[For Seniors] Practical Crafts to Make in Day-Service Recreation: Idea Roundup
At day service craft activities, there are times when participants make items to take home.
I imagine many people display them at home, too.
This time, we’re sharing craft ideas for older adults that you can make and actually use!
We’ve gathered practical crafts you can keep using after you make them, as well as stylish pieces that look great on display.
Simply changing the origami patterns or the types of beads and ribbons can create a completely different feel, so have fun using these ideas as inspiration.
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[For Seniors] Practical crafts to make in day-service recreation: Idea roundup (181–190)
Rabbit ema (a wooden Shinto votive tablet featuring a rabbit)
Let’s try making an ema plaque featuring the zodiac using a kit.
Many facilities probably create New Year’s crafts around the year-end and New Year holidays.
Using a kit makes preparation easy and allows you to create lovely pieces.
Cut out the parts with scissors and attach them to the ema plaque that serves as the base.
The process of applying glue to the small parts and sticking them onto the plaque seems like something you can really focus on.
There are reports suggesting that, for dementia prevention, concentrating on new tasks is more beneficial than doing familiar ones.
By using a kit to create a beautiful piece, you can also expect brain-training benefits.
Stylish ribbon tray
A stylish and cute ribbon tray is perfect for keeping track of tiny items that are easy to lose.
This ribbon tray is made using the bottom of a milk carton.
Decide the height, cut off everything except the bottom section, and snip the corners as well.
Then simply cover it with fabric, but since the corners will be tied with ribbons, attach ribbons to the milk carton at the corners.
The key is to glue over them once more from the top so they won’t come loose.
The bottom is softly padded with quilt batting.
[For Seniors] Practical Crafts to Make in Day-Service Recreation: Idea Collection (191–200)
Ohina-dama
Here’s an introduction to a beanbag-style Hina doll that’s perfect for the Girls’ Festival in March.
You can make it with items sold at 100-yen shops.
Prepare chirimen crepe fabric, insert a backing sheet, stuff it with cotton, and make a beanbag.
Then attach the faces and small accessories of the Emperor and Empress made from construction paper or cardstock—and you’re done.
If you also make a stand for the beanbag Hina dolls to sit on and display them, they’ll look lovely.
They’re great for placing on a table at an older adult’s home, too.
As they craft, some seniors might recall the Girls’ Festivals they’ve celebrated with their families over the years.
a flower bouquet
A bouquet gathered from colorful flowers conveys a happy mood and feels perfect for spring.
In this project, we’ll make such flowers with origami, bundle them together, and finish them like a colorful, three-dimensional bouquet.
The key lies in how each flower is made: first create a crease by folding toward the center, then use that crease as a guide to shape the paper so the petals spread out.
Because we add many fine folds, some wrinkles may appear along the way—but that might actually contribute to the flowers’ softness.
Let’s use a variety of origami papers and aim for a vibrant bouquet.
Spring flower wreath
Introducing a spring-like floral wreath you can make with materials from a 100-yen shop.
Wrap yarn around the wreath base so there are no gaps, and attach a hanging string with glue.
For decorations, use yarn balls made by wrapping yarn around tissue paper, along with felt flowers.
To make the flowers, cut the felt into small triangles and glue them together.
When you open up the connected felt, the flower is complete.
It’s fun to add your favorite embellishments like ribbons to create a one-of-a-kind wreath.
Since the steps are simple, it’s also recommended as a recreational activity in senior facilities.
Flower keychain
Introducing an original flower keychain you can make with materials from a 100-yen shop.
Prepare keychain hardware.
Imagine the flower you want to create and choose three types of cord you like.
Tie the base cord to the keychain hardware, then weave in cords of different colors.
The key is to work slowly so the strands don’t bunch up.
Once you reach a sufficient length, tie it with paper cord to prevent unraveling, and secure it with glue.
Trim any excess cord and you’re done.
You can change the flower design with the seasons, so you can enjoy making them all year round.
Give it a try!
A Japanese-style small container for sweets or accessories
Some of you might want a Japanese-style accessory box that matches your room’s atmosphere.
For this project, you cut off the bottom of a milk carton, trim it into a hexagon, and finish it by attaching washi-pattern origami paper.
At the same time, you use the remaining part of the milk carton to make a lid and cover it with origami paper as well.
Both the shape and the look let you enjoy a distinctly Japanese feel.
Its shape and size also make it perfect for storing sweets or small items.
Another appealing point is that you can easily add originality by changing the pattern of the origami you use.
