Handmade Shikishi Ideas: Let’s Make Them with Seniors!
This article is for those looking for handmade craft ideas using colored paper, especially for seniors.
We’ll introduce projects that require fewer folding steps and have easy-to-understand instructions.
Some seniors may have difficulty seeing clearly or may find it hard to apply strength with their fingertips.
For those individuals, how about trying torn-paper collage or paper pasting, where you tear and glue colored paper?
Please look for ideas that are easy to get started with!
[Handmade Shikishi Ideas] Let’s Make Them with Seniors! (1–10)
Torn-paper collage
Chigiri-e, a collage art that uses torn pieces of origami or washi, has a unique charm different from drawings made with colored pencils or paints.
Each piece made by tearing and arranging paper onto a preliminary sketch conveys a sense of individuality.
The act of tearing paper engages the hands and can be expected to have rehabilitative effects, while also stimulating the brain.
It’s also said to help improve visuospatial cognition—the ability to imagine and grasp the overall layout of space.
Because it can be done while seated and made while chatting with others, it also helps promote communication.
You can enjoy creating while broadening your interactions with many different people.
We hope you’ll spend an enjoyable time with chigiri-e.
Paper flower shikishi decoration
https://www.tiktok.com/@tomecomono.craftnngt/video/7334591779943058695If you have paper flowers on hand, this is a shikishi board I’d love for you to make.
By attaching paper flowers as decorations, you can create a lovely shikishi.
Depending on the style of the paper flowers, the board can look cute or take on a more chic impression.
You might sometimes give a bouquet for a birthday, and flowers are essential for celebratory occasions.
Adding flowers to the shikishi as well is likely to delight older adults even more.
If you use paper flowers that match the birthday season, they can also help seniors feel the change of seasons.
A flower shikishi design with a cute three-dimensional feel
https://www.tiktok.com/@saori_nigaoe/video/7326510903204138248Flake stickers are die-cut one by one along their designs.
They’re sold at variety shops and 100-yen stores, and are popular because you can stick them in planners or on letters.
By using these flake stickers, you can make decorative cards with three-dimensional designs.
When attaching the flake stickers to the card, use felt.
Cut the felt into small squares and use wood glue to stick it to the back of the flake stickers.
Then glue the felt-backed stickers onto the card with wood glue to create a raised, textured design.
If you decorate by adding craft beads or rhinestones alongside the stickers, you’ll end up with an even more charming card.
It might also be nice to use stickers that match the season of the older person’s birthday.
Pop-up colored paper
https://www.tiktok.com/@ashumama_kosodate/video/7479004529992715536Let’s make a pop-up message board that surprises seniors when they open it.
Pop-up boards may look complicated, so some people might think, “That seems hard to make.” It depends on the design, but there are easy ones too.
For example, make a spiral shape out of thick paper or construction paper and put double-sided tape on both ends.
With a folding message board, sandwich the spiral while attaching the double-sided tape.
Press the folded board firmly to secure it.
When you open the board, the spiral paper will pop out.
Attach photos or cards with written messages.
It’s also nice to make and stick on seasonal flowers like cherry blossoms or sunflowers out of construction paper.
a twisted-shaped ornament
These are spiral decorations that hang indoors and sway gently.
You can make them with just a few easy-to-prepare items like origami paper, scissors, glue, and string.
We’ll make two types of decorations: a “droplet” shape and a “leaf” shape, and all it takes is changing the folding method and applying glue.
The steps aren’t complicated, so it’s easy for older adults to make as well.
The process of twisting thin, strip-like pieces of origami paper can also serve as good finger exercise.
Attach a string to the finished pieces and hang them up.
Seeing their own creations brighten up the facility can give people a sense of joy and accomplishment.
Mouse-shaped accessory case
Let us introduce a cute mouse-shaped trinket holder you can make from a single sheet of origami paper.
Many places, such as senior care facilities, incorporate origami into their craft recreation activities.
Origami uses the fingertips a lot and stimulates the brain.
It can also be expected to help train the fingers and hands.
However, have you ever heard seniors say things like, “I can’t remember the folding steps,” or “I can’t see the paper well enough to fold”? This mouse-shaped trinket holder involves few folds and no complicated techniques.
The finished piece is sturdy, making it easier for seniors to work on.
It’s also a lovely project that you can adapt—for example, by adding a string to hang it as a decoration.
Endless Card
As you unfold the origami, illustrations appear one after another.
It’s a perfect piece to gift your grandchild—draw a face or write a message on it.
Although it looks intricate, it actually uses just a single sheet of origami paper.
By cleverly choosing where to cut with scissors and where to apply glue, you create four panels.
It’s also recommended to draw seasonal motifs like plants that evoke the time of year, such as sunflowers or morning glories, or season-related items like Santa Claus or Christmas trees.
By looking at the making process and the finished piece, older adults can also get a sense of the season.