[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 (91–100)
Felt Christmas garland
Why not brighten up your room by handmaking a garland with Christmas-colored felt? All it takes is cutting, rolling, and gluing felt, and you’ll end up with a stylish, cozy piece! First, cut felt into holly shapes in two sizes—large and small—and glue them together.
Next, cut the felt into circles, snip them into a spiral, and create flowers by rolling from the tip while gluing as you go.
The trick is to make flowers in different colors and various sizes! Finally, attach each piece to jute twine, and you’re done.
It’s a craft that uses fine motor skills, so be sure to include it in your day service’s winter craft activity!
Boots & stick candy
When you think of Christmas boots, you probably picture big boots stuffed with lots of fun treats.
You might think, “People in the West come up with such stylish ideas,” but Christmas boots actually originated in Japan.
The story goes that a confectioner in Shiga Prefecture saw the socks and boots hung on Christmas trees and thought, “What if we make them bigger, fill them with sweets, and sell them?”—and that’s how they began.
It’s a bit surprising, isn’t it? Why not try folding a Christmas boot with origami? Matching stick candies in the same color scheme are also recommended.
Plastic bottle snow globe
A snow globe lets you easily enjoy a magical scene like dancing snow.
Let’s make a simple snow globe using a plastic bottle! Prepare a paper cup and decorate it however you like—draw pictures, add stickers, or glue on paper cut into your favorite shapes.
Next, put small colorful felt balls and glittery sparkles into an empty plastic bottle, then fill it to the top with water.
Once both the paper cup and the bottle are ready, insert the bottle’s mouth into the paper cup, and you’re done! When you turn it upside down, the decorations inside swirl around, creating a beautiful display.
For a more floating, drifting effect, try mixing in liquid laundry starch or school glue along with the water.
plastic bottle cap art
Introducing PET bottle cap art that lets you enjoy a pixel art–like expression.
As prep work, draw a grid on the base board.
Once you’ve decided on your subject, determine which colors are needed and where they should go.
The colors required will vary depending on the subject, so it’s important to work together to collect bottle caps.
After you’ve gathered enough caps, attach them with glue while checking their positions.
If you make it together for an event at a senior facility or another gathering, it can foster interaction among participants, and the sense of accomplishment when it’s finished will be all the greater.
Be sure to plan the process when you create it.
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?
poinsettia
Let’s add a little extra touch to flower petals made with a craft punch and create poinsettias, a must-have plant for Christmas.
We’ll fold the red and green petal pieces, make cuts with scissors to form sharp, leaf-like shapes, and layer them to finish the poinsettia.
The process involves fine motor actions like folding and cutting, which helps strengthen focus in the fingertips.
After that, simply glue the parts together and attach beads in the center to complete it.
Because the finished piece is small, it’s an easy craft to incorporate into various decorations.
Poinsettia wall decoration
Poinsettias have the flower meanings of “Holy Night,” “Blessing,” and “Wishing for Good Fortune.” Because their shape resembles a star, they’re the perfect flower for Christmas.
This time, we’ll introduce a poinsettia decoration with this kind of charm! You can easily make it with origami.
First, fold the paper diagonally and cut it into the shape of a leaf.
Make two of these and paste them together slightly offset.
If you add lines to the leaves, you can create a rough, textured look.
Using red and yellow makes it look bright and festive, and is recommended.
