[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] A Collection of Craft Ideas Using Paper Cups
- [For Seniors] Recommended for day services! Simple and cute small craft ideas
- For Seniors: Simple and Lovely Crafts – A Collection of Take-Home Project Ideas for Day Service
- [For Seniors] Simple Handicrafts Recommended for Finger Exercise
- [For Seniors] Lovely Crafts Made with Tissue Paper: Ideas Collection
- [For Seniors] Have Fun Making Things Based on Today’s Mood! Today’s Recommended Craft
- [For Seniors] DIY Rehabilitation Aids: A Collection of Easy-to-Make Ideas
- [For Seniors] Easy and Fun! Tsumami Zaiku Craft Ideas
- Simple, Recommended Autumn Crafts for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Easy Construction Paper Crafts Activity
- [For Seniors] Day-service activities also recommended! Craft ideas for November
- [For Seniors] Practical Crafts to Make in Day-Service Recreation: Idea Roundup
- [For Seniors] Fun to Make, Soothing to Display! Snowman Craft Ideas
[For Seniors] Simple and Fun: Craft Ideas You Can Make with Everyday Items (61–70)
Simple lampshade
Doesn’t having small wooden items or furniture in a room help you feel at ease? You can sense the warmth and coziness of wood, too.
Here’s a simple lampshade you can make using disposable chopsticks.
Glue four chopsticks together to form a square.
Make several of these parts and stack and glue them together.
You’ll end up with a wooden lampshade with a charming, handcrafted look.
Because the method is simple, older adults may also find it easy to focus on making.
Place an LED light—available at 100-yen shops—inside the shade to beautifully accent your room.
boat
Let’s try making a boat using disposable chopsticks.
We’ll craft not only the hull but also the sail from chopsticks.
In addition to chopsticks, we’ll use wood glue and a hot glue gun.
These are sold at 100-yen shops, so they’re easy to prepare.
Cut and glue the chopsticks to match your boat sketch.
Once finished, it will look just like a real boat.
Because it involves a lot of finger work, it may stimulate the brain and help prevent dementia.
You can take your finished piece home and display it in your room.
Even older adults are likely to be captivated by the high-quality chopstick boat they made themselves.
rubber band car
Let me show you how to make a rubber band car where ice cream sticks quickly transform into a car.
Start by gluing the ice cream sticks together to create the base of the car.
Cut a straw and glue the pieces on to make the axle holders for the wheels.
Fit plastic bottle caps onto cut bamboo skewers and glue them in place to create the wheels.
Make a hook or catch for the rubber band, and once you attach the rubber band at the end, it’s complete.
The car launches using the spinning force from the rubber band, and it’s a lot of fun.
Try painting the ice cream sticks and make your very own original car!
treasure chest
A “treasure chest” made with popsicle sticks and interior adhesive sheets is an easy craft that even older adults can enjoy.
First, cut the sheet into your preferred shapes and attach the popsicle sticks.
If you stick them onto a wooden window frame from a 100-yen shop and paint it, it will have the look of a real wooden treasure chest.
Add stickers and decorative parts at the end, and you’ll have a one-of-a-kind, original treasure chest.
The process uses your fingertips, making it a good workout for the brain, and once it’s finished, you can enjoy using it as a small storage box or as a display piece.
Give it a try!
treasure chest
A “treasure chest” made with popsicle sticks and interior adhesive sheets is an easy craft that even older adults can enjoy.
First, cut the sheet into your preferred shapes and attach the popsicle sticks.
If you stick them onto a wooden window frame from a 100-yen shop and paint it, it will have the look of a real wooden treasure chest.
Add stickers and decorative parts at the end, and you’ll have a one-of-a-kind, original treasure chest.
The process uses your fingertips, making it a good workout for the brain, and once it’s finished, you can enjoy using it as a small storage box or as a display piece.
Give it a try!
10-yen game
Here’s a 10-yen coin game where you aim for the circle marks and drop in 10-yen coins.
Glue ice pop sticks cut to different lengths onto a board to create paths for the coins to travel.
Add character illustrations and stick on circle and X markers.
After covering and protecting it with a clear case from above, cut the ice pop sticks to build the pinball-style launcher section.
Fine adjustments will make the gameplay even more fun.
Try making it with your favorite characters and enjoy!
Trick Savings Box
These trick piggy banks are fun to look at, but the real delight is the moment you put the money in.
Each one is simple to make, yet highly functional and full of playful charm.
The bank with the red flag lets you enjoy watching the coin spin as it goes in.
On the one with the flower illustration, lifting the door at the top sends the coin sliding inside like it’s on a slide.
There’s also a bank where the coin rolls down along a wall made from ice cream sticks.
They’re all wonderfully appealing, so be sure to try making them yourself!