![[For Seniors] A Brain-Training, Crowd-Pleasing Word Search Game](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/CGqoX8NvpzE/maxresdefault.webp)
Games and quizzes conducted in senior care facilities can not only serve as brain training, but also help promote communication with others.
The “Word Search Game” doesn’t require any specialized knowledge, since the answers are everyday object names and the like.
It’s easy to jump into and is recommended even for those who don’t usually participate in recreational activities.
This time, we’ll introduce a word search game designed for older adults that everyone can enjoy together!
There are plenty of variations.
For example, you can think of and answer words that start with a specific syllable, or figure out object names from jumbled letters.
Let’s have everyone think together and come up with lots of different answers!
- [For Seniors] Lively Wordplay Game: Fun Recreation for Elderly Care
- [Brain Training] Lively Word Quiz for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Brain Training with a Whiteboard! Fill-in-the-Blank Exercises & Quizzes
- For seniors: Fun, crowd-pleasing word association game ideas
- For seniors: Fun shiritori—enjoyable and easy to play
- [For Seniors] Enjoy Brain Training with Fill-in-the-Blank Shiritori!
- [For Seniors] Brain Training! Recall Quiz Collection!
- [For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Lively Whiteboard Activities
- [For Seniors] Fun and Engaging Brain-Training Recreation
- [For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Lively Mind Exercises
- Hand games that liven things up for seniors—also great brain training
- [For Seniors] Perfect for Brain Training! Themed Hiragana Fill-in-the-Blank Quiz
- Fun Brain Training! Memory Games for Seniors
[For Seniors] A Fun Brain-Training Word Search Game (1–10)
Word Search: Fruits Edition
Amid the letters scattered across a 6-by-6 grid, there are hidden names of fruits.
The names can be arranged in three ways—vertically, horizontally, and diagonally—and some words must be read from right to left or bottom to top, so read carefully to find the correct combinations.
Each puzzle has a time limit, which can make you feel rushed, but it’s important to stay calm.
The difficulty is a bit high, but you can try as many times as you need until you find them.
In addition to concentration, this also develops thinking skills and word retrieval, and may help prevent cognitive decline.
Where is the flower’s name?
Let’s try finding flower names hidden among rows of hiragana arranged in a 5-by-5 grid.
It may look simple, but it’s actually quite challenging.
Since some people might not recognize more elaborate names, it’s a good idea to prepare simple answers when creating the puzzle.
On the other hand, if your audience knows a lot about plants, including more technical names can make it more enjoyable.
Creating the puzzles themselves also provides brain-training benefits, so in senior care facilities, consider starting from the puzzle-making process itself.
Let’s find words within a word.
I’d like to introduce a game where everyone can play at the same time and get excited: a “find words inside a word” game.
In this game, you rearrange or extract letters from a given target word and see how many other words you can make.
For example, if the target is “とうもろこし” (corn), you can make words like “うし” (cow) or “しも” (frost).
Decide on a target word and a time limit, and you can compete to see who can find the most words.
You can also share with each other, saying, “Here are the words I found.”
What is a ____ that starts with ____?
This is a brain-training game where you answer with words that “contain/start with” a given character! For example, if the prompt is foods that start with the letter i, you could answer with as many words as you can think of, like “imo (potato),” “ika (squid),” and “ichigo (strawberry).” Once you get used to it, raise the bar by saying “Let’s name 10 or more!” or limit answers to katakana words to increase the difficulty.
Even though there are plenty of possible answers if you think calmly, when you try to respond under a time limit, it can be surprisingly hard to come up with them.
For brain activation, why not try this during preparation time for recreational activities?
Where is the food?
Hiragana characters are arranged within a 5-by-5 grid.
From this grid, try to find words that are names of foods.
It’s simple, but actually quite challenging.
Even characters you could find if you stay calm and take your time can suddenly become hard to spot if you set a time limit.
When creating problems, it’s good to prepare multiple answers rather than limiting it to just one.
In senior facilities, having participants create puzzles for each other and swap them not only fosters interaction but also doubles the brain-training effect.
Give it a try!
Let’s complete two words
It’s a brain-training word game where you rearrange hiragana to make two words! Start with sets of 2 or 3 characters, and increase the number as you get used to it.
If it’s difficult, you can make it easier to think of two words by color-coding the scattered characters in red and blue.
Games are meaningless if they aren’t fun! Adjust the difficulty according to the situation so that older adults don’t become reluctant to participate by thinking, “It’s too hard, so I don’t want to join.”
Find the theme words
Find answers that match a given theme from jumbled letters.
The themes include fruits, flower names, vegetable names, animal names, food names, Japanese events, and greetings, and both the number of answers and how many you need to find gradually increase.
In the latter half, the number of letters grows, and combined with the time limit, the difficulty rises.
It’s important to stay calm and read the questions carefully.
Watching as a video works well, and turning it into a whiteboard or printed activity makes it fun for both small groups and larger groups.
It’s also recommended for recreational activities at senior facilities.