For seniors: Brighten your window with handmade wind chimes — creative ideas
Wind chimes are one of the quintessential symbols of summer, and their cool, tinkling “chirin-chirin” sound is so appealing.
Typically, they have a hemispherical glass body with a glass rod hanging by a string, and they ring when the wind blows.
Making one by hand can be quite challenging, but there are ways to craft wind chimes using familiar materials!
In this article, I’ll share wind chime-making ideas recommended for older adults.
They’re perfect for craft recreation activities in care facilities.
However, some ideas include steps that are a bit complex or require strength, so please have facility staff provide support as needed.
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[For Seniors] Decorate Your Windowsill: Handmade Wind Chime Ideas (11–20)
Mini wind chime
How about making a cute miniature wind chime using a jelly cup? Wash and dry the jelly container, apply glue, and stick on pieces of cut paper like a collage.
Once the glue dries, make a hole in the center to thread a string through, and trim off any excess parts of the container with scissors.
Thread a strip of paper (tanzaku) and a small bell onto the string, then pass the string through the jelly cup.
Adding a bead or similar item where the string meets the cup helps keep it in place and makes it look nicer as an accent.
You can also draw patterns on the tanzaku or decorate the wind chime with stickers to make your own original design.
Give it a try!
Wall decoration made with colored construction paper: wind chimes
Because colored construction paper is vibrant and comes in many varieties, it’s easy to express a sense of the seasons and individuality, which makes crafting even more enjoyable.
For example, you can draw goldfish or morning glories for a summery feel, or stick to cool shades of blue—let your imagination run free.
This time, we’ll introduce an easy-to-make wind chime using colored paper.
It’s a familiar material for many older adults as well, so it’s a simple craft they can try with ease.
First, follow the steps to cut and paste the origami paper.
When it comes to popular wind chime motifs, goldfish are a classic.
They evoke the refreshing feeling of summer, so they’re highly recommended.
Add fireworks, and you’ll have a wind chime that lets you fully enjoy the summer season!
Plastic bottle wind chime
How about making a simple wind chime from an empty plastic bottle? Besides the bottle, all you need are origami paper, string, beads, a small bell, and masking tape—everything you can get at a 100-yen shop.
Cut off the top half of the plastic bottle and protect the cut edge with masking tape.
Next, tie a string to a rectangular piece of origami paper and thread on some beads.
Finally, make a hole in the bottle cap and pass the string through it to finish.
You can also decorate the bottle with stickers to make it extra cute!
Binchotan Wind Chime
Wind chimes made with binchotan charcoal, which evoke a traditional Japanese atmosphere, are also recommended.
If you’re making binchotan wind chimes together with older adults, for safety reasons it’s best for staff to drill the holes in the charcoal and the wooden base beforehand.
After that, it’s safe to have participants thread and tie the string through the holes and create the tanzaku (paper strip) portion.
You can have them write goals they want to achieve or dreams they wish to fulfill on the tanzaku and arrange it in a Tanabata style—it sounds fun, so give it a try!
Bamboo wind chime
If you hang bamboo wind chimes, you can create a traditional Japanese atmosphere.
Some people may have never seen them, so let me explain briefly.
A bamboo wind chime consists of several bamboo tubes with little bells inside, all hanging down.
When the wind blows, you can enjoy both the clattering sound of the bamboo pieces hitting each other and the tinkling of the bells.
By the way, if you don’t put bells inside, you’ll only get the clattering sound, which some people actually prefer.
Making them involves cutting the bamboo and drilling holes, so staff members should help with those tasks.
Papier-mâché wind chime
How about making a cool-looking wind chime using an adaptation of papier-mâché with washi paper? It’s a great craft for seniors who love a traditional Japanese aesthetic! Washi is durable, lightweight, and easy to handle, and another plus is that you don’t have to worry about it breaking if dropped.
The bell cover of the wind chime is made entirely from washi.
It uses the papier-mâché technique: you paste washi onto a mold like a color ball or clay form.
Since you use your fingertips, it doubles as brain training for seniors—two birds with one stone! You can also personalize the tanzaku strip with your favorite drawings or words for a lovely touch.
[For Seniors] Let's Decorate the Windowsill: Handmade Wind Chime Ideas (21–30)
Easy wind chime with a paper cup
There’s also a way to make a wind chime using a paper cup.
It’s a simple method where you hang a bell inside an upside-down paper cup, so even people who aren’t good at crafts can feel at ease.
It’s also nice that you don’t need strength or tools.
A plain white wind chime can feel a bit dull, so try painting the paper cup or decorating it with origami paper.
Since it’s harder to work on it after it’s assembled, it’s best to do the decorating in advance.