[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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Word Association Brain Training (11–20)
Association game: various surnames
There are many different surnames in Japan.
Depending on the region, you might find people with rare surnames, or areas where many people share the same surname.
According to one theory, surnames have various origins: some come from the family line one was born into, others from occupations, and still others from the places where people lived.
So this time, we’d like to introduce “Word Association Game: All About Surnames.” Give participants one minute to think of as many surnames as they can.
After one minute, have them say the surnames they came up with and write them on a whiteboard or similar.
One person can aim for 10, or the whole group can aim for 50.
It’s perfect as a mental workout, so please give it a try!
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.
Prefecture Guessing Association Game
This is an association quiz where you guess the name of a Japanese prefecture.
You’ll be given three hints based on distinctive features of the prefecture—such as famous local products or regional dishes, historical events, and tourist attractions—and you must answer with the exact prefecture name.
The hints are presented from the most difficult to the easiest.
How many hints will it take you to get the answer? Participants can quietly submit their guess as soon as they know it, or, if there are many players, using a show-of-hands system to answer can make it more exciting.
Single-Overlaid Kanji Association Quiz
Let me introduce the “Overlapping Kanji Single-Character Association Quiz,” which features a two-step challenge: writing multiple kanji stacked in one spot, then guessing what the combined kanji makes you think of.
First, you have to decipher the kanji gathered in one place—but it won’t be straightforward.
Don’t rush; tackle them one by one.
Once you figure out the overlapping kanji, derive an answer such as something associated with that character—an object, a person’s name, or a place name.
Since it’s quite difficult, it’s a good idea to start with problems that overlap just two kanji.
Be sure to savor the sense of accomplishment when you get it right!
An association game using initials
How about some brain training with a word association game? We’ll start by listing keywords for the prompt “What comes to mind in June?” Once we’ve got words like “rainy season,” “hydrangea,” and “snail,” we’ll use the five-letter word “hydrangea” (ajisai) this time.
Take the initial sounds “a,” “ji,” “sa,” and “i,” and set each to form a word of any length.
It’ll look like: “a〇〇,” “ji〇〇〇,” “sa〇〇〇〇,” “i〇〇.” Finally, think of letters to fill in the 〇’s and complete the words.
It’s that thing they do on variety shows as a comedy-improv segment.
Association Game Brain Training (21–30)
Word association game about spring
Let me introduce a “word association game” that’s fun to play while chatting and can accommodate any group size, from a few people to many.
Given a prompt like “What comes to mind when you hear ___?”, say aloud as many associated words as you can think of.
Writing all the answers on a whiteboard so everyone can see helps prevent duplicates and also uses existing answers as hints to spark further associations.
Reflecting on your own experiences and thinking about words, seasonal foods, culture, and other commonalities with the topic engages the brain, which may help prevent cognitive decline.
association quiz
This is a quiz where three clue words are presented, and you think of the answer associated with them.
By asking questions without limiting the genre—animals, food, folktales, and so on—you can encourage broad thinking, which is expected to have brain-training benefits.
The way you present the clues is also key: patterns where the true identity gradually becomes clear, or patterns where the answer only comes to you once all three clues are revealed.
You might even try a mischievous approach at first by giving clues that share many common elements to elicit wrong answers—it could make things more exciting.