[For Seniors] Lively Wordplay Game: Fun Recreation for Elderly Care
Among word games, the one that continues to be loved by people of all ages is shiritori.
In shiritori, you take the last letter of a word and use it to link to a new word, right? How about enjoying this long-popular game with a variety of fun twists? Lively word games like these also serve as brain training and are appealing because everyone can dive in together and have a great time.
This time, we’re introducing shiritori word games that older adults can truly enjoy.
They range from easy to a bit more challenging, so give them a try!
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Association Game Brain Training (1–10)
Fairy Tale Association Game
This is a game where you guess a folktale from drawn illustrations.
For example, if you see “peach,” “river,” and “millet dumplings,” you’d guess “Momotaro.” If you see “tree,” “chestnut,” “crab,” and “monkey,” you’d guess “The Crab and the Monkey.” You look at drawings of key items or characters and identify the story.
In this game, the drawer’s skill is very important! It’s best to have a talented artist on your team handle the prompts.
That said, it can also be fun to get excited while saying, “I have no idea what that drawing is!”
A game where you associate kanji with pictures
Let’s look at a picture and use our imagination! Here’s an idea for a game where you associate kanji with a picture.
It’s said to be popular as a way to help prevent dementia.
For example, prepare an illustration showing three trees in a row and think about which kanji it represents.
The answer is “森” (mori, meaning “forest”).
In this way, it’s a simple and fun game where you look at an illustration and answer with the kanji that fits.
Since it makes you think, you’ll likely feel refreshed when you figure out the answer! Give it a try!
Word Association Brain Training (11–20)
Vegetable Name Guessing Association Game
A vegetable association quiz where you guess which vegetable it is from its characteristics.
Vegetables are considered healthy, so many older adults may be actively incorporating them into their diet.
And for those who keep a garden, they regularly handle vegetables, so some might feel ready for any vegetable quiz.
In a vegetable quiz, for example, if the correct answer is “cucumber,” you would provide about three hints that evoke cucumbers—such as summer vegetable, kappa, and pickles—and have participants answer “cucumber.” Find various features like the dishes that commonly use the vegetable or its color, and turn them into a quiz!
Association Quiz ~Food Edition~
Let me introduce a game called “Association Quiz,” where you guess the food in question using three hints.
As the hints are revealed, the identity of the food gradually becomes clearer, but those with sharp intuition might reach the answer before the final hint.
You can write the questions on a whiteboard or read them aloud so anyone can join, and it works well for both small and large groups.
It’s also great fun to play while chatting with the person next to you—saying things like, “What could it be?”—so I highly recommend it.
Gesture Game
It’s a “gesture game” where you move your body and have others guess the answer.
Because players infer the answer from only a few clues—such as silent movements without sounds or voices—gesture games can be expected to have brain-training benefits.
Plus, making the movements that lead to the answer or observing them seems to help refresh both body and mind.
If it’s difficult for older adults to move around, try preparing prompts that can be acted out while seated in a chair.
Silent movements can feel humorous, and figuring out answers from the motions adds lots of excitement.
Please give it a try for reference.
Association game while marching in place
The activity said to be most effective for activating the brain is a dual task—doing two things at the same time.
It might seem like one task would suffer when you’re thinking about or doing two things at once, but by getting used to it and handling it well, it’s said to not only stimulate the brain but also help prevent falls.
Let’s try a word-association game that lets you practice this dual task.
One task is marching in place, and the other is the association game.
I’ll give prompts like, “Name three green vegetables,” or “Name three animals from the cat family.” You can do the marching while seated, too!
Association card game
It’s a game that tests your imagination and creativity by thinking of things associated with keywords written on cards.
You prepare three types of cards that represent “color,” “characteristic,” and “thing,” and place one card from each category on the table.
Then you think of something that fits all the conditions shown on the cards and share your answer.
Even a prompt like “a white, soft creature” could lead to multiple answers such as “rabbit” or “sheep,” so it could also be fun to compete on how many ideas you can come up with.
