[For Seniors] Fun and Lively! Recommended Quiz Questions
How about quiz games like wordplay and riddles during recreation time at day service centers and other senior facilities? Puzzles that hide meanings in the arrangement, color, or orientation of letters, as well as riddles, are enjoyable brain teasers.
The answers often draw on familiar folk tales or everyday events, so seniors can experience that delightful “I get it!” moment of surprise and accomplishment when inspiration strikes.
The process of thinking stimulates the brain, and smiles and conversation naturally arise when the answer is revealed.
This time, we’ll introduce clever wordplay and riddle quizzes that are sure to get seniors excited and thinking, the kind that make you say, “Wow, that’s clever!”
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Wordplay & Riddle Quiz (1–10)
Who am I?
“Who am I?” quiz: as the name suggests, it’s a game where you guess who or what something is.
For example, if the answer is “banana,” the hints would be “I am food,” “I am yellow,” and “I am a fruit.” You listen to the hints and try to arrive at the answer “banana.” There are three hints in total; it could be fun to make it a point-based game—30 points if you get it from the first hint, 20 points from the second, and so on.
Witty characters using the kanji for ‘insect’
Let's think flexibly! Here's a wordplay puzzle using the character for 'insect' (虫).
The character 虫 is shown as if it has fallen over—what does that represent? The hint is to focus on the fact that it’s “an insect” and that it’s fallen.
If you consider whether the action “to fall over” (korobu) can be expressed with a different word, you might reach the answer.
The answer is “ladybug” (tentōmushi).
That’s because “to fall over” (korobu) can be rephrased as “転倒” (tentō), so we get “テントウ虫” (tentōmushi, ladybug).
It’s one of those puzzles that makes you say, “Ah, I see!”
Fuzzy Memory Quiz
This is a quiz where you’re asked to identify the exact shapes or sequences of things you casually see in everyday life.
The choice of questions—like traffic light colors or corporate logos—is an important point, and the more something blends into daily life, the harder it is to recall accurately.
If you sketch what vaguely comes to mind on a whiteboard, it can help organize your memory and bring you closer to the answer.
By retracing your own memories and clearly imagining the shapes, let’s work on stimulating your brain.
Witty calligraphy using the characters ‘parent’ and ‘se’
After taking a quick breather, let’s give our brains a little workout.
Here’s a wordplay riddle using the characters “親” (parent) and “せ.” You can see the character “せ” placed between the two parts that make up “親,” right? The hints are that it’s a word meaning to cause someone trouble, and that “せ” is inside “親.” With those hints, many of you have probably figured it out already.
The answer is “oyanakase” (a child who causes their parents grief).
Oyanakase refers to behavior by a child that causes their parents distress or makes them lament.
A wordplay character puzzle using ‘イ’ and ‘物’
Let’s try a word puzzle that combines characters! This is a puzzle using the characters “イ” and “物.” The katakana “イ” is placed inside the kanji “物.” The hints are that the character “物” is split, and that “イ” is inside it.
The answer is “Handle with care (Fragile).” Once you get it, you might feel totally refreshed.
The puzzle giver can adjust how the hints are presented, so everyone can have fun and enjoy a wonderful time participating.