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

snow rabbit

[Craft Idea] Snow Rabbits (January–February, Winter) (Wall Decorations) (Elderly Recreation/OT/Day Services) (Childcare/Educational) (DIY)

Let’s make a snow rabbit decoration that’s perfect for a chilly New Year’s when it’s likely to snow.

Take a ball of crumpled newspaper, then crumple a sheet of white paper once, open it up, and glue it over the ball.

Roll a tiny ball from red origami for the rabbit’s eyes, and cut green origami into leaf shapes to make the ears—attach them, and it’s done! Prepare plenty of the little red origami balls and green origami leaves and arrange them around the snow rabbit as senryo (coralberry).

Hang everything on the wall, and your New Year’s wall decoration is complete! Give it a try.

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SAKI

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Felt ema (votive plaque)

This project involves attaching decorations—such as zodiac animals and lucky charms made of felt—onto a felt base shaped like an ema plaque.

While ema are typically thought of as flat, using felt for both the base and the decorations creates a soft, three-dimensional effect.

A key point is to finish the decorations with a soft feel by adding stuffing inside or layering pieces when gluing them on.

If making each decoration from scratch is challenging, another recommended approach is to prepare the parts in advance and have participants arrange them to create their own design.

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kappamaki

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A life-sized ema made from A4 copy paper

[Origami Ema] Ema made from A4-size paper

This is an easy-to-make ema (votive plaque) using A4 copier paper that doesn’t even require scissors.

You trim both ends of a rectangle into roof-like shapes, fold it in half, and tuck it in, resulting in smooth finishes on both sides.

You will need small creases as guides for shaping, but to keep the final product looking neat, it’s best to make these guide creases as inconspicuous as possible.

If you insert a piece of cardstock while shaping, it will turn out sturdier and should also make it easier to write your wish.

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kappamaki

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Plum Blossom Wreath

How to fold an origami plum blossom wreath (niceno1) Origami Flower plum wreath

Let’s make a New Year’s shimenawa wreath expressed in origami.

At first glance it seems quite difficult, but you simply make eight very easy parts and connect them to form a wreath.

Each part requires only six folds, so it’s simple.

There’s a small trick to joining them, but once you get used to it, it’s just repeating the same steps.

Fold plum blossoms in origami as well, attach them to the wreath, and you’re done.

Using two colors of origami paper or chiyogami will give the wreath a more festive, elegant look.

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utatane

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Pine made with tissue paper

Kimie Gangi tissue paper Shochikubai “Pine” #tissuePaperArt #fluffy #superEasy #DIY #wallDecor #NewYearDecorations #NewYear

Why are pine, bamboo, and plum considered symbols of good fortune? Pine is a long-lived plant, so it came to represent longevity.

Bamboo does not break even under snow, symbolizing safety, and plum blossoms bloom in the cold season, representing elegance; together they became auspicious and are prized for New Year’s decorations.

If you have dark green tissue paper, try making a pine ornament.

Fold several sheets of tissue paper—think of it like making the plastic grass dividers used in bento boxes—and you’ll be on the right track.

Use brown tissue paper for the pine trunk.

shimenawa wreath

All Paper! How to Make a New Year’s Shimenawa Wreath Decoration

The sight of a shimenawa decorating the front entrance is a New Year’s staple in Japan.

It carries various meanings, such as celebrating the new year and warding off evil.

Why not try making your own shimenawa easily with familiar materials? For the base rope, you can use paper cord available at 100-yen shops.

It’s a detailed task of unfurling the paper cord and braiding it into a rope, which could also serve as good finger exercise.

Once you get through the fine steps of making the rope, the rest of the design is up to you.

Use origami fans, mizuhiki cords, and other decorations to complete a festive shimenawa.

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New Year’s decorations made with quilling

Easy with colored construction paper! “New Year’s decorations with quilling” / [OT’s Let’s Make It! Vol. 22] (Recreation/Crafts)

Quilling is an art where you combine tightly rolled strips of paper to create a single picture.

Let’s make New Year’s decorations using quilling! There are special tools for rolling the paper, but a toothpick works just as well.

Wrap the paper around the toothpick, slide it off, and you’ve made one piece.

Don’t forget to secure it with glue so it doesn’t unravel! If you want to add corners, simply crease the rolled piece where you want the angles after rolling.

Make coils in various colors and sizes to suit your design.

Then combine them and glue them in place to finish! For a New Year’s theme, how about making plum blossoms, kadomatsu, or shuttlecocks for hanetsuki?

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