Recommended Origami for Seniors: Fun December Theme
As December arrives, the wind turns colder and it becomes a season with more indoor recreation.
Let’s try origami, which is great brain training you can enjoy in a warm room.
The process of dexterously using your fingertips to fold paper, and creating while picturing the finished piece, is said to provide beneficial stimulation to the brain.
Origami is also a familiar craft for many older adults, making it easy to get started.
Some may even recall memories of folding paper in childhood or doing origami with their children.
This time, we’re introducing origami with a December theme.
Please use it to help you create wonderful pieces.
- [For Seniors] Easy Origami Recommended for Winter
- [For Seniors] Recommended for December Wall Decorations! Santa Craft Ideas
- For seniors: Decorate the December wall with a tree. Easy ideas using origami and yarn.
- [For Seniors] Recommended Origami for January
- [For Seniors] Perfect Finger Exercises! Seasonal Flower Origami
- For seniors: Introducing handmade decoration ideas to welcome a wonderful Christmas
- [For Seniors] Brighten Up December Walls! Christmas Decoration Ideas
- [For Seniors] Recommended Wall Decorations for December: Ideas Collection
- [For Seniors] Fun Crafts Recommended for December
- [For Seniors] Recommended in December! Safe and Fun Indoor Recreation
- [For Seniors] Recommended September Origami to Feel the Autumn Season
- [For Seniors] Lovely Christmas Crafts: Easy Ideas Using Recycled Materials and 100-Yen Shop Supplies
- [Elderly Care Facility] Fun-filled recreational activities for a Christmas party: crafts, rhythmic exercises, games, and even a snack-time activity
[For Seniors] Recommended December-Themed Fun Origami (21–30)
Mickey Santa
Let’s have fun decorating for Christmas with a Mickey Mouse mascot dressed like Santa Claus.
The base is made from red origami paper, folded into a triangle to create the hat and outfit.
You’ll then decorate the folded sections and edges to complete the Mickey Mouse look.
Adding the scarf piece is also an important step, as it enhances the overall softness and three-dimensional feel.
Since the overall color is red, it’s recommended to use accent colors that make the red stand out even more in your decorations.
Holly and Bells
Decorating with holly at Christmas is a classic tradition, and it carries the meaning of warding off evil.
How about brightening up your Christmas with a mascot featuring holly—imbued with that sacred image—and a bell? Crease green origami paper, then use the folds as guides to shape it into holly with two spreading leaves.
The key for the bell is to create steps by folding back sections; let’s finish it neatly and precisely.
Combine the pieces at the end to complete the decoration, and for an even more vivid look, we recommend adding red accents.
Simple paper poinsettia decoration
Let’s make a poinsettia—the plant that adds festive flair to Christmas—using construction paper.
Pay attention to the size of each part and how you layer them; that’s the key to creating a three-dimensional look.
Cut the red paper into a leaf shape that spreads in four directions, then stack two identical pieces to create a shape that spreads in eight directions.
Next, cut the green paper into leaves larger than the red ones, and glue the red piece on top of the green to complete the poinsettia.
It has a three-dimensional feel, yet the paper base makes it easy to incorporate into all kinds of decorations.
House of Chimneys
There’s also the story that Santa Claus comes down the chimney at Christmas, isn’t there? It’s exciting to imagine him arriving at night in a sleigh pulled by reindeer.
The chimney is what Santa uses to deliver presents to the children inside the house.
Let’s try making a house with a chimney out of origami and add it to a calendar.
You can make both the house and the chimney from a single sheet of origami paper.
The folding method is simple, so it may be easy for seniors to make, too.
By changing the folding steps, you can create versions with different chimney positions and house colors.
Try making a piece that suits the preferences of the seniors.
Long-tailed tit (Shima-enaga)
A bird that gets a lot of attention in winter is the long-tailed tit, the Shima-enaga.
Its fluffy look is simply irresistible, isn’t it? Lately it’s been appearing more often as the mascot character of the morning show “THE TIME,” so you might be seeing it a lot.
The Shima-enaga is a type of long-tailed tit that mainly lives in Hokkaido.
The ones in Shikoku and Kyushu are called Kyushu long-tailed tits, and the ones on Tsushima are called Korean long-tailed tits.
Believe it or not, you can make a Shima-enaga with origami.
It’d be perfect as the centerpiece for a December calendar!
gingerbread man
Do you know the Gingerbread Man? It’s the brown, person-shaped figure you often see during the Christmas season.
That’s called a Gingerbread Man, and it’s a human figure made from gingerbread or ginger cookies.
These days, it appears not only at Christmas but also at Halloween and Easter in different shapes.
How about folding a gingerbread man with origami and making a calendar? Adding small accents like a ribbon or a hat is the key to making it extra cute!
Christmas tree made with origami
Why are fir trees used for Christmas trees? It varies by country, but in Germany it’s believed that little spirits dwell in fir trees, and that decorating them with food and presents brings good luck.
In Japan, do many places substitute cedar trees? Let’s try folding a Christmas tree with origami and make a calendar that features it.
The folding method is surprisingly simple, so please share it with everyone.
You can also use pipe cleaners or beads to decorate the tree!