[For Seniors] Recommended for day services! Simple and cute small craft ideas
Craft time at the day service is an important activity that enriches both mind and body.
Each piece—like adorable pipe-cleaner bouquets and handy little organizers—shines with its own personality.
They’re lovely to use yourself, and they’d surely delight someone special as a gift!
None of the projects are very complicated, so you can take your time and work at your own pace.
Making them while chatting with other participants also helps expand your circle of communication.
Why not choose your favorite materials and colors to create a one-of-a-kind handmade piece in the whole world?
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For Seniors: Recommended for Day Services! Simple and Cute Craft Ideas (161–170)
A friendship bracelet made of cardboard
Here’s how to make a friendship bracelet using cardboard and yarn.
Prepare a piece of cardboard and mark it using a compass and a ruler.
Cut slits along the marks.
Once you have your yarn ready, weave it through the slits as you braid.
When it reaches the desired length, remove it from the cardboard, tie it off, and trim any excess yarn to finish.
Because you use cardboard, it avoids excessive strain and lets you work your fingertips moderately, making it safe and comfortable for older adults as well.
It’s also said that the colors of friendship bracelets carry meanings.
Why not make one as a gift for someone special?
Mimosa corsage
Introducing a mimosa corsage made from felt.
Cut yellow felt into long, narrow strips and wrap them around wire.
Trim any excess so they form a rounded shape.
Make several of these.
Next, create leaves from green felt.
Adding small cuts will give them a three-dimensional look.
Bundle flower stamens (flower pips) randomly and wrap them with wire.
Use this as the base, and, while adjusting the positions, wrap the mimosa and leaves onto it with floral tape.
Attach a corsage pin along the stem, then wrap a ribbon from the bottom upward.
The key is to secure it with glue as you go so it doesn’t come undone.
Finish with a bow under the flowers.
If you adjust the size, it can be made for children as well—perfect for events like your grandchild’s school entrance ceremony.
[For Seniors] Recommended for Day Services! Simple and Cute Small Craft Ideas (171–180)
Sakura hanging ornaments
We’d like to introduce a hanging cherry blossom decoration that will fill your room with the feeling of spring.
First, cut felt into a long, thin strip, make small slits, roll it up, and create the flower center (stamens).
Next, cut felt into a circle and make five evenly spaced cuts toward the center.
Round off the corners and trim the tips of the petals.
Add color with pastels or chalk, then glue the flower center to the middle.
While folding the petals, attach them around the center.
Your flower is complete.
Make six of these.
Cut another felt circle and glue the flowers you made along the circle.
It’s nice to place the best-shaped one in the center.
Sandwich the string and a flower between pieces of felt and glue them together to finish your hanging decoration.
The overall look can change dramatically depending on the flower colors and how you cut the petals, so have fun finding your own unique combination.
Give it a try!
butterfly
Here’s an easy “butterfly” craft you can prepare quickly with just a few simple steps.
First, prepare three sheets of origami paper: two for the wings and one for the body.
On the two sheets for the wings, draw lines freely with colored pencils.
This will make the finished piece much more vibrant.
After drawing the lines, fold the origami paper into an accordion, then fold it into a V shape.
Next, cut the remaining sheet into the shape of a butterfly’s body.
Attach the wings to the body symmetrically, and you’re done.
If you make butterflies in various colors and display them, they can become a fantastical wall decoration.
Because this craft uses fine motor skills, it also provides good stimulation for the brain and is recommended as a recreational activity in senior facilities.
Colorful windmill
Let me introduce a spinning pinwheel that’s perfect for the refreshing winds of May.
We’ll make the pinwheel’s blades using two sheets of origami paper.
It’s recommended that one sheet have a pattern or design.
Glue the two sheets together at the center, draw lines between opposite corners, and make small cuts along those lines.
Place a square piece of origami at the center, then glue down the cut corner sections to form the blades.
Wrap a bamboo skewer with washi-pattern origami to make the stick, and attach the pinwheel.
Some older adults may remember making pinwheels when they were children.
Talking about memories of playing with pinwheels as kids might spark a lively conversation.
Paper tag for carnations
Recommended for Mother’s Day gifts! Here’s how to make a carnation paper tag.
Cut red construction paper into a flower shape.
A craft punch is handy for this.
Cut the flower in half and refine the shape.
Use a toothpick to add curvature.
Make four of the same piece.
Apply glue to the center of the flower and layer the pieces, offset so the petals are visible.
To give the flower a rounded look, as you build upward, glue while gently bending the pieces.
Attach the flower to a paper tag along with leaves and a calyx made from green construction paper and a wire stem.
Thread a string through the tag, and it’s done.
Try making it with heartfelt gratitude.
Koinobori wall decoration made with craft bands
How about making a wall decoration packed with the charm of May using origami and craft bands? First, prepare a craft band and attach double-sided tape to the end.
Shape it into a ring, then wrap thread around it as if drawing a line through the center.
Also wrap thread so that it hangs down on the left and right.
Using your favorite origami paper, make carp streamers (koinobori), streamers, pinwheels, samurai helmets (kabuto), and a banner flag, then use double-sided tape to attach them to the threads.
Secure them from the back with glue so they don’t fall off.
Add embellishments with pearl stickers, adjust the ring shape, and you’re done.
Although there are some fine tasks, using your fingertips can help prevent cognitive decline, so this is also recommended as occupational therapy or recreation in senior care facilities.