[For Seniors] Kick Off the New Year with Laughter! Fun DIY Ideas for Fuku-warai
When it comes to classic New Year’s games, Fukuwarai—arranging facial features while blindfolded—is a favorite.
Even traditional pastimes can feel fresh and more exciting when you add handmade twists and ideas.
The possibilities are endless: versions you can eat at the end made from cookies or cake, ones that combine clay and pebbles, or designs based on anime characters.
One of the biggest charms of handmade Fukuwarai is that you can enjoy the time spent creating the pieces together with older adults.
Why not try these easy, handmade Fukuwarai ideas at a senior facility or at home as a New Year’s activity?
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For Seniors: Start the Year with Laughter! Handmade Fuku-warai Ideas (1–10)
Super Mario Fukuwarai
@kaccchan26 Happy New Year#supermarioSuper MarioFukuwarai#HandmadeToysInstant Toy#instanttoyLife with children
♬ Super Mario – 8 Bit Era
It looks like a fukuwarai game that you and your Mario-loving grandchild could really enjoy.
Since Mario has a mustache, it might be a bit more challenging as a fukuwarai, but that could make it even more fun.
You can make the parts out of the same cardboard, or create the base with paper and use cardboard for certain pieces to give them a 3D feel.
You’ll need to draw a picture of Mario when making it, so if you’re not confident, I recommend preparing an illustration you can copy first.
It would also be fun to make it with characters other than Mario.
Family face fukuwarai
@soramame.sensei Thank you so much for all the likes and comments in 2022! 🥰 I look forward to your continued support in 2023 as well! 💛ChildcareLet's play at homeNursery teacher / Childcare workerProductionProductionTranslationNew YearWinter Break#WinterBreakProject#StayHomeTime
♬ Original Song – Soramame-sensei – Soramame-sensei
Here’s an idea for playing Fukuwarai using family photos.
First, erase the facial features to make a base, then arrange parts—eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth—cut out from the photos.
You can play regular Fukuwarai with a blindfold, but it might be even more fun to mix everyone’s facial parts and try to assemble the face of the person given as the prompt.
Even though you see these faces every day, once they’re turned into parts, it’s surprisingly hard to tell what’s correct.
When you compare the finished Fukuwarai face with the real person, it might have everyone rolling with laughter!
Fukuwarai with a rabbit
Let me introduce a rabbit-themed fukuwarai.
The idea is to print a rabbit illustration separated into the face and body, plus the facial parts, then mount them on thin cardboard.
If printing is difficult, you can draw them by hand or buy a coloring sheet of a stylized rabbit character and use that instead.
It’s a very simple fukuwarai, but just changing the orientation of the parts a little creates expressions that make everyone laugh.
Be sure to prepare a correct reference face for comparison!
[For Seniors] Share the First Laugh and Liven Things Up! Fun DIY Fukuwarai Ideas (11–20)
Sumikkogurashi Fukuwarai
Why not try making a Fukuwarai game themed around the popular kids’ characters Sumikko Gurashi? The parts are quite small, so try playing without a blindfold.
If you know the characters, it’s easy—but if you don’t, you might be puzzled, wondering, “Which part is this supposed to be?” The hands in particular can be tricky if you don’t realize they’re hands.
Many older adults may not be familiar with Sumikko Gurashi, so you might end up creating some hilariously funny faces!
Anything can be Fukuwarai
Nandemo Fukuwarai is a game where you create facial features using everyday items.
For example, try making eyes with round tape, a nose with a fork, and hair with cupcake liners.
The real joy of this game is that instead of arranging predetermined parts, you can freely choose and place whatever feels right to you.
Even if you use the same items, the finished Fukuwarai face will look different depending on what each person thinks they resemble.
No blindfold needed—so go ahead, be free and bold, and enjoy Fukuwarai!
Pancake Fukuwarai
Why not try playing Fukuwarai using pancakes? After you’re done, they double as a snack—two birds with one stone.
You’ll draw the face base and parts with the batter, so put the batter in a squeeze bottle or similar container that lets you pipe thin lines quickly.
You’ll also need to adjust cooking time to create light and dark shades.
Start by cooking the areas you want to be darker.
It takes a bit of practice to make them neatly, but the practice itself is fun, so give it a try!
Newspaper Craft: Fukuwarai
Why not try making a fukuwarai by cutting out facial features and hair parts from newspapers? Look for photos or illustrations of people and cut out various patterns of facial parts.
For hair, you can freely create styles by cutting out the black areas with scissors.
Since cutting out a face-shaped base can be difficult, please prepare one by cutting construction paper or similar into a face shape.
Even parts of the same type each have a different feel, and depending on which ones the person playing chooses, the completed face will give a different impression—making it lots of fun!