[For Seniors] Test Your Memory!? Ideas for Whiteboard Games
Recreation using a whiteboard is a staple in care settings.
It’s easy to do anytime, anywhere, costs almost nothing, and the appeal is that a wide variety of games can be enjoyed by both small and large groups.
In this article, I’d like to introduce memory games that use a whiteboard.
There are plenty of games that test memory—such as how many words you can recall or what can be inferred from a hint.
They’re perfect for brain training too, so be sure to give them a try.
- Fun Brain Training! Memory Games for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Brain Training with a Whiteboard! Fill-in-the-Blank Exercises & Quizzes
- [For Seniors] Brain-Training Recreation Using a Whiteboard
- [For Seniors] Play Long and Have Fun! A Whiteboard Activity with Brain-Training Elements
- [For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Lively Whiteboard Activities
- [For Seniors] Brain Training! Recall Quiz Collection!
- Recommended for brain training: a proverb quiz using a whiteboard
- [Brain Training] Lively Word Quiz for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Ideal for Dementia Prevention: Easy-to-Practice Reminiscence Therapy Topics
- [For Seniors] Fun and Engaging Brain-Training Recreation
- [For Seniors] Lively Wordplay Game: Fun Recreation for Elderly Care
- [For Seniors] Brain Training Recommended for Dementia Prevention
- [For Seniors] Great for Brain Training! Question Card Ideas
[For Seniors] Test Your Memory!? Whiteboard Game Ideas (21–30)
Arunashi quiz
The “Aru-Nashi” quiz is probably a familiar game for many older adults.
Write one word each under the “aru” (has) and “nashi” (doesn’t have) columns.
After listing a few words under both sides, ask the older adults to answer what the items in the “aru” group have and what the items in the “nashi” group don’t have.
As they think about the answer and have that moment of insight, they can feel the joy and fun of figuring it out.
This kind of feeling is also called an “Aha! experience,” and it’s said to increase blood flow in the brain.
It’s a recreational activity that gets lively even in groups, encouraging conversation and deepening interaction among participants.
Brain training with rock-paper-scissors
It’s a game where you create patterns that switch between rock, scissors, and paper hand shapes, then go through those different patterns in order.
The key is thinking about what shape comes next.
Having players say the shapes out loud while making them is also important; thinking, moving the hands, and speaking at the same time helps activate the brain.
Start at a slow tempo at first, then gradually increase the speed to make it more challenging.
It might be easier if you write the sequence on a board in words so players can refer to it while figuring out the shapes.
A quiz to find the odd-one-out kanji
It’s a game where you look for the odd-one-out kanji whose shape is slightly different from the others that look the same on the board.
Tracing the lined-up characters with your eyes and spotting what feels off helps stimulate the brain.
The more characters there are, the longer it takes to find the odd one out, so it’s recommended to gradually increase the number to really get your brain working.
It could also be fun to aim for missed odd ones by using patterns like kanji with many strokes or subtle differences that are easy to overlook.
Brain training to create kanji related to spring
This is a game where players try to add components to kanji written on a board to transform them into different characters.
For example, you can add parts to 日 to make 春, or turn 女 into 桜.
Choosing kanji with seasonal themes is recommended.
A key tip is to leave plenty of blank space around each character so players have to think carefully about where to add the parts.
If they get stuck, you can give hints about what kind of kanji it could become or where to add the strokes to help spark ideas.
Fill-in-the-blank with a spring theme
It’s a game where you draw circles on a whiteboard—some with blank spaces and some with letters—and have players think of words by filling in the blanks.
While making use of the letters already written, they come up with words of that length.
The broad range of choices helps stimulate the brain.
If you prepare the letters in advance with a spring theme, players can enjoy a sense of spring while still having plenty of options to form words, which is recommended.
The difficulty changes depending on the number of letters and where the blanks are placed, so try various patterns to have players think of different words.