[For Seniors] Whiteboard Activities: Engaging and Energizing Older Adults

Vertical and Horizontal Fill-in-the-Blank Quiz

@thinkbodyjapan

Prevent running out of activity ideas! Whiteboard activity ideas!CaregivingCaregivertranslation

♫ Original song – TBJ / Care • Rehabilitation • Nursing – TBJ / Care • Rehabilitation • Nursing

Let’s try a fill-in-the-letter quiz on a whiteboard.

We’ll write three-letter words in a horizontal row on the board.

Leave the middle letter blank, and have the seniors guess it.

By thinking of different letters that could fit in the blank, it becomes a brain-training activity.

The key is to make sure that when you fill in the blank letters and read across, they form words.

Everyone’s suggested answers can be correct, and another single word will also emerge, giving the seniors a sense of accomplishment.

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Nakajima Junko

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Things I want to eat in summer

[Classic] They just keep coming! July brain training for seniors: collecting words using a whiteboard

A whiteboard activity for seniors themed “Foods We Want to Eat in Summer” is a popular program that stimulates the brain while enjoying the sense of the season.

By freely “writing,” “seeing,” and “talking” about foods that come to mind—like watermelon, somen noodles, and shaved ice—conversations flow and nostalgic memories resurface.

It also fosters interaction among participants, creating a warm and lively atmosphere.

You can switch the prompt to something like “What comes to mind in July?” to draw out topics beyond food—such as Tanabata, fireworks, and summer festivals—offering a different way to enjoy the session.

By freely eliciting words, this idea lets participants savor the season while pleasantly stimulating the brain.

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kojifumi

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Anything Ranking

[Senior Recreation] The most excitement ever!? Anything-goes Whiteboard Rankings [Brain-Training Exercise]

We’d like to introduce a whiteboard activity in a ranking format where seniors answer from 1st to 10th place.

Let’s present topics such as common Japanese surnames or popular festival food stall rankings.

The seniors will provide the answers, and once they get used to it, try expanding the questions to cover 11th to 20th place as well.

Simply thinking about the answers is, of course, effective brain training, and seeing the completed rankings can also increase knowledge and trivia.

This whiteboard activity seems like a fun way to gain new knowledge.

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Nakajima Junko

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Autumn leaf viewing on a whiteboard

@seasoncafe.yokohama

TranslationRecreationElderly#Autumn leaves

Makkana Aki – Takashi Shimizu / Suginami Children’s Choir

This is a recreational activity where you pre-draw illustrations of mountains and trees on a whiteboard, and participants use pom-poms or finger stamps to add fall colors to create foliage.

By providing decorations in autumn shades like orange, yellow, and red and letting participants freely add color, they can enjoy the feeling of going out to view the autumn leaves.

As they use their hands, natural interaction emerges as they compare and chat about each other’s works.

After completion, older adults can look at and discuss the pieces together, which also livens things up.

It’s a recommended recreation that visually evokes autumn and stimulates creativity and sensitivity.

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mutō

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Restricted Shiritori: Autumn Foods

@thinkbodyjapan

Whiteboard lecture!CaregivingCaregiverNursing care facilitytranslationRecreation

♫ Original song – TBJ / Care • Rehabilitation • Nursing – TBJ / Care • Rehabilitation • Nursing

This is a word chain game that becomes brain training by intentionally setting constraints.

On a whiteboard, write “Starts with 〇 and ends with 〇,” then play shiritori using autumn foods that meet those conditions.

For example, with a word that starts with “sa” and ends with “n,” you could use “sanma” (Pacific saury).

The quiz master sets the conditions, and everyone thinks of words that fit.

By writing answers in sequence in a grid, it’s visually easy to follow, and the overall flow is clear, which helps build excitement.

Making the theme autumn foods lets you enjoy a seasonal feel while playing, and it also encourages broader conversation.

As autumn-specific foods keep coming up, participants can share memories and stories as well.

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mutō

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Word association game: What comes to mind when you think of September?

@thinkbodyjapan

Word association game on the whiteboard!CaregivingNursing care facilityCaregiver#Caregiver'sDailyLifeRecreation

♫ Original song – TBJ / Care • Rehabilitation • Nursing – TBJ / Care • Rehabilitation • Nursing

Here is an idea for a fall-themed quiz that also serves as brain training.

Ask participants, “What comes to mind when you think of September?” and write their answers on a whiteboard.

Based on the words that come up, expand into a word-association game using the initial letters or themes.

For example, if someone says “tsukimi” (moon viewing), you can think of foods that start with “tsu,” and so on.

As people associate words, seasonal topics naturally arise, helping stimulate memory, vocabulary, and creativity.

Adding a time limit or team competition boosts the game aspect and encourages smiles and conversation.

By starting with familiar topics, it lowers the barrier to participation and makes an excellent fall recreation activity that can also serve as a conversation starter for older adults.

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mutō

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Proverb fill-in-the-blank

[Proverb Quiz] Brain Training Fill-in-the-Blank! Insert the Words to Complete the Proverb [Dementia Prevention Game for Seniors] #3

This is a quiz-style recreation where you write proverbs on a whiteboard with part of the phrase left blank, and participants guess the missing words.

For example, using familiar proverbs like “〇〇 saki ni tatazu” (“It’s no use crying over spilt milk”-type sayings) makes it easier for people to join in.

You can offer hints or set a time limit according to the difficulty, which adds tension and a sense of gameplay and naturally livens up the room.

The process of recalling and thinking of the answer helps stimulate the brain, and each answer check brings the joy of rediscovery—“That’s right!” Using long-cherished sayings evokes nostalgia and shared topics, making it easier for older adults to chat with each other.

Keeping a brisk pace also helps maintain concentration.

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mutō

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