Spring Event Quiz for Seniors to Enjoy in March
March is full of events like Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day), White Day, and the equinoctial week, making it a season that excites us as we eagerly await the arrival of spring.
In this article, we introduce quizzes for seniors to enjoy in March!
We’ve gathered topics such as customs of Hinamatsuri and types of flowers and plants unique to spring.
These quizzes let you delve deeper into familiar things you thought you already knew, making them perfect for group fun.
Try enjoying these quizzes at nursing care facilities like day service centers or at home.
[For Seniors] Spring Event Quiz to Enjoy in March (1–10)
Difficult-to-read kanji related to spring
It’s a simple quiz where you present kanji and have people think about how to read them.
If you set a spring theme when making the quiz, it can serve as a hint and make it easier to enjoy even for those who aren’t good at quizzes.
One fun aspect of kanji quizzes is that even words we casually say every day can become unrecognizable when written in kanji.
It might also be nice to use words that are rarely written in kanji, so participants can experience the sense of unfamiliarity when they see them in kanji and learn the meanings embedded in the characters used.
Equinox Quiz
During the equinoctial week (Ohigan) that comes in spring and autumn, many people visit their family graves.
This piece explores the meaning and origins of Ohigan, a period strongly associated with such visits.
While deepening your understanding of Ohigan, it also lets you find out when it falls each year.
It may be easiest to present, in chronological order, how Ohigan—originally a period of monastic training in Buddhism—came to be known as a time for visiting graves.
By grasping the meaning contained in the word “Ohigan” and its history, you may be able to bring deeper feelings and intention to your grave visits during Ohigan.
Peach Festival Quiz
When it comes to representative events in March, the Doll’s Festival (Hinamatsuri) comes to mind.
Here we present a “Doll’s Festival Quiz” that can be used for recreation in nursing care facilities or for communication at home.
With questions about the date of Hinamatsuri and the items displayed with the hina dolls, it helps older adults think and exercise their brains.
Moreover, recalling memories of Hinamatsuri through the questions may also be effective in preventing dementia.
Why not enjoy the season of the Doll’s Festival by tackling the questions one by one?
Spring Proverbs Quiz
Like haiku, some proverbs also evoke a sense of the seasons.
Let’s gather spring proverbs and try a quiz.
Representative spring proverbs include “Dumplings over flowers” (Hana yori dango) and “In spring one sleeps a sleep that knows no dawn” (Shunmin akatsuki o oboezu).
Let’s create questions by giving only the meanings of these proverbs and asking players to complete the proverb based on that.
A fill-in-the-blank format works well too! Learning proverbs through a quiz may reveal ones you’ve been remembering incorrectly.
Give it a try!
Spring Flower Quiz
In March, when the cold has passed its peak and we can gradually feel the warmth of spring, we also get more chances to see flowers.
How about helping people feel the season with a quiz themed around flowers you see in March? There are probably flowers people have seen but never really thought about their names, so let’s have them enjoy those discoveries too.
It would also be nice to draw attention to flowers that can only be seen in March and those that continue blooming beyond March, to make going out even more enjoyable.
Movie Music Quiz
How about giving seniors a brain workout with a music quiz featuring classic films? Old movies are treasure troves of great music.
You can quiz people on the intro or use the chorus—it’s fun either way.
Guessing famous, once-heard movie themes with friends is great mental exercise.
Retracing memories to recall the tunes can be surprisingly enjoyable.
Adding playful hints is a nice touch, too.
You can find and prepare the music online and elsewhere.
Put together a few questions and have fun with everyone!
Hinamatsuri Spot-the-Difference Quiz
How about a spot-the-difference game that’s effective as brain training for seniors? Here’s a “Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day) Spot-the-Difference” activity we recommend for March.
In spot-the-difference, you temporarily memorize the correct picture, right? By using that correct picture as a reference to find the differences, it’s said to be effective for training memory, observation, and concentration.
You can find spot-the-difference pictures online or prepare printed images—one of the nice things about this quiz is that it doesn’t require much effort.
Of course, you can also create a large spot-the-difference illustration in advance and put it up on a whiteboard or similar surface for everyone to enjoy.