Lovely senior life

[For Seniors] Recommended for day-service centers. A collection of craft ideas for April

Social worker / Care workermoko
My name is Moko, a mother of three who admired my mother and worked in the care industry as a care worker and as a medical social worker (MSW) in a hospital. I will be drawing on my previous experience to write mainly about caregiving. Thank you in advance.
Care Worker Initial Training Certification ObtainedNakajima Junko
Leveraging my experience working as a care worker at a day service, I am currently active as a writer in the caregiving and welfare fields. Beyond writing, I hope to expand my work into web design and illustration. I am a mother of three who has begun studying to become a certified social worker.

April brings warmer weather and a lighter mood.

How about incorporating seasonal flowers like cherry blossoms and hyacinths, as well as spring-themed motifs, into your craft recreation activities? Participants can take their finished pieces home, so they can enjoy the feeling of spring there as well.

Craft activities that use the fingertips allow for focused engagement, which many older adults particularly enjoy.

We’ve gathered a wide range of projects—from simple to more elaborate—so please choose the ones that best suit each individual and give them a try.

Let’s all enjoy them together while communicating and connecting!

For Seniors: Recommended for Day Services. April Craft Ideas (71–80)

Nemophila

[Origami] Easy and Cute Nemophila Folding Method ◇ Origami Nemophila Flower — Spring Blue Flower ◇

Nemophila

Nemophila, with its gentle blue blossoms and petite size, softly colors the spring season.

This project recreates nemophila flowers with origami, combining pieces to bring out their delicate charm.

Fold the paper finely toward the center to form five petals, then stack and assemble them to create the nemophila bloom.

Adding small touches—like staggering the layers during assembly or slightly bending the front edges—helps create a three-dimensional look.

Lining up flowers in different shades to make a gradient also seems like a lovely idea.

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Japanese-style cherry blossom wall decoration

[Easy] Let's make a cherry blossom wall decoration. 🌸

Japanese-style cherry blossom wall decoration

Let’s make a cherry blossom wall decoration that captures the charm of traditional Japanese style using disposable chopsticks.

Cover the chopsticks with vinyl tape and assemble them to create a frame.

On the base of the frame made from a milk carton, arrange cherry blossoms.

To give it a more traditional look, be sure to add a paper fan made from construction paper.

Making the cherry blossoms with washi-patterned origami paper will also result in a beautiful finish.

Because this piece includes a frame, you can take it home.

It might also be nice to display in a senior’s room.

Since you can make it with familiar, everyday materials, be sure to try it as a spring craft.

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Night Sakura and Day Sakura

Spring mural production: Night Cherry Blossoms and Daytime Cherry Blossoms

Night Sakura and Day Sakura

Even with the same cherry blossoms, those viewed in the daytime and at night each have their own unique charm.

Let’s display both versions on the wall so that seniors can enjoy comparing the differences.

If you use soft washi paper to create the blossoms and trees, it will bring out the delicacy of the cherry blossoms.

Arrange many washi cherry blossoms against a yellow background for daytime and a blue background for nighttime.

Adding warblers or honeybees to the daytime scene, and the moon or stars to the nighttime scene, will make the piece even more lovely.

Some seniors might even be reminded of songs like “Sakura Sakura” or “Yozakura Oshichi” by the wall display.

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Small flower bouquet

[No pattern needed] No difficult steps! Mini tulip bouquet made with felt / How to make a felt tulip / Felt flower / Tulip bouquet

Small flower bouquet

You can make a bouquet of tulips out of felt with just a few simple steps.

All you need are felt in your favorite colors, glue, and a ribbon.

First, cut the felt into thin strips to create parts for the flowers, stems, and leaves.

For the flower pieces, make small slits and round off the corners, then overlap them slightly as you glue and roll them up.

For the stems, roll long, narrow pieces tightly.

Cut the leaves into leaf shapes, and glue everything together to finish.

A single stem looks cute on its own, but if you make several and tie them with a ribbon, you’ll have a spring-like bouquet.

If you prepare the felt in advance, this craft is also great for recreational activities or finger rehabilitation in senior care settings.

Give it a try!

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Plum Blossoms and Nightingales

Plum blossoms and bush warblers made from simple paper: January–February wall decoration (with audio commentary)

Plum Blossoms and Nightingales

Let me show you how to make a three-dimensional wall decoration with colored paper.

This time, in a spring theme, we’ll make plum blossoms and a bush warbler.

First, cut a circle out of paper in a plum-blossom color, then cut it in half and crease one half into thirds.

Trim the corners, and when you open it, it will form a flower shape.

Wrap the petal areas around a chopstick to give them a gentle curve.

Make a single cut along one of the creases, overlap the two neighboring petals, and glue them to create a three-dimensional flower.

Cut yellow paper into thin strips and glue them in the center to complete the blossom.

For the bush warbler, prepare white and green paper.

Cut three green pieces and one white piece into teardrop shapes, then layer and glue them so the green and white overlap.

Use the remaining green pieces—curled with a chopstick—for the wings, and fold another to make the tail, then glue them on.

Make a beak from yellow paper and draw the eye to finish the bird.

Create a tree out of brown paper, then simply glue everything in place.

You’ll quickly transform any spot into a space where you can feel the spring season.

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Tulip hina

[Craft Idea] Tulip Hina Dolls (March Hina Festival) (Wall Decorations • Senior Recreation • Occupational Therapy OT • Day Service • Childcare) (Origami • Colored Construction Paper) (DIY) (Tulips • Peach Blossoms) (Simple 3D Craft)

Tulip hina

Tulips are one of the essentials of spring, and the way their brightly colored flowers bloom so vigorously conveys the joy of the season.

This craft combines tulip blossoms with Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day) motifs to create a project that feels distinctly springlike.

The base is construction paper cut into a tulip shape; onto this, you add origami clothing and decorations to complete the Hinamatsuri theme.

For the two main figures, make slits and then glue them together to give them a three-dimensional look so they stand out from the rest—that’s the key point.

Finish it off with leaf parts and surrounding tulips to create an overall festive look.

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Tricolor Dango Squishy

How to Make a Three-Color Dango Squishy [Easy Craft] #TryItAtHome DIY Squishy

Tricolor Dango Squishy

Let’s use a slow-recovery sponge to make a soft-to-the-touch and cute-looking “three-color dango” squishy.

Dango are, of course, perfectly round.

Skillfully using scissors to round the sponge is one of the challenges this time; if you vary the blade angle and switch between the tip and the base of the blades as you cut, you’ll enjoy the process even more.

Once you’ve formed the dango, paint them with acrylics in cherry pink, white, and light green, and skewer them on a bamboo stick to complete your sponge three-color dango.

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