For those looking for crafts you can make with familiar materials: This time, we’re sharing ideas for crafts using paper cups.
We’ve gathered many pieces you can display in your room to feel the seasons.
The practical “baskets, small containers, and hats” involve cutting slits and weaving.
Since the level of intricacy varies, please choose projects that match the abilities of the older adults you’re working with.
We’re also including craft ideas for games that really liven things up.
Please use these as a reference for your recreational activities!
- [For Seniors] A Collection of Craft Ideas Using Paper Cups
- [For Seniors] Craft Ideas Using Paper Plates
- [For Seniors] From Games to Crafts: A Complete Guide to Paper Cup Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Simple and Fun: Craft Ideas You Can Make with Everyday Items
- Crafts You Can Make with Pudding Cups for Seniors!
- [For Seniors] Practical Crafts to Make in Day-Service Recreation: Idea Roundup
- [For Seniors] Lovely Crafts Made with Tissue Paper: Ideas Collection
- [For Seniors] Straw Craft Projects: Lightweight, Durable Baskets and Storage Boxes
- For Seniors: Simple and Lovely Crafts – A Collection of Take-Home Project Ideas for Day Service
- [For Seniors] Easy Craft Activity Using Straws
- [For Seniors] Have Fun with Recreation! Origami Ideas
- [For Seniors] Craft Ideas Using Toilet Paper Rolls
- [For Seniors] Easy and Fun! Tsumami Zaiku Craft Ideas
Crafts with paper cups using familiar materials (for seniors) (1–10)
stylish basket
These days, even 100-yen shops sell colorful paper cups.
Here’s a stylish basket you can make using paper cups in various colors.
Cut slits in one paper cup, and cut another cup into a ring.
Insert the ring into the slit cup and weave them together.
The key is to apply glue as you weave.
For the basket handle, use the rolled rim from the drinking edge of a paper cup to finish it off.
This craft uses lots of fingertip movements and requires thinking ahead to the next steps, which helps stimulate the brain.
You can take the finished piece home and use it as a practical item, like a small container for accessories.
Climbing koi-nobori
Shall we make a carp streamer you can also enjoy flying? We’ll use a paper cup, a straw, round stickers, and kite string.
First, cut out the bottom of the paper cup.
Then gently flatten the rim and cut a triangle with scissors to make the tail fin.
Inside the cup, stick two short, vertical pieces of straw facing each other.
Use round stickers to add the eyes and scales.
For the scales, cut the stickers in half.
Thread the kite string through the straws and you’re done! Hook the looped part of the string onto a high spot and set the carp streamer lower down.
By moving the string alternately left and right, friction will make the carp streamer rise!
Small accessory case
Here’s a cute little trinket box that looks adorable just sitting out in your room.
The finished piece looks delicate, but you can make it with just a single paper cup.
Cut several slits in the cup, then fold from about the halfway point.
Insert the tip of each folded section into the adjacent slit and weave your way around.
Once you’re done weaving, decorate it with a ribbon or other embellishments.
The finished piece is great for small sweets or as a little storage container.
It also looks lovely if you place felt flowers or similar decorations inside.
You can enjoy making it on your own with focus, or have fun crafting while chatting with others.
Small gift box
Let’s make a gift box using a paper cup.
It’s a great project for giving sweets or small items to family.
Cut off the thick rim at the mouth of the paper cup and make slits.
The key is to also make two slits in the bottom.
After putting the contents inside, tie it closed with a string.
If you hook the string into the bottom slits when closing, it will be less likely to come loose.
It would also be lovely for holding small items or tiny crafts made at a care facility.
With a little creativity, this box can be used in many ways.
Rose flower
Don’t you feel an elegant, refined atmosphere from roses? Perhaps some seniors have even grown roses in their home gardens.
This time, we’ll make a delicate rose using a paper cup.
Cut the paper cup at a point 1.5 centimeters up from the bottom.
On the bottom section, attach construction paper cut into rose petal shapes, layering them like real petals and gluing them on.
Prepare 50 petal pieces; once you’ve layered them all, your rose will be complete.
After it’s finished, you’ll remove the paper cup from the rose, so be careful with the glue when attaching the first petals.
The steps are simple, but you can create a lovely rose—give it a try!
wind chime
When you hear the sound of a wind chime catching the breeze, it feels like the heat eases a little, doesn’t it? A wind chime also brings to mind the hot season, doesn’t it? Here’s an introduction to a “paper cup wind chime” that helps older adults feel the season as they make it.
Cut out the bottom of a paper cup and make eight slits.
Then trim the slits further to make them long and narrow, shaping the cup into a dome.
Attach strings to the dome-shaped paper cup, a tanzaku strip, and a small bell, and it’s done.
You can complete it using items sold at 100-yen shops, so it’s easy to make.
Hanging a wind chime you made yourself indoors can give a sense of accomplishment and may help boost self-esteem.
Tonton Sumo
Many older adults likely enjoy sumo, don’t they? Today, we’re introducing “Tonton Sumo,” an activity that’s sure to delight seniors.
It’s easy to make using paper cups.
Cut off the drinking rim of a paper cup, then create a sumo wrestler with origami or construction paper.
Draw the face on the bottom of the cup, or use facial feature stickers.
Each senior can make a unique wrestler that reflects their personality.
Make fine cuts for the leg area so the figure moves easily when you tap the ring—tapping makes it shuffle forward.
After finishing, we recommend holding a Tonton Sumo tournament.
It’s a craft that’s fun both to make and to play with once it’s done.