[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] Simple and Fun: Craft Ideas You Can Make with Everyday Items (101–110)
Wind chimes made from egg cartons
Eggs are something almost every household uses.
This time, we’re sharing an idea to transform an egg carton into a wind chime.
First, cut out a single-cup section of the carton.
Make a hole in the center, then decorate the rim with bead stickers or similar embellishments.
Prepare a small hanging strip (tanzaku) decorated to your liking, and thread it together with a bell; attach a pipe cleaner at the front end.
Add a bead to secure the carton, twist the pipe cleaner, and your wind chime is ready to hang anywhere.
The steps are simple, and because it uses fine motor skills, it’s perfect as a recreational activity in senior care facilities.
clear-file wind chime
Because clear plastic files let light through, decorating them with colored film or pens creates the beauty of a glass-like wind chime.
The gentle, translucent colors are easy on the eyes and relaxing just to look at.
They also stimulate the senses of older adults, which can help with dementia prevention.
Cut the clear file to the desired size and attach the pieces.
Add your favorite decorations with beads or masking tape, and your original wind chime is complete! Let the transparent, beautiful wind chime soothe your body and mind.
Jelly Cup: Twinkle Star Wind Chime
Star-shaped and sparkly decorations have eye-catching beauty and a playful vibe that brighten your heart just by looking at them.
The way they shine as they reflect sunlight or indoor lighting provides visual stimulation and helps refresh the mood of older adults.
Prepare a jelly cup and stick on your favorite star stickers.
Add a holographic strip and a little bell, and it’s done in no time! Star motifs remind us of childhood dreams and our longing for the sky.
Even as we grow older, they gently resonate in our hearts as symbols of dreams and hope.
Mini wind chime
How about making a cute miniature wind chime using a jelly cup? Wash and dry the jelly container, apply glue, and stick on pieces of cut paper like a collage.
Once the glue dries, make a hole in the center to thread a string through, and trim off any excess parts of the container with scissors.
Thread a strip of paper (tanzaku) and a small bell onto the string, then pass the string through the jelly cup.
Adding a bead or similar item where the string meets the cup helps keep it in place and makes it look nicer as an accent.
You can also draw patterns on the tanzaku or decorate the wind chime with stickers to make your own original design.
Give it a try!
Wind chime decorations made with thread
Wind chimes are a uniquely Japanese symbol of summer, aren’t they? Just gazing at them makes you feel the season’s arrival.
How about making your own wind chime by hand? This time, I’ll introduce a very simple handmade wind chime you can create.
First, inflate a balloon and wrap thread around it.
Then harden it with glue and let it dry.
Add decorations as you like, and in no time it’s finished.
You’ll have a one-of-a-kind wind chime that exists nowhere else in the world! Hang it by the window, and you’ll feel the essence of summer.
Fireworks Milk Carton Fan
On hot summer days, many older adults have probably fanned themselves with a hand fan.
Here’s a perfect summer craft idea: a handmade uchiwa (Japanese fan).
Using an empty milk carton, you can make a sturdy fan.
Cut the milk carton into a circle and tape a chopstick to the outer (printed) side to serve as the handle.
Then cut another circular piece from a milk carton and attach it on top with the white side facing outward.
Draw fireworks on a round piece of construction paper, stick it onto the fan, and you’re done.
The fireworks motif enhances the summery feel and will help older adults enjoy the sense of the season.
[For Seniors] Simple and Fun: Craft Ideas You Can Make with Everyday Items (111–120)
Wind chime of a goldfish bowl
Goldfish bowls are something nostalgic for many seniors.
Some of you may remember buying goldfish at summer festivals when you were little and keeping them at home.
Goldfish have a way of evoking the feeling of summer and bringing comfort.
This time, we’re introducing a wind chime craft with a goldfish bowl motif.
Fasten a paper band and place a clear plastic cup inside it.
Amazingly, you can make the goldfish simply by coloring straws red and sticking them together.
It’s an easy project that only involves cutting and pasting, so even those who aren’t confident in crafting will find it easy to try.