[For Seniors] Fun Crafts Recommended for December
December brings fun events and major occasions like Christmas and New Year’s.
Let’s help older adults feel the season with crafts that capture the spirit of December! We’ve gathered many projects that are easy to prepare and simple to make, using recycled materials and items from 100-yen shops.
Moving the fingers during crafting can also have brain-training benefits.
You can display the finished pieces, or take them home to use if they’re practical items.
Enjoy a wonderful time with crafts that are perfect for wrapping up the year.
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[For Seniors] Fun Crafts Recommended for December (61–70)
A scarf on a plate stand
You can knit using a rod-style stand for holding plates upright.
Wrap the yarn around the rods on the plate stand in order.
Place the yarn over the wrapped yarn, then hook the lower yarn over it.
By repeating this, you can make a scarf.
There’s a similar method in finger knitting, so some older adults may have made one with their fingers before.
Plate stands and yarn are available at 100-yen shops, so it’s easy to get started.
Since you use your fingers a lot, it may also have brain-training benefits.
Easy fluffy mittens
Let’s make simple gloves using yarn.
Many yarn crafts involve knitting needles or crochet hooks, right? Some older adults may feel, “I’m not good at knitting.” Knitting often includes complicated methods.
However, here’s a way to make knitted gloves using just cardboard and wooden sticks like ice cream sticks.
Place your hand on the cardboard and draw an outline about one size larger.
After cutting out the outline, make slits at 1-centimeter intervals along the cut edge.
Wrap yarn around all the slits in the cardboard, then attach yarn to a wooden stick and start weaving.
The key is to pack the woven sections tightly together.
Once you’ve finished weaving, tie off the end of the yarn, remove it from the cardboard, and you’re done.
This easy method for making hand-knit gloves seems like something older adults can enjoy as well.
Long-tailed tit wreath
The long-tailed tit, with its white body and tiny black eyes, is adorable.
They say that in the whole world, the long-tailed tit lives only in Hokkaido.
There’s even a morning news program where they do exercises together with a long-tailed tit plush toy, right? Thanks to TV, many seniors may also be familiar with the long-tailed tit.
Let’s use a kit to make a cute long-tailed tit wreath.
Wrap the fabric around boards cut according to the template.
Use glue to attach the parts together into a wreath shape.
You can make the wreath without needles or a sewing machine.
The finished piece would look great as a wall decoration in a facility or in a senior’s own room.
It’s a recommended kit even for seniors who aren’t confident with sewing.
Heart coaster
How about an easy-to-make heart-shaped felt coaster? You don’t even need to sew—just use glue.
Round the edges and cut two pieces of felt into the same shape, then make vertical slits in both.
Interlace the slits one by one, folding them together like a weave.
Glue the last section to finish.
If you don’t round the edges or leave excess, you can weave with strip-shaped felt to make a square coaster.
Try different color combinations you like.
ball ornament
Here’s an introduction to making a cute spherical ornament out of felt.
First, create a circular template and use it to cut out circles from felt.
Cut five pieces each in two colors, such as red and green, then cut them in half and glue them together with a hot glue gun.
Be careful not to burn yourself, as the glue gun gets very hot.
After making two half-spheres, attach a bell with a thread to the bottom, and a ribbon with a pearl bead to the top.
That’s it! Simply by changing the colors, you can create ornaments with either a Western or Japanese feel—aren’t they lovely?
Cardboard knitting
Did you know that knitting has recently become a trend, especially among young people? Some older adults may also enjoy knitting.
However, there may be seniors who find it bothersome to knit as they get older.
And when it comes to knitting, many people imagine using two needles, which can seem difficult.
So here’s a simple knitting project using cardboard.
You just cut slits into both ends of a piece of cardboard and weave the yarn through—that’s all.
By changing the material, you could even make items like coasters.
Please use this as a reference and try creating some lovely pieces.
100-yen shop snowman and reindeer
It’s an adorable mascot where a reindeer is peeking out from behind a snowman.
Attach evenly spaced strips of paper, cut into long, thin pieces, around the base of a plastic cup to form the snowman’s round shape.
Then stack two circles and add facial features and other parts to complete the snowman.
The reindeer is a simple design made by cutting and layering parts from construction paper; use the layered paper to create a three-dimensional feel.
Leaving small gaps in the snowman is also an important point—the way light passes through conveys a soft, gentle look.
