[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.
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[For Seniors] Easy and Fun: Craft Ideas You Can Make with Everyday Items (81–90)
Foam polystyrene bookmark
Here’s a bookmark made with slightly unusual materials.
This one is made using polystyrene foam.
Prepare a steel sheet or a food tray that you can also find at 100-yen shops.
Place a sheet of parchment paper under the polystyrene foam, and arrange construction paper cut into your favorite shapes.
In the video, the motif is a cat and a full moon, but feel free to choose anything you like.
Layer another piece of polystyrene foam on top, cover with parchment paper, and apply heat with an iron.
When the polystyrene shrinks and the design emerges, place a heavy object like a book on it while it’s still hot.
Once it cools, tie a ribbon, and you’re done.
Bookmark remade from a paper bag
Do you ever find yourself holding onto paper shopping bags you brought home because you think you might use them someday, and they just keep piling up? Try making bookmarks by upcycling those paper bags! Cut the bag into long, narrow strips, then make small slits along one half of each strip.
Fold back each slit one by one to create a delicate pattern.
Slip a piece of origami paper of your choice between the layers, and it’s done.
Since paper bags are often made from relatively sturdy paper, you can make solid, durable bookmarks.
Simple bookmarks made from plain bags are lovely, but if you use bags with illustrations or patterns, you can create a one-of-a-kind bookmark!
Macaron keychain made with 100-yen shop materials
Here’s how to make a cute, round macaron keychain.
Prepare cover buttons, a tassel, fabric, Edo braided cord, jump rings, keychain hardware, and adhesive.
Place the fabric into the cap, set the button, and press it in with the setter to make a cover button.
After making two, bend the loop on the back of the buttons, apply adhesive, and stick the two buttons together.
Attach the Edo braided cord to the clasp of the joined buttons, threading it through the button’s jump ring partway and wrapping it around as you go.
Thread the tassel onto a jump ring, then likewise thread it onto the Edo braided cord and continue wrapping.
Secure everything firmly with adhesive, check the overall balance, and you’re done.
Ribbon mini tray
It’s handy to have a small tray for things like candy or a seal stamp, isn’t it? This time, we’ll introduce a felt mini tray you can make without sewing.
You’ll make it by bonding a square piece of felt to a piece of cotton fabric of the same size.
Since you’ll use craft adhesive, there’s no need for a sewing machine or needles.
It seems accessible for seniors as well.
Insert a ribbon between the layers of fabric and glue it in place.
When the tray is finished, tying the ribbon will complete a cute mini tray.
Bringing their own finished piece home to use may also give seniors a sense of accomplishment.
A friendship bracelet made of cardboard
Here’s how to make a friendship bracelet using cardboard and yarn.
Prepare a piece of cardboard and mark it using a compass and a ruler.
Cut slits along the marks.
Once you have your yarn ready, weave it through the slits as you braid.
When it reaches the desired length, remove it from the cardboard, tie it off, and trim any excess yarn to finish.
Because you use cardboard, it avoids excessive strain and lets you work your fingertips moderately, making it safe and comfortable for older adults as well.
It’s also said that the colors of friendship bracelets carry meanings.
Why not make one as a gift for someone special?
Fukumamori
Because the Japanese word for owl, fukurou, can be written with homophones meaning “no hardship” (不苦労), owls are regarded as good-luck charms.
Let’s try making a talisman featuring a lucky owl motif.
Use felt for the owl’s body and buttons to create its distinctive eyes.
You can get all the materials at a 100-yen shop, so it’s easy to make.
If you also use Japanese-patterned fabric, it will look even more like a traditional amulet.
The steps are mostly simple, so it should be easy for seniors to make as well.
Since it’s a talisman, you can take it home and display it in your room or attach it to a bag.
By the way, fukurou can also be written as 福老, meaning “to grow old with good fortune,” making it a great gift for older adults.
[For Seniors] Easy and fun. Craft ideas you can make with everyday items (91–100)
A daily tear-off calendar made with everyday materials
Here’s an introduction to a daily tear-off calendar you can make with everyday materials.
You can put leftover construction paper from craft activities or odd fabric scraps to good use.
Create month and date cards out of construction paper or cardstock.
As for the leftover fabric, why not use it to cover the calendar’s base? A daily calendar you make yourself can inspire affection, especially among older adults, and they may enjoy turning the pages.
Plus, flipping the calendar uses the fingertips, making it a helpful exercise for seniors’ fine motor skills.