[Brain Training] Lively Word Quiz for Seniors
Word quizzes are a type of recreation that really livens up day services and senior facilities.
Brain training can seem difficult, but these are easy for anyone to enjoy.
In this article, we’ve gathered word-related quiz questions recommended for older adults.
We introduce many ideas, including quizzes you can do while watching videos and ones you can customize, so we hope you find them helpful.
Try adding word quizzes to your daily recreation and give brain training a go!
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[Brain Training] Exciting Word Quiz for Seniors (11–20)
Brain Training Number Search
Number-finding games help develop observational skills by requiring players to pay attention to the shapes and positions of numbers.
In this number-finding game, players look for where the same numbers appear.
It’s recommended to avoid numbers that are too small or overly complex and instead use visually clear, easy-to-recognize items as questions.
The sense of accomplishment from finding the correct answer can build confidence and, I believe, contribute to maintaining cognitive functions and even bringing good fortune.
Let’s make it enjoyable so participants can join in with fun and enthusiasm.
Arunashi quiz
An “Ari-Nashi” quiz where you write words that share something in common on the left side and words with nothing in common on the right, and players guess the common feature of the left-hand group.
It’s a classic quiz that many people have probably tried at least once.
You can write all the word groups at once on a whiteboard, but since the items themselves serve as hints, revealing them one by one creates differences in response speed and makes it more game-like.
Comparing words with similar meanings—like “present” versus “gift,” where one has it and the other doesn’t—is the key brain-training element, so if you’re making the questions, get creative and turn it into a fun quiz!
Onomatopoeia Quiz
Onomatopoeia refers to words that express states and movements in nature through sound-imitating expressions, and this is a quiz where everyone thinks up such onomatopoeia together.
It stimulates creativity and sensitivity, making it perfect as brain training.
Start by presenting a broad theme, such as a season, and then list words that come to mind from it.
By considering not only things that are easy to imagine as sound effects but also things you’ve never thought about before, you can enjoy a mental workout.
If the subject originally has no sound, there’s no single correct answer, so it’s a recreational activity you can enjoy with free, creative thinking.
Word Bingo!
Let’s enjoy word bingo that incorporates various words! The bingo card has 9 squares; fill them with words that match the given theme.
For example, if the theme is “words that start with ‘ka,’” fill the squares with any words you can think of that begin with ‘ka.’ When the representative announces the nine ‘ka’ words they came up with, check your card to see if you have any of the same words.
If you do, mark them.
You succeed when you complete a line vertically, horizontally, or diagonally! This bingo game is great because everyone can enjoy it, even with a large group.
Recipe card
This is a card game where you pick two words from the lined-up cards and combine them to complete the name of a dish.
The key is how many dish names you can recall from memory based on the letters in front of you.
It’s also recommended to shuffle in a dummy card that forms a complete dish name on its own—it can mislead players, spark ideas, or serve as a hint for a similar dish.
It should be fun not only to come up with correct dish names, but also to invent plausible-sounding ones that don’t actually exist.
Haiku Trivia Quiz
Haiku have become popular even on variety shows in recent years.
Seasonal words that express the time of year, the 5-7-5 rhythm, rhyme, extra syllables—haiku are a wonderfully deep form of wordplay! How about livening things up with fill-in-the-blank quizzes using famous haiku by past masters? You can hide the seasonal word when asking the question, or limit the seasonal word category to “living things,” and so on—adjust the difficulty to suit older participants.
Along the way, explain what situation or scene the haiku depicts, and enjoy it together with everyone!
[Brain Training] Lively Word Quiz for Seniors (21–30)
Ten Times Quiz
The “say it 10 times” quiz—something almost everyone has tried at least once—is also great for recreation with older adults.
Repeating the same word ten times not only engages the mind but also serves as a mouth exercise, and even if you get tripped up, figuring out the answer helps stimulate the brain.
Above all, because it’s a quiz designed with mistakes in mind, everyone can laugh together, which is beneficial for both body and mind.
It’s simple and its fun is easy to grasp, so it’s a game you can incorporate into recreational activities right away.