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!
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[Handmade Colored Paper Crafts] Let's Make Them with Seniors! (31–40)
Sakura haiku decoration
Let’s make a haiku decoration adorned with cherry blossoms.
Cut pink origami paper into thin strips and overlap the ends to glue them into a loop.
Flatten the loop, then fold one side inward to shape a petal.
The key is to give it a rounded form.
Make five of the same petals and glue them together to create a cherry blossom.
Write your haiku on a backing sheet made from construction paper and attach the blossom to complete a lovely wall decoration.
Add extra petals, too, and enjoy arranging them.
If you write haiku you came up with during a cherry-blossom viewing activity or a nature walk activity, it will become a delightful, memorable keepsake.
cherry blossom twig
Introducing a cherry blossom twig decoration that symbolizes spring in Japan.
Once you have pink origami paper ready, let’s make the blossoms.
Using a round dish or similar object makes it easy.
Cut out a circle, fold it in half, then fold it again so it becomes one-third the original size.
Sketch a petal shape with a pencil and cut along the line.
When you unfold it, you’ll have a cherry blossom with six petals.
Overlap one petal onto the neighboring petal to give it a three-dimensional shape.
Make a branch from brown origami paper and leaves from green origami paper, then attach them along with the blossoms to finish.
It looks adorable when added to a message card or gift box.
Give it a try!
Two simple types of koinobori (carp streamers)
Let’s try making a three-dimensional, paper-cut carp streamer with scales.
We’ll fold origami or construction paper and make slits as we go.
By changing where you cut with the scissors, you can create a variety of scale designs.
You can either stick the finished scales onto a sheet that becomes the body of the streamer, or stretch the scales themselves to form the body.
With a little ingenuity, you can make two types of carp streamers.
The materials are minimal, so it’s easy to make.
It’s also a project that older adults can enjoy, taking the finished piece home to decorate their own room.
Koinobori hanging decoration
Koinobori look magnificent as they swim grandly through the sky and are a seasonal symbol of spring and early summer.
Let’s make a hanging decoration so you can enjoy koinobori indoors, too.
Use washi-patterned origami or regular origami to create the body of the koinobori and add the eyes.
Then thread the koinobori onto a string, make the fins and tail, and you’re done.
If you make several koinobori and hang them on the same string, it’s like seeing the magoi (black carp), higoi (red carp), and more together.
Watching the gently swaying indoor koinobori hanging decoration, some older adults may feel the arrival of May.
Koinobori and wisteria flowers
Wisteria flowers reach their best viewing time from the end of April.
You may have opportunities to go see them with older adults.
Some seniors might look forward to the purple wisteria trellises every year.
Here, we introduce wisteria—the flower that represents May—and carp streamers (koinobori) decorations.
We’ll make wisteria and koinobori out of origami.
There are some steps with fine folds, so seniors who enjoy origami are likely to have fun with this craft.
Once the wisteria and koinobori are finished, attach them to a paper plate.
If you paste a sheet with a sky pattern in the center of the plate, it will look like the koinobori are swimming in the sky.
Cutting out the center of the paper plate to make it into a wreath shape is also lovely.
[Handmade Shikishi Ideas] Let’s Make Them with Seniors! (41–50)
Koinobori chopstick sleeve
To help seniors feel the seasons, some senior and nursing care facilities offer special seasonal meals, don’t they? In those moments, we’d like to introduce a carp streamer–themed chopstick sleeve that’s lovely to set quietly on the table.
Let’s fold a chopstick sleeve using origami.
If you use gold or red origami paper for the sleeve, you’ll end up with a festive design perfect for celebratory occasions.
Attach a carp streamer made from origami to the sleeve as well.
As you fold, some seniors may recall past Boys’ Day (Tango no Sekku) celebrations.
Besides carp streamers, you can also attach other seasonal decorations to the sleeve so it can be used throughout the year.
Please try arranging and customizing your own version.
Carp streamer wall decoration
Why not try making a seasonal carp streamer (koinobori) wall decoration? Using paper cups adds a nice bit of three-dimensionality.
First, cut a paper cup into four equal sections to make the koinobori body.
Wrap origami paper around the cup pieces to create the scales and glue it in place.
Add eye stickers to finish the fish.
Fold a samurai helmet (kabuto), a pinwheel, and irises (shobu) as well.
Assemble everything and glue it onto a backing sheet.
If you make a set of decorations for the whole year and swap them out, it brings a pleasant change to everyday life.
In conclusion
This time, we introduced lots of handmade ideas using origami paper. Some projects involve making small parts. If fine motor tasks are difficult, please make adjustments to suit the older adult’s condition, such as preparing parts in advance.