[For Seniors] Introducing Whiteboard Activities That Liven Up Spring!
When spring arrives, it gradually gets warmer, and older adults tend to become more active, don’t they?
Even seniors who tended to stay in their rooms during the winter may enjoy going out and interacting with others.
At such times, it would be fun to have games that are easy to play and can involve a large group, right?
This time, we’ll introduce whiteboard recreation activities that are perfect for enjoying in spring.
All you need are a whiteboard and markers, so preparation is simple and hassle-free.
They’re all activities that can be enjoyed by many people, making them great for fostering interaction among seniors.
Use these ideas as references for whiteboard recreation that lets you feel the spring season even indoors!
- [For Seniors] Play Long and Have Fun! A Whiteboard Activity with Brain-Training Elements
- [For Seniors] Brain Training with a Whiteboard! Fill-in-the-Blank Exercises & Quizzes
- [For Seniors] Spring Haiku. Spring Activity
- [For Seniors] Enjoy a Warm Spring! April Health Topics Roundup
- [For Seniors] Introducing Whiteboard Activities to Enjoy in Winter!
- [For seniors] April haiku. Exciting
- [For Seniors] Today’s Recommended Activity: Fun and Engaging
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- [For Seniors] Fun Spring Recreational Activities: A Collection of Games and Play Ideas
- [For Seniors] Brain-Training Recreation Using a Whiteboard
- [For Seniors] Fun Small-Group Recreation
- [For Seniors] Enjoy the Cold Winter! Seated Activities You Can Do
- For Seniors: Fun and Lively Exercise Recreation
[For Seniors] Introducing Whiteboard Activities That Liven Up Spring! (21–30)
Brain training erasing letters on a whiteboard
It’s a game where the 50 Japanese syllables are written on a whiteboard, and you make words using those characters.
Each character you use is erased from the board, and the goal is to create as many words as possible.
The key point is that you can’t use the same character again, so be mindful of which characters you should leave for later as you play.
If you start without thinking, you’ll tend to use the easy characters early on, so it’s recommended to deliberately come up with words that use the more difficult characters first.
Rather than just going with whatever words come to mind, it might be better to plan with the endgame in mind as you proceed.
A multiple-choice quiz about spring
When spring comes, we have more chances to enjoy hanami under the cherry blossoms and to see elementary school children carrying their large randoseru backpacks.
Older adults, too, have surely experienced spring events and the unique atmosphere of the season over the years.
With a seasonally themed quiz, you can answer based on your memories and knowledge.
So this time, we’re introducing a three-choice quiz about spring.
It’s also a bit of spring trivia, and with multiple choice it’s easier to answer, making it fun for everyone, regardless of gender.
If a question covers something you already know and you get it right, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment.
And even if you didn’t know it before, it’s enjoyable to gain new knowledge.
We hope older adults can feel the spirit of spring while having fun.
[For Seniors] Introducing Whiteboard Activities That Liven Up Spring! (31–40)
Write the same answer game about spring
Let’s play the “Write the Same Answer” game, where participants try to match their answers to a prompt.
This time, the theme is “spring.” You can ask any question you like, but make it something that’s easy for anyone to associate with spring and can be answered with a single word.
For example, “What food says spring to you?” or “What flower says spring?” Because you’ll be answering based on your own experiences and memories, it might be hard to match answers—but when you do, it feels great! Give it a try!
A word-restriction game about spring
I think the game where you use the Japanese syllabary as prompts to come up with words is often played in senior facilities.
So how about adding a constraint to make the usual game more challenging? Any constraint is fine.
For example, if you play this game in spring, try setting the theme to “spring words.” Using the vowels a, i, u, e, o as prompts, how many spring-related words can you come up with? The usual game will become much more difficult, and I think seniors will enjoy it too, so please give it a try.
The act of recalling is good brain training, and it can also be a way to test one’s vocabulary and knowledge.
Spring Flower Kanji Quiz
Some seniors may enjoy gardening and taking care of the plants in their yards as a hobby.
As the weather warms up in spring, it becomes easier to go for walks and admire the trees and flowers along the roadside.
In the “Spring Flower Kanji Quiz,” you write the target kanji on a whiteboard and have the seniors provide the answers.
Even if they can match flowers with their names, seeing them written in kanji makes you stop and think.
If the flower has a difficult kanji, the level of difficulty goes up even more.
Remembering “flowers related to spring” and imagining them from the kanji helps stimulate the brain.
If answering is difficult, try using photos or illustrations as hints.
Solving spring flower questions can help them recall the season as well.
Spring Holiday & Event Guessing Game
This is a game where players name spring holidays and events.
Let’s define spring as March through May and have everyone give their answers.
When it comes to spring holidays, examples include the Vernal Equinox Day, Greenery Day, and Children’s Day.
For events, there are things like cherry-blossom viewing, the Doll Festival, and Mother’s Day.
The number of official holidays is fixed, but there are many possible events to list, so try to recall your memories of springs you’ve experienced and see what you can remember.
The person who gives the most answers is the winner, and you could also have them share a story about a spring memory.
Shiritori Chain with Spring Words
Many day service centers and similar facilities for seniors likely incorporate the word game shiritori as a recreational activity.
Let’s try a slightly modified version—play a “shiritori chain” game using words related to spring.
Write the numbers 1 to 10 on a whiteboard, decide the words for positions 1 and 10 first, and write them in.
Then, starting from 1, think of words in order so that each connects by the last and first syllables and ultimately links to the word at 10.
Because there’s the restriction of using items associated with “spring,” the difficulty may be a bit higher.
However, it’s said that tasks that feel “a little difficult,” rather than easy ones, stimulate and activate the brain.
By all means, give it a try!
In conclusion
This time, we introduced whiteboard recreation activities that are perfect for spring.
Since whiteboard recreation doesn’t require preparing any special equipment, it places little burden on staff and can be enjoyed by large groups.
We’ve included many activities that engage the mind, which help stimulate the brain and are effective for dementia prevention.
With a bit of creativity, there are many ways to play, so please use these ideas as a reference!