[Day Service] Spring Take-Home Crafts: Ideas to Warmly Brighten Your Room
For crafts in day service programs, we recommend incorporating motifs that can only be enjoyed in that season.
Take-home projects using spring-specific motifs—such as cherry blossoms, tulips, carp streamers, and hina dolls—not only offer the fun of working with your hands, but also let people display the finished pieces at home to savor the season.
Even those who find it difficult to go out can feel the arrival of spring indoors.
We’ve included a wide range of items, from practical pieces like wall hangings, bouquets, and message stands to purely decorative creations.
Please make use of these ideas for spring-themed crafts.
- For Seniors: Come, Spring! Recommended March Craft Ideas for Daycare Services
- For Seniors: Simple and Lovely Crafts – A Collection of Take-Home Project Ideas for Day Service
- [For seniors] Enjoy spring: April craft ideas
- [For Seniors] Crafts to Make in March! Recommended Project Ideas
- Craft ideas with plum blossoms for seniors
- [For Seniors] Enjoy Cherry Blossoms Indoors: Wall Decoration Ideas
- [For Seniors] Have Fun Making Things Based on Today’s Mood! Today’s Recommended Craft
- [For Seniors] Making a March Calendar: Introducing Spring-Themed Motifs and Arrangements
- [For Seniors] Introducing Fun Crafts Made with Plastic Bottle Caps
- [For Seniors] Practical Crafts to Make in Day-Service Recreation: Idea Roundup
- Take-Home Craft Ideas for Winter: Perfect for Day Services for Seniors
- [For Senior Daycare Centers] Ideas for Summer Take-Home Crafts
- [For Seniors] Recommended for day-service centers. A collection of craft ideas for April
[Day Service] Spring Take-Home Crafts: Introducing Ideas to Warmly Brighten Your Room (161–170)
Kintaro

On Children’s Day in May, many households display Kintaro dolls.
They are put up with the wish that children will grow up kind and lively like Kintaro.
So for a May origami craft, let’s try folding Kintaro.
If you fold the face, hair, and body with separate sheets of origami paper, you can create a piece that looks just like the real Kintaro.
The folds aren’t very complicated and are simple enough that older adults may also find this project easy to do.
Adding an origami carp streamer to the finished piece or mounting it on a backing board for display will make it look wonderful.
Koi carp streamers leaping

When you think of koinobori, many of you probably picture them swimming energetically across the sky.
This time, we’ll introduce an origami koinobori craft with a lively, dynamic look.
You’ll make the body and head using two sheets of origami paper.
The finished piece looks as if it’s leaping, just like a real koinobori.
Using patterned paper enhances the koinobori’s feel even more.
For older adults, making koinobori may bring back memories of Children’s Day and the Boys’ Festival.
Once finished, you can attach a stick to make a tabletop koinobori, or paste it onto a wreath for display—there are many ways to enjoy your creation.
Koinobori and wisteria flowers

Wisteria flowers reach their best viewing time from the end of April.
You may have opportunities to go see them with older adults.
Some seniors might look forward to the purple wisteria trellises every year.
Here, we introduce wisteria—the flower that represents May—and carp streamers (koinobori) decorations.
We’ll make wisteria and koinobori out of origami.
There are some steps with fine folds, so seniors who enjoy origami are likely to have fun with this craft.
Once the wisteria and koinobori are finished, attach them to a paper plate.
If you paste a sheet with a sky pattern in the center of the plate, it will look like the koinobori are swimming in the sky.
Cutting out the center of the paper plate to make it into a wreath shape is also lovely.
onion
Many older people have experience growing vegetables, don’t they? This time, we’re introducing an origami onion that will bring back those memories.
It’s very easy to make.
Crumple a sheet of copy paper into a ball, leaving a hollow space in the center.
Do the same with green origami paper—crumple it and shape it into leaves with the green side facing out.
Insert the leaves into the copy paper and glue them in place.
Finally, crumple brown origami paper and wrap it around the copy paper.
Wrap it so the white part doesn’t show, and your onion is complete.
Make two of them and tie them together with jute twine to evoke the image of onions hanging under the eaves.
It might even spark stories like, “I used to make these when I was young.” Because there are many hands-on steps, this is also recommended for finger dexterity training and as a recreational activity.
Samurai helmet ornament

Here’s a helmet you can make with origami by folding just four times.
It’s easy, so it’s perfect for a quick activity with seniors.
Cut the origami paper into a rectangle, then fold it into the shape of a helmet.
If you use double-sided colored paper or traditional Japanese patterns, it will look even more helmet-like.
The folding method is simple, so it should be easy for seniors to try.
Finish by adding a crest to the front of the helmet with origami.
You can display it on a wreath as is, or paste it onto a backing sheet for a lovely look.
Hanging ornaments made with felt

Carp streamers swimming majestically across the sky are a familiar sight in May, aren’t they? Some older adults may have even raised carp streamers at their own homes.
Here’s a felt carp streamer craft that’s perfect for May and looks as if it’s really swimming.
Cut felt into the shape of a carp and attach felt scales.
We recommend using a hot glue gun, which dries quickly and has strong adhesion.
With a glue gun, you can make it without sewing.
If you also make and attach the five-color streamers and the pinwheel ornament, it will look even more wonderful.
To celebrate Children’s Day, you can also make felt kashiwa-mochi and hang them together.
Carp streamers made with felt and chirimen (crepe fabric)

Here’s an introduction to making carp streamers (koinobori) using felt and chirimen crepe fabric.
Cut the felt into the shape of a koinobori.
Cover it with a piece of chirimen fabric that’s larger than the felt and attach it with a hot glue gun.
Trim off the excess, then glue on another layer of felt to reinforce it.
Attach metallic yarn along the edge of the koinobori, and add the eyes and scales.
Cut it into the shape of a banner, attach a cord, and it’s done.
Koinobori made with colorful felt and patterned chirimen fabric look lovely.
Displaying them indoors might even prompt older adults to share stories related to koinobori.




