimulate the brain.

To help players focus on listening and moving, it’s also a good idea to make the flags easier to hold—for example, by forming them into rings.

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kappamaki

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Makimaki Apple Game

Let's do this for tomorrow's recreation! It gets everyone excited at the day service! The Maki-Maki Rinko Game 🍎 #dayservice #elderly #elderlyrecreation #seniors #recreation #caregiving #preventivecare #braintraining #dementiaprevention #dementia #shorts

Let me introduce a recreation activity that makes great use of the hands and wrists: the Rolling Apple Game.

Attach a stick to a sheet of paper with tape, and place an apple on the paper.

Your goal is to bring the apple to your feet using only the motion of winding the stick—pulling is not allowed, so the winding action is key.

You need to use your fingertips and wrists, and if you wind too fast the apple will fall off, so you must decide whether to prioritize speed or focus on keeping the apple from falling.

Watching the apple make its way toward you is fun in itself, so spectators can’t help but cheer.

It’s enjoyable while also training the fingers and hands, making it a great recommendation for recreational activities in senior facilities.

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kojifumi

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High touch rec

Can't stop laughing lol! A high-five recreation that gets everyone excited [Senior brain-training exercise]

A high five is when two people clap each other’s hands, often when greeting brightly or feeling happy.

Let’s turn this high five into a recreation activity that seniors can enjoy.

Have everyone sit in a circle on chairs and high-five the person next to them.

Try high-fiving with just one hand, or flip the hands over to change the palm orientation as you go.

Make the seated circle smaller so people can reach to tap someone’s hand, or do double high fives with both hands.

Thinking about who has a free hand and counting to ten while high-fiving can also help train the brain.

It’s an activity that may spark conversations with people who don’t usually talk and broaden communication.

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Nakajima Junko

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Brain-training finger play

[Test Your Frontal Lobe] Brain Training for the Frontal Lobe That Seems Easy but Is Difficult

Here’s a no-prep recreation activity: a finger-play brain exercise.

It’s simple to do! First, hold your hands up with your palms facing you and make fists.

Open only the thumb on your right hand and only the pinky on your left hand.

Next, switch: open the pinky on your right hand and the thumb on your left hand.

Keep repeating this.

It sounds easy, but it’s surprisingly hard.

Try doing it to a rhythm—one, two, one, two—and you might find yourself laughing at how tricky it is.

But don’t worry.

The goal isn’t to do it perfectly; performing two different movements at the same time stimulates your brain, so just trying it provides a brain-training effect.

With practice, you’ll get the hang of it and feel a sense of achievement.

Give it a try!

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kojifumi

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Clap-Clap Game

Class activity: 'Clap-Clap Game' #shorts #MimakitaniLab #elementaryschool #classmanagement #recreation

This is a game where everyone tries to clap right in time with the designated person’s movements.

The designated person turns to the side, extends one hand, and then brings the other hand over to overlap it.

Everyone claps at the exact moment the hands meet.

If the hands come together too slowly, it’s hard to sync the sound, so keep a certain pace.

While you might expect a steady rhythm, the key to making the game exciting is throwing in twists—like not letting the hands meet on the final beat.

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kappamaki

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See-no-evil, speak-no-evil, hear-no-evil gymnastics

Brain-training exercises that spark laughter: recreational activities seniors enjoy, and health exercises.

As we get older, our physical stamina declines, and many seniors find exercise challenging.

For those people, we recommend this “See No Evil, Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil Exercise.” It’s a brain-training-meets-physical-activity game, done like the video’s rock-paper-scissors-style exercise.

As a plus, mix up the hand movements with the phrases “see no evil,” “speak no evil,” and “hear no evil,” and even say the wrong one on purpose—that’s recommended too.

If you’re aiming for laughs, the latter approach works best.

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Ryo

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