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[For Seniors] Making a January Calendar: Fun Craft Ideas Using Milk Cartons and Origami
January marks the beginning of a new year.
Many of us may feel a sense of hope when we see a brand-new, blank calendar.
This time, we’re introducing calendars that are perfect for January.
Along with ideas for coloring-page calendars and origami displays featuring lucky motifs like daruma dolls, kadomatsu, and beckoning cats, we’ve also included a perpetual calendar you can enjoy all year round.
One of the charms of handmade calendars is how you can express your individuality through the way you write the numbers and use color.
And by looking at your handmade calendar every day, daily life might feel a little more fun.
We hope you’ll spend a warm, creative time together with older adults, crafting pieces that are perfect for the New Year.
[For Seniors] January Calendar Crafting: Fun Project Ideas Using Milk Cartons and Origami (1–10)
Festive Sea Bream New Year Calendar
https://www.instagram.com/p/C2jl_UHLyfL/Why not try depicting a celebratory sea bream using construction paper and Japanese-patterned origami? Every time you look at the calendar, it will lift your spirits.
First, cut the parts out of construction paper.
You’ll need the bream’s body, scales, Mount Fuji, the sun, and wave pieces.
Make the scales by cutting the Japanese-patterned origami into circles.
Once all the parts are cut out, design them freely in the blank space of the mounting board where the calendar is attached.
For an even livelier look, draw the fin patterns and the eye with a pen.
Stamp calendar – first sunrise of the year
https://www.tiktok.com/@hoiku.labo/video/7449597466451692808Let’s draw a picture suitable for a January calendar, imagining the first sunrise of the year as seen from the seaside.
First, use crayons to draw a half-sun rising from the horizon, then use stamps below it to represent the sea.
You can make the sea a single shade of blue, or layer white and yellow to show the reflection of the morning sun.
Once the picture is finished, attach it toward the top of the backing, and then stick the calendar date section below it to complete your piece.
For the dates, either write them by hand or print and use a free downloadable image.
Coloring calendar – Daruma Otoshi
https://www.tiktok.com/@yuka__memo08/video/7320608208727346440The classic New Year’s game, Daruma-otoshi, is a perfect motif for a January calendar! In this idea, you can enjoy coloring using black-and-white illustrations.
You can find free coloring pages if you search, and simple illustrations can probably be hand-drawn as well.
Enjoy coloring in your favorite colors, then paste it onto a backing sheet to finish your calendar.
As you make the calendar, memories of New Year’s games may come flooding back.
If you’re making it with family or friends, be sure to chat and have fun while you work together!
Mount Fuji and Kite Flying Calendar
https://www.instagram.com/p/C1G7XO6rajt/Attach a calendar to the lower part of a rectangular backing sheet, and use the remaining upper area to depict a kite-flying scene.
In a New Year’s style, the kites are flying with Mount Fuji in the background.
Make the kites and Mount Fuji using origami or construction paper.
Once finished, paste them onto the backing, then use yarn to represent the kite strings on top.
Glue cotton around Mount Fuji to suggest clouds.
It’s recommended to make the kites with your favorite traditional Japanese patterned origami.
You can also add color to the date section to match the origami’s colors.
Origami Calendar – January
While enjoying origami, why not try making a January calendar? You’ll create three items: ornamental cabbage, a celebratory crane, and a New Year’s pine decoration (kadomatsu).
You’ll make several ornamental cabbages and cranes in different sizes.
Once everything is finished, arrange them on a backing sheet in any balance you like.
Attach the calendar section in the blank space, and you’re done.
There are many other origami projects you can make, so look for various New Year–themed ideas.
For the calendar portion, using free downloadable materials makes it easy.
Origami Calendar: Maneki-neko (Beckoning Cat)
How about incorporating the maneki-neko, a classic good-luck charm, into your calendar design? In this idea, you’ll use two rectangular sheets of origami paper cut in half to make the cat’s head and body.
Once you’ve made the head and body, glue them together, then use a pen to add the body’s patterns and the facial expression to finish.
It’s said that a maneki-neko raises its right paw to invite wealth and its left paw to invite people, so make yours with whichever paw you prefer.
It’s also recommended to design it together with other New Year’s motifs like kadomatsu or plum blossoms.
Origami Calendar: Shishimai (Lion Dance)
Let’s try making a shishimai (lion dance lion) using three sheets of origami paper in red, green, and gold.
Use red for the head, green for the body, and gold for the lion’s mouth.
The process features classic folding techniques like the roll fold and the zabuton (cushion) fold.
The head is the most difficult part, but if you make firm creases, it will come out neatly—so give it a try.
The body is easy: do a zabuton fold, then fold it in half into a triangle, tuck in the corners, and shape it.
Once you’ve drawn the face and patterns with a pen, glue it onto a backing sheet to complete your calendar.