Lovely senior life

[For seniors] Enjoy spring: April craft ideas

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.

As spring arrives and the weather warms, colorful flowers bloom and we feel lighthearted.

We’d love for older adults—who often find it difficult to go out—to enjoy the cheerful spring atmosphere too.

In this article, we introduce craft ideas recommended for April.

We’ve prepared projects ranging from simple steps like folding origami and tearing paper to slightly more complex tasks like cutting predetermined shapes with scissors.

Please adjust the difficulty level to suit the older adults who will be doing the crafts.

Using the fingertips helps stimulate the brain, and completing a project can bring a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

Let’s bring a touch of spring into craft recreation activities.

[For Seniors] Enjoy Spring: April Craft Ideas (121–130)

Making a calendar with drawing

I tried making a calendar for April 2024!! #drawing #handmade #calendar

Making a calendar with drawing

Try making a calendar featuring your own drawings or paintings.

Some older adults may be especially good at drawing.

Ask them to create illustrations or paintings that evoke April or spring, and add color to complete a lovely calendar.

You can even have them write in the dates.

It will be a one-of-a-kind, original calendar.

For those who aren’t confident in drawing, spring-themed coloring pages are also recommended.

Please use this as a reference when creating a beautiful calendar.

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Making a calendar with cherry blossom posters

[Day Service Functional Training] April Calendar Creation

Making a calendar with cherry blossom posters

Let’s make a calendar decorated with cherry blossoms made of paper.

Use long, narrow strips of paper, folding and bending them into the shape of cherry petals.

If you want to make a more elaborate version, paper quilling is recommended.

You roll thin strips of paper around a tool and build your piece as you go.

Prepare pink or red construction paper or origami paper beneath the folded cherry blossom petals to enhance the cherry blossom atmosphere.

Creating this may also help some older adults recall memories of enjoying cherry blossom viewing.

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Making a calendar with sakura (cherry blossom) eraser stamps

[Eraser Stamps 🌸] Making an April calendar with a cherry blossom eraser stamp 🌸 with gradient shading

Making a calendar with sakura (cherry blossom) eraser stamps

Eraser stamps are made by carving patterns into an eraser.

A carving knife is handy for the cutting, but depending on the design, you can make them with a utility knife as well.

For seniors who enjoy handmade crafts, stamp making can be a lot of fun.

Since cherry blossoms are at their best in April, let’s make a calendar by creating and stamping cherry blossoms with an eraser stamp.

Using just pink ink is fine, but it’s also lovely to change the color at the tips of the petals.

Try experimenting with how you apply the ink.

Including branches will add atmosphere and make the piece look even nicer.

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A simple flower made with an accordion fold

Easy Cute Paper Origami Flower: How to Make a Flower [Origami Paper Easy]

A simple flower made with an accordion fold

When we think of spring, we often picture lush natural landscapes, with flowers we don’t even know the names of blooming everywhere.

This piece is about creating those vibrant, colorful spring flowers using combinations of origami.

The process is to accordion-fold the paper, then fold the whole piece in half and round off the edges with a cut.

After that, open it up, connect the pieces, and shape them into a circle.

By changing the colors of the origami or varying the sizes, let’s create a colorful flower field.

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[For Seniors] Enjoy Spring: April Craft Ideas (131–140)

bamboo shoot

Introducing an easy way to fold a bamboo shoot with origami! Why not fold some during the spring season and use them as decorations? [Ori-Tsuku]

bamboo shoot

Bamboo shoots, which you often see around springtime.

It’s the season when they’re sold not only in bamboo groves but also at supermarkets and greengrocers.

Bamboo shoots are one of spring’s seasonal flavors.

Some older adults may look forward to freshly harvested bamboo shoots in spring.

Let’s make a calendar that perfectly matches the spring image using bamboo shoots.

Make bamboo shoots out of origami or construction paper and stick them onto a calendar.

You’ll create a calendar with a spring feel.

You can also use the bamboo-shoot pieces made from origami or construction paper to make wreaths and other various crafts.

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Bamboo shoot magnet

[Craft Activity] [Dollar Store DIY] Easy spring-colored ribbon! Bamboo shoot magnets [Spring Crafts] [Craft Vlog] Memories from back then.

Bamboo shoot magnet

Let me introduce a cute bamboo shoot magnet that brings a touch of spring.

You can get everything you need at a 100-yen shop, so it’s easy to prepare.

First, cut a circle out of thick paper, layer small pieces of felt on top, and make the face.

Imagine the bamboo shoot’s husk as a kimono and stick on four strips of tape to form the collar.

It stays in place better if you secure the back with tape.

Use eye stickers, yarn, and felt to add features to the face you made, giving it an adorable expression.

Attach thick paper and a magnet to the back, cover it with felt, and you’re done.

The steps are simple, making it perfect for recreational activities at senior care facilities, too.

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Making a dandelion calendar

April Calendar Making 🗓️ Magokoro no Kōbōan

Making a dandelion calendar

In April, you can sometimes find fields and parks filled with lots of small, yellow dandelion flowers.

Just looking at them makes you feel the warm, cozy spring weather.

Let’s add some handmade dandelions to an April calendar.

You can make them by accordion-folding and cutting construction paper or using origami.

Creating a calendar with a dandelion coloring page would be lovely, too.

Since you can do the craft while seated at a table, it encourages conversation with those around you and helps promote communication.

It’s also nice that you can display the finished calendar at home.

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