[For Seniors] Let’s Make New Year Decorations by Hand! A Collection of Easy Ideas Using Everyday Materials

cardboard ema (votive tablet)

Cut cardboard into the shape of ema (votive plaques), then decorate them with New Year–themed illustrations such as the zodiac animals and with each person’s wishes.

By making use of the cardboard’s natural brown color, you can evoke the soft, wooden feel of real ema.

You can certainly have everyone draw their own design on the front, but if you prepare illustrations in advance and let participants choose from them, they can focus more on thinking about their wishes and writing the text.

Selecting an illustration that perfectly matches each wish is another enjoyable part of the process.

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kappamaki

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God of Good Fortune in Paper Clay

If you like kyogen, the play “Fuku no Kami” might be the first thing that comes to mind.

But how about stepping away from kyogen for a moment and making a God of Good Fortune out of paper clay? The fluffy feel of paper clay even has a touch of nostalgia.

When we think of gods of good fortune, there are many, like Otafuku and the Seven Lucky Gods.

It’s fine to make your personal favorite, but it could be fun to have everyone complete the Seven Lucky Gods together—“I’ll make Daikokuten,” “I’ll do Bishamonten,” and so on.

You could divide into groups of seven and create lots of sets of the Seven Lucky Gods; with a bit of creativity, it becomes a good-luck recreational activity for the spring.

Rabbit ema (a wooden Shinto votive tablet featuring a rabbit)

Video on how to make the 'Raku-Reku Kit' | Theme: 'Ema Rabbit'. If you're wondering what kind of product the Raku-Reku Kit is, please take a look.

Let’s try making an ema plaque featuring the zodiac using a kit.

Many facilities probably create New Year’s crafts around the year-end and New Year holidays.

Using a kit makes preparation easy and allows you to create lovely pieces.

Cut out the parts with scissors and attach them to the ema plaque that serves as the base.

The process of applying glue to the small parts and sticking them onto the plaque seems like something you can really focus on.

There are reports suggesting that, for dementia prevention, concentrating on new tasks is more beneficial than doing familiar ones.

By using a kit to create a beautiful piece, you can also expect brain-training benefits.

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Nakajima Junko

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New Year’s shimenawa wreath

[Senior Recreation] Easy New Year’s Shimenawa Wreath Using Newspaper [Craft/DIY] New Year decoration

Let’s make a festive shimenawa, an essential New Year’s decoration, using easy-to-find materials.

Crumple up some newspaper, twist it into a coil, and shape it into a circle to use as the base.

Wrap the base with crepe paper and glue it in place, then attach lucky-looking parts you’ve made separately—such as a fan and camellia flowers—to finish.

Because the steps are simple, it’s a craft that lets you come up with your own design, from the colors you choose to the decorations you include.

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Good Fortune Crane

I tried folding an Ofukuwake crane.

How about making an “ofukuwake crane” that’s perfect for gifting sweets or small items? It’s considered lucky, so why not enjoy trying it at the start of the year! Up to a certain point, the steps are the same as folding a traditional paper crane, so if you’ve made one before, you should find this easy.

The design features an open back on the crane, so pack the sweets or small items into that space beforehand.

Finally, punch holes at the tips of the wings, thread a ribbon through, and tie it over the crane’s back for an elegant finish! Have fun arranging it with different patterned origami papers.

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miyabi

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Tatsu-daruma

[Origami Year of the Dragon] How to Fold a Dragon Daruma / How To Make an Origami Dragon Daruma

Let’s make a dragon daruma inspired by the zodiac animal of 2024, the dragon.

It features a dragon with a rounded, daruma-like shape.

Dragons have long been cherished as legendary creatures.

And you can easily craft this dignified dragon with origami! All you need are things like origami paper, glue, a pen, and stickers—simple supplies you likely already have at home.

Draw the character for “good fortune” on the dragon’s belly to invite luck.

Since it’s three-dimensional, it also makes a great decorative piece for your room.

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Nanaka

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Fluffy chenille wish plaque (ema)

Gen Hoshino says “Let’s dance at home,” and we say “Let’s make it at home♪ Let’s make ema♪ Let’s make them as a family.” (This is a how-to video from Kanone Junior High on making handmade ema craft plaques.)

It’s an ema plaque with a three-dimensional feel, as if the area outside the written wishes is framed by a softly wrapped chenille stem (pipe cleaner).

Cut the panel into the shape of an ema, then make an inner cut and hollow it out.

Wrap the chenille around the outer frame, punch a hole at the top of the inner piece, cover the entire inner piece with construction paper, thread the chenille through the inner hole, tie it, and fit it in place to complete the whole piece.

Have everyone write their wishes on the inner construction paper.

With the frame thoroughly decorated, the wishes written on the inside are nicely emphasized.

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kappamaki

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