For seniors: Heartwarming and cozy. Recommended handmade Hina dolls
Hinamatsuri is an event filled with the wish for girls to grow up healthy and happy.
On March 3rd, many families traditionally display Hina dolls and celebrate.
In this article, we introduce handmade Hina doll ideas especially for seniors.
One-of-a-kind handmade Hina dolls have a warm, charming feel, don’t they?
The Hina dolls featured here are all easy to make using familiar, readily available materials, so please feel free to use them as inspiration.
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[For Seniors] Heartwarming and Cozy. Recommended Handmade Hina Dolls (11–20)
Easy Hina Dolls with Paper Cups
Let me introduce a craft: making Hina dolls with paper cups.
First, cut slits in the paper cup.
Attach origami to the sides of the cup to create the kimono.
Using Japanese patterns or decorative origami works nicely.
Glue the faces of the Emperor and Empress, made from construction paper, onto the top of the paper cups.
Gently flatten the entire cup a little and, viewing from the side with the face, shape it into a triangle.
Place them on a base, and your lovely Hina dolls are complete.
They’re a tabletop size—perfect for displaying on the tables in seniors’ homes as well.
Please use this as a reference and give it a try!
Okiagari-koboshi Hina dolls
These are cute, round roly-poly Hina dolls you can make with items from a 100-yen shop.
Inflate a balloon into a round shape, then attach torn shoji paper and hanshi paper with glue.
Make sure there are no gaps; once covered, brush glue over the paper surface as well and let it dry.
When dry, pop the balloon inside and remove it to create the paper body.
Glue a marble to the inside bottom as a weight, then apply crepe fabric and patterned colored paper on the outside and trim the excess.
Using different colors for the Emperor and Empress will make the set even cuter when displayed together.
Use adhesive fabric for the hair, stickers for the eyes, and add the headpieces, a fan, and a shaku to finish.
When you nudge them, they gently roll and return upright—so charming! Give it a try for inspiration.
Hanging Hina decoration made with accordion folding
@mii_no_seisak If you want the pattern, follow my Instagram and comment “Ohinasama” (Hina dolls)! @mii_no_seisaku ◀︎ Search this on Instagram💕 🎎 Accordion-fold Hina dolls Just make an accordion fold in the origami: mountain, valley, mountain, valley. When you open it, it spreads out like a kimono—Hina doll complete✨ For infants, it’s fine just to experience the folding motion◎ Adults can help with the finishing touches. [Materials] • Origami paper • Glue • Face parts (construction paper) [Tips] • Make the fold width larger • It doesn’t have to line up perfectly • Enjoy the shape when you spread it out Easy prep, so you won’t rush even right before the event 🎎 Save this and use it before Hinamatsuri✨ .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。 At @mii_no_seisaku, a current nursery teacher and mom of a 10-year-old and a baby share: 💞 A craft activity you can decide in 5 minutes for tomorrow 💞 Almost zero material cost! Use supplies already in your classroom✨ We’ll introduce handmade activities you can enjoy at home or in childcare🙆♀️ .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。Hinamatsuri#japanNursery teacher / Childcare workerTranslationOrigami
♬ Cute heartwarming song(1425147) – sanusagi
Let me show you how to make a hanging Hina decoration that anyone can create easily.
First, accordion-fold a plain sheet of origami paper and fold it in half.
Then, sandwich a patterned origami paper folded the same way inside and glue them together.
This will become the body of the Hina doll.
After that, just attach a face and small accessories made from construction paper and you’re done.
Next, let’s make decorations like peach blossoms and hishi-mochi.
Tie kite string to a base made from a tapioca (bubble tea) straw, then glue on the Hina dolls and the decorations, and you’re all set! If cutting out the parts is difficult, prepare them in advance.
Hanging ornaments of oshie-style Hina dolls
This is a hanging ornament made using the oshie technique, which creates dimensional pictures by layering pieces of fabric.
You attach various decorations—such as the Empress and Emperor dolls and plum blossoms—to a core, separating them into parts and sticking them on in order.
Once the pieces are finished, connect them with strings and assemble them onto the base to complete it! Using chirimen crepe fabric adds a traditional Japanese feel.
Attach a string to the base and display it on a wall or door.
You can enjoy arranging the decorations and their placement as you like, resulting in a highly original piece.
Hinamatsuri rice-cracker container
The Hina-doll arare container is an origami piece characterized by a structure where the box portion and the doll’s head are made separately and then combined later.
By standing and folding one side of the box’s wall to the opposite side, it becomes the doll’s torso.
The head and hat can be made from one half sheet of origami paper.
When displayed, it not only has a three-dimensional look, but you can also enjoy using it during snack time by putting small arare inside.
Choosing colors and patterns reminiscent of kimono makes it visually vibrant and perfect for seasonal festivities.
Lining them up on a desk or wall adds color to the space, and the fact that you can actually pick them up and enjoy them is part of the charm of this origami idea.
Three-dimensional Odairi-sama and Ohina-sama
The three-dimensional imperial couple dolls are an origami project that lets you enjoy using your fingertips through steps like folding, bending, and inserting.
Because the shape is made from a single sheet of paper, you really engage your fingers for fine folds and adjusting corners.
It can also have benefits as occupational therapy and helps improve concentration.
Up to the step of squashing a square into a diamond, the process is the same as folding a crane.
After that, you make cuts, fold so the diamonds overlap, then squash the pocket sections to form the dolls’ heads and sleeves.
Even in a modest size, they have a strong presence—an origami idea for seniors that combines the fun of moving your fingers with the atmosphere of seasonal celebrations.
[For Seniors] Heartwarming and Cozy: Recommended Handmade Hina Dolls (21–30)
Three-tier display: rabbit Hina dolls
Tiered Hina doll displays are gorgeous and impressive, aren’t they? These days, you don’t see as many tiered Hina sets, but in the past, many households of older generations likely displayed them.
Here is a three-tiered rabbit Hina doll set that lets you look back on those memories.
Use craft decoration balls and felt to make the Hina dolls.
Attach wrapping paper with peach blossoms or pink flowers to a display stand sold at 100-yen shops.
Then place the dolls you made—along with the three court ladies and hishi-mochi—on top to complete the display.
Making them as rabbits gives the set an even cuter feel.