[For Seniors] Let’s Make New Year Decorations by Hand! A Collection of Easy Ideas Using Everyday Materials
How about a craft activity where you hand-make decorations to brighten up the New Year? We’ll share ideas for easy-to-try ornaments using familiar materials—auspicious motifs like senryō (coralberry), the pine-bamboo-plum trio, Mount Fuji, and sea bream.
You can crumple lots of tissue paper, accordion-fold origami, or press clay onto cardboard—great fine-motor exercises, too.
If everyone divides up the tasks and works together, the conversation will flow and smiles will abound.
Once the decorations are finished and hung on the wall, they’ll fill the space with a festive New Year’s atmosphere.
Enjoy a fun crafting time while sending your wishes into the coming year!
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[For Seniors] Let's Make New Year Decorations by Hand! A roundup of easy ideas using familiar materials (51–60)
Hanging decorations of pine, bamboo, and plum
The pine-bamboo-plum hanging decoration is a festive wall ornament that combines New Year-like colors with auspicious motifs.
Cut A4 construction paper into long, thin strips and use three colors—green, yellow-green, and red—to create pine needles, bamboo leaves, and plum blossoms.
Adding decorative circles gives the piece a sense of motion, and it’s charming to watch it sway when hung.
Since everything is made of paper, it’s easy to make, and the scissor and glue work is light, making it safe and suitable for older adults.
With a bit of creativity in color and arrangement, each piece can take on its own unique character.
It’s a heartwarming idea that conveys a sense of good fortune.
Making a Kadomatsu with everyday materials
Let’s collect toilet paper rolls and transform them into a lovely kadomatsu decoration.
Although we usually throw away toilet paper cores, repurposing them turns waste into something eco-friendly.
Cut the toilet paper rolls and cover them with patterned origami paper to create the base of the kadomatsu.
Because the base circle is small, make the bamboo, pine needles, and fan decorations inside on a smaller scale.
This project should be quite enjoyable for people who are good with their hands or who love origami.
If crafting parts like the bamboo is difficult, ask someone nearby to help.
Seniors are likely to enjoy making these adorable, palm-sized kadomatsu too.
Snow Rabbit Kagami Mochi and Sanpō
Decorations of a snow rabbit kagamimochi and a sanpo tray that you can make with familiar materials and give a three-dimensional feel.
With its traditional Japanese atmosphere, this craft is recommended for seniors as interior decor or a hands-on activity.
Crumple tissue paper to form large and small mochi, and stack them in a balanced way.
Use a long No.
3 envelope as the base; placing the kagamimochi on top creates the look of a sanpo tray.
Make parts like the red berries of nandina and the rabbit’s ears from origami paper, and by getting creative with the expression, you can finish it as an adorable snow rabbit.
The soft texture of paper and cotton gives it a gentle impression, making it a friendly New Year’s decoration.
It’s an idea that conveys the warmth of something handmade.
origami horse zodiac
One of the twelve zodiac signs, the Horse (Uma).
Let’s fold a horse out of origami to welcome the New Year.
Using washi-patterned or double-sided origami paper makes it look very festive.
In this video, hand-dyed yuzen paper is used.
Fold with the patterned side on the outside.
Pay attention to making clean, sharp corners—the neater the folds, the better the final result.
The section that becomes the face involves a 3D fold and takes a bit of practice, but the challenge makes finishing it all the more rewarding.
How about enjoying some conversation with friends or family as you get started on New Year’s preparations?
[For Seniors] Let's Make New Year's Decorations by Hand! A roundup of easy ideas using everyday materials (61–70)
Cute Paper Kadomatsu New Year Decoration
This is a New Year’s decoration made with paper cups that even older adults who aren’t used to crafts can enjoy.
Insert parts made from origami or colored paper—such as bamboo, plum blossoms, and leaves—into the base paper cup, arranging them in a balanced way.
Using round sticks or toothpicks adds a three-dimensional look and increases satisfaction with the finished piece.
Using washi or chiyogami makes it look more luxurious and enhances the New Year atmosphere when displayed.
It’s a fitting idea for the festive spirit of the season.
cocoon ball
Mayudama, made to pray for a bountiful harvest, are one of the quintessential New Year’s decorations.
Traditionally, they are made by attaching rice cakes or dumplings to branches of oak or willow.
Here, however, let’s make them without using food! Instead of rice cakes, prepare six round pieces of paper of the same size and combine them to form a single spherical mayudama.
If you string several of these spheres together with thread, you can easily create a cute mayudama decoration! Other recommended methods include covering small round styrofoam balls with chirimen crepe fabric, or using small fluffy fabric pom-poms.
Hanging ornament of fans
Because a folding fan has a shape that widens toward the end, it has long been considered auspicious and is a familiar motif for older people as well.
How about making a hanging decoration with fans for New Year’s? Prepare plain, traditional Japanese-patterned, and gold origami paper, and cut each to the desired sizes.
After gluing, follow the video and fold them in an accordion style.
Once you’ve made two, stack them and staple the bottom.
Open them up, adjust the shape, and the fan is complete.
Attach a string, and you’ll have a lovely Japanese-style hanging ornament.