[Day Service] Handmade Autumn Crafts: Take-Home Project Ideas
As the weather turns chilly, this time of year is also known as the season of art, and many older adults may feel inspired to make things.
In this article, we’ll introduce craft ideas that are perfect for autumn.
The ideas featured here can be enjoyed as seasonal decorations or home interiors, making them great for recreational activities at day service centers, too.
After you’ve made them, be sure to take them home and enjoy the autumn atmosphere there as well.
They also make wonderful gifts for family and friends.
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[Day Service] Handmade Crafts for Autumn: Take-Home Project Ideas (71–80)
Cute maple leaves
When it comes to plants that symbolize autumn, brilliantly colored red and yellow autumn leaves come to mind.
Let’s make those evocative fall leaves with origami.
This project combines parts to create a three-dimensional finish, resulting in sturdy origami that works not only as part of a decoration but also stands on its own.
Cut small pieces of origami paper with scissors, fold them into diamond shapes, and assemble them to form a maple leaf.
By paying attention to the seam in the center, you’ll achieve a lifelike three-dimensional shape.
You can even aim for a more realistic look by intentionally combining parts of slightly different sizes instead of using pieces that are all the same.
Cute cosmos
The flower name “cosmos” is written with the characters for autumn and cherry blossom (秋桜) because its petals resemble those of cherry blossoms.
This time, let’s make a cosmos flower with origami.
By folding a single sheet of paper finely to create each petal, you can nicely express the flower’s distinctive jagged notches.
Since a cosmos has eight petals, prepare eight sheets of origami.
Also, the yellow central disk of the flower, made by snipping fine cuts into the paper, turns out beautifully.
If it strikes you as somewhat similar to a chrysanthemum, that’s because cosmos is a member of the Asteraceae family and is also known by another name, “Ōshagiku” (literally, great spring wheel chrysanthemum).
Maple leaf ornament featuring a folding fan motif
This is a maple-leaf ornament inspired by a folding fan that instantly brings autumn colors to your entryway or living room.
First, cut origami paper to make maple leaves.
If smaller origami is hard to work with, feel free to use larger sheets.
Next, roll several pieces of origami into sticks, arrange them into a fan shape, and secure them.
Finally, arrange the paper-made branches and maple leaves, and you’re done! You can also make a stand for the fan out of origami, so be sure to craft one and display your fan.
Choose your favorite color palette to show off your personality!
Handmade pumpkin garland
If you want to enjoy the Halloween mood easily, handmade garlands are recommended! A garland that instantly brightens up a wall can also lift the spirits of older adults.
By combining strips of construction paper, you can make simple yet cute pumpkins.
You can also make these pumpkins in different colors! If cutting the paper into strips feels tedious, paper tape is a convenient alternative.
Adding other Halloween motifs to the garland—not just pumpkins—will make it even more festive.
Colorful maple leaves made by cutting and folding origami
Autumn can make being alone feel subtly lonely.
I imagine many seniors look forward to their day-service days.
In that case, if you’ve got a lot of people together, I recommend “colorful maple leaves made by cutting and folding origami.” The basic process is to make lots of small diamond shapes from origami paper and then glue seven of them together to form a single maple leaf.
The more people you have, the faster the work goes! Even the relatively simple task of making diamonds can become a fun time when everyone does it together.
You’ll definitely want to display the finished maple leaf art in classrooms or hallways.