[For Seniors] Enjoy Easily! Hand Play 'Shimoshika Meyo' (If If, Tortoise)
Many older adults have probably sung the children’s song “The Hare and the Tortoise” at least once, don’t you think?
Some seniors may even have memories of singing it when they were little, or of singing it to their own children or grandchildren.
So this time, we’d like to introduce the hand game “Moshi Moshi Kame-san,” which was inspired by “The Hare and the Tortoise”!
Some facilities may already be using it during recreational activities or as part of their daily exercise routines.
It’s a familiar exercise for many seniors, and the “Moshi Moshi Kame-san” hand game comes in many variations.
There are some cleverly devised versions too, so please give them a try!
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[For Seniors] Enjoy Easily! Hand Game “Shimo Shimo Kameyo” (1–10)
A simple finger game where you move only two fingers
It’s a simple exercise where you move just two fingers on both hands in time with the music.
The key is to move different fingers—like the right thumb and left little finger—which you don’t usually do in daily life, enhancing the brain-training effect.
First, get used to alternating movements of the thumb and little finger, then start syncing them to the music.
It’s recommended to gradually increase the tempo.
Once you’re comfortable with the thumb and little finger, try more complex combinations with the other fingers—it could be fun.
Touch to the music
This exercise has participants alternate between clapping and touching parts of their body in time with a song.
By giving the instruction for which body part to touch right before each move, you effectively activate the brain as it plans the next action.
If you direct them to touch areas farther from the clapping position, it can also help them focus more on full-body movement.
You can gradually increase the tempo of the music to encourage quicker physical responses, and by making the combinations more complex—such as using one hand versus both hands—you can further enhance the brain-training effect.
Simple but quite challenging? Finger-counting exercise
This exercise involves a simple movement of touching the thumb to each finger in sequence, performed to the rhythm of a song.
By varying which finger you start with and making the combinations of left and right hands more complex, you can enhance its brain-training effects.
It may be easiest to first let participants get used to the movements with each hand separately, then progress to combining both hands.
By performing the challenging task of moving different fingers with each hand in time with the rhythm, this exercise effectively activates the brain.
[For Seniors] Enjoy Easily! Hand Game “Shimo-shika Miyo (11–20)”
Arms and legs torn apart, Hello there, little turtle
This is a movement song exercise where you move your arms and legs big and separately to the tune of “Moshimo Shikameyo.” You can do it while sitting in a chair, and it looks easy at first glance, but unless you really use both your head and body, it’s surprisingly tricky! Step your feet to the speed of the music, while your hands repeat clapping with your arms stretched forward, clapping with your arms spread to the sides, and clapping with your arms thrust up overhead.
If you don’t keep the order—front, side, up—in mind, you’ll lose track of which direction your hands should go midway.
At first, guide everyone with the call, “Front, side, up!” and once you get used to it, try singing along and have fun!
Easy exercises for fingers and hands
It’s a simple yet challenging exercise where you switch hand shapes to the rhythm of a song.
By practicing various patterns, you can train not only your brain but also fine finger movements.
To boost the brain-training effect, try moving each hand into different shapes or increasing the variety of arm and hand movement patterns.
As the finger movements become more complex, it’s harder to stay focused on the singing, but be mindful of that and work on strengthening the movements of your mouth and throat as well.
If Aerobic Exercise Were a Tortoise Test
This is a workout where you move your body to the song and thoroughly train your whole body.
By consciously paying attention to the song as well, you can also expect brain-training benefits from doing two things at once.
If you do it standing, it works your legs and lower back; if you do it sitting, you can still move your body with a focus on the upper body.
The movements are simple—moving your arms and legs in various directions to the rhythm—but it’s also recommended to increase the difficulty by switching the order partway through.
It might be better to have people focus on making big, full-range movements rather than moving quickly.
Sing and finger exercises
It’s a simple yet fairly challenging exercise in which you sing clearly while moving different fingers on each hand.
The idea is that by singing while moving your hands, you can expect brain-training effects from doing multiple tasks at once.
One hand forms a shape with the thumb extended, and the other with the pinky extended, and you switch them alternately as you sing.
A key point is to grip firmly so the other fingers don’t move unintentionally.
It’s also recommended to gradually increase the difficulty by, for example, speeding up the tempo of the song or adding new movements.