Easy for seniors to make! Colorful autumn origami
When you think of autumn, what comes to mind?
As the saying “autumn for the arts” suggests, it’s the season when the autumn leaves turn beautifully vibrant.
Many older adults probably want to go out for activities like leaf-peeping or grape picking.
However, some seniors don’t have many opportunities to go out.
So this time, we’re introducing origami ideas with autumn motifs that let you spend colorful days even while staying in your room.
In addition to maple and ginkgo leaves, we’ve also gathered origami themed around events like Halloween.
Be sure to read this article and use it to help with autumn origami projects for seniors.
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Easy for seniors to make! Colorful autumn origami (41–50)
cosmos
Let’s make cosmos flowers, a symbol of autumn, using origami.
One of the defining features of cosmos is that they bloom in a variety of colors like pink and purple, so it’s a great idea to use multiple colors and create a cosmos field.
The key is to fold the origami in two layers to form the petals; by shaping this part carefully, you’ll end up with a three-dimensional cosmos.
Soft creases can enhance the beauty, but they also make the shape more prone to collapsing, so it might be a good idea to glue the overlapping sections in place.
Decorations of cosmos flowers and red dragonflies
These decorations of cosmos flowers and red dragonflies are perfect for wall displays.
They’re made using strips of origami paper.
You can also use construction paper or paper tape.
Place four strips of paper in a radial pattern, stacking them and gluing them together at the center.
Then fold all the ends toward the center and glue each one down.
That’s all it takes to easily create cosmos with softly curved petals.
For the yellow center, use plastic twine and make it as you would a pom-pom.
Make the dragonflies with two colors of construction paper cut into strips, using the same method.
Box of cosmos flowers
Let me introduce how to make a cosmos flower with origami.
If you carefully craft the flower’s center, it will have a more three-dimensional look.
Use scissors to trim around the edges, then curl the parts with tweezers or a similar tool.
After that, secure it with glue to make it stable.
Pink petals are the most famous for cosmos, but they also come in orange, yellow, white, and red.
Having older adults choose origami in their favorite colors or patterns brings out individuality, which is lovely.
Making a bouquet and using it as wall decor is also recommended.
The colorful cosmos are sure to brighten your mood just by looking at them.
Cosmos decorations
Arrange the cosmos flowers in a circle for a bouquet-like decoration.
The base is made by combining paper folded like a screen, and you should be mindful of creating a rounded shape.
Then, add cosmos flowers made by cutting origami paper, along with decorations like ribbons to make it look like a bouquet, and you’re done.
Since cosmos are pink and white, it might be important to make the base in colors that help those shades stand out.
Using patterned origami paper as well as solid colors can make the result even more festive.
Cosmos (with stem)
These cosmos flowers are designed with ease of display in mind and crafted all the way down to the stem.
The petals are made by folding origami, cutting into the fold to create an even spread, and placing a tightly fringed and rolled piece of yellow origami at the center.
For the stem, wrap a bamboo skewer with green origami paper; once you remove the skewer and neaten it, it’s complete.
Combine these parts to finish the full cosmos.
A key point is making the stem sturdy, so the finished piece can stand in a bottle or similar container for display.
Grapes made with toilet paper rolls
It’s a three-dimensional craft that looks like grapes placed on a plate.
Cut construction paper into a circle to represent a plate, then arrange circular rings made from cut toilet paper rolls into the shape of a grape cluster.
Stuff the circular rings with origami paper in grape colors, and finally attach a stem-shaped piece of construction paper to finish.
Be mindful of how you arrange the rings and choose color combinations that resemble grapes, such as purple and green.
The motion of crumpling the origami paper by hand also helps strengthen fine motor skills.
bouquet
This is a three-dimensional cosmos bouquet made by combining parts such as cosmos flowers, leaves, and wrapping.
Each part is created by cutting origami paper with scissors, and by layering, gluing, and angling the pieces, you achieve a 3D effect.
If you’re worried that simply gluing the pieces won’t provide enough strength when bundling them into a bouquet, threading a string through the center will make each flower sturdier.
Once the flower parts are finished, fold a sheet of paper into an accordion (screen-like) shape to use as the wrapping, assemble everything together, and add decorations like a ribbon to complete the bouquet.
Choosing your own color combinations to add originality is also recommended.