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[For Seniors] Simple and Fun: Craft Ideas You Can Make with Everyday Items
What we introduce here are easy craft ideas for older adults.
They’re all easy to incorporate into recreational activities at senior facilities such as day service centers.
Using familiar, everyday materials, these crafts are simple to make, making it easy for seniors to give them a try.
We hope you’ll use craft-making to help stimulate both mind and body.
Since it involves using the hands, it also serves as brain training and can help prevent dementia.
Be sure to read this article and use it as a reference for craft activities.
[For Seniors] Simple and Fun: Craft Ideas You Can Make with Everyday Items (1–10)
bracelet
Are you familiar with kumihimo? Some of you might know it from the film “Your Name.” Kumihimo are braids made by interlacing fine silk or cotton threads, and they’re considered a traditional Japanese craft.
Although they may look complicated in person, there’s a simple way to make them.
Prepare a round piece of cardboard with eight notches around the edge and a hole in the center.
Thread seven strands of yarn in different colors through the center hole.
Place one strand in each notch, leaving one notch empty, and then braid by moving the strands one by one into the empty notch.
The finished cord can be used as a bracelet, or reshaped into a strap.
The steps are easy to follow, so it’s said to be a craft that older adults can comfortably enjoy making.
cracker
Why not try making a handmade party popper using a Yakult bottle and a balloon that’s sure to be a hit at birthday parties and events? First, cut off and remove the bottom of the empty container with a utility knife.
Tie a knot in a balloon, cut off its bottom, and tape it over the cut end of the container with vinyl tape.
Put confetti or whatever you want to come out into the bottle through the mouth.
Pull the knotted part of the balloon and release it, and the confetti inside will shoot out from the mouth.
It’s a wonderful popper that somehow livens things up even without any sound—give it a try!
bear
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DIBJuaPz_g0/There are many kinds of dolls made with Yakult containers, but using them upside down might be unusual.
Here, let’s use an empty container upside down to make a bear.
First, stick double-sided tape all around the container, then wrap yarn around and around it.
The bottom of the container will be the head, so attach a circular piece of colored paper there and add the ears.
Draw the nose and mouth on a round sticker and stick it on, add the eyes, and you’re done.
They look very cute if you make lots of them in various colors.
butterfly
https://www.tiktok.com/@pakpaijo135t/video/7223009732947168538You can make a cute butterfly using a Yakult container.
For the wings, layer a circle cut from colored paper with a slightly smaller circle of colored paper on top.
Fold the stack in half, then fold it in half again parallel to the first fold, and continue folding like that; when you open it up, it will be an accordion.
After making the accordion, fold it in half and spread out the outer sides.
Make two of these so they face each other.
Wrap strips of colored paper around the bottom and the body of the container, matching their widths to those parts of the container.
Attach curled paper for the antennae, add the wings you made, draw the face, and you’re done.
lamp
https://www.tiktok.com/@listatsurayya/video/7466076442669894917Here’s an idea for making a lamp that uses Yakult containers as a support column.
First, prepare two containers and glue them together at the drinking openings.
Next, cut out two 10 cm diameter cardboard circles, glue them together, and attach the previously joined containers at the center.
This will form the base and the column of the lamp.
Then, prepare a paper bowl, cut out the bottom, and decorate it with a decorative sheet.
After that, cut some disposable chopsticks and glue them in a cross shape across the rim of the paper bowl.
Place this on top of the column and glue it in place to finish.
If you put an LED inside, it can be used as a stylish lamp.
Since there are many steps involving cutting and gluing various materials, it’s a great idea for when you want to take your time and enjoy a craft project.
Moving fish
https://www.tiktok.com/@i.lovehand.made/video/7283432010784312584Why not try making a moving fish using empty Yakult containers? The main materials you’ll need are empty containers and a pair of chopsticks or a stick.
You’ll need three mouth sections and one body section from the containers.
Use two mouth sections and the body section to create the fish’s body, and make the tail fin by cutting slits into the remaining mouth section.
Connect all the parts with a stapler or similar tool so that the fish wobbles when shaken.
Insert the stick, then add color.
Dabbing paint with a sponge will give it a scaly fish-like texture.
A snake that wriggles and stretches
Here’s an idea for a snake toy you can make with simple steps.
There are three main steps.
First, prepare four containers and use an awl to make a hole in the bottom of each.
Next, thread an elastic cord through the holes and tie a knot at each end so it doesn’t slip out of the containers.
That completes the snake’s body; finally, decorate the containers, then cut and color the elastic cord on the mouth side to look like a tongue, and you’re done.
The process itself is simple, but it turns into a realistic toy that wiggles and moves.
Even though the steps are simple, there are some fine tasks like threading the elastic through small holes, so it’s a craft that lets you focus your hands and enjoy the detailed work.