![[For Seniors] May Calendar Craft: Motifs that color May, such as Children's Day (Tango no Sekku), Mother's Day, and seasonal flowers](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/4JeCzp-eoEA/maxresdefault.webp)
[For Seniors] May Calendar Craft: Motifs that color May, such as Children's Day (Tango no Sekku), Mother's Day, and seasonal flowers
May, with its refreshing breezes, is a time when seasonal colors—like carp streamers and fresh greenery—become especially vibrant.
Here are some motif and calendar design ideas perfect for May.
We’ve gathered activities that let you enjoy the season with your hands, such as origami, coloring, and brush-pen illustrations.
Displaying a calendar crafted by older adults themselves in their rooms can bring a little sense of accomplishment and the feeling of the changing seasons each time they look at it.
Find your favorite idea and enjoy working on it!
[For Seniors] May Calendar Craft. Motifs that color May—Children’s Day, Mother’s Day, and seasonal flowers (1–10)
Cute koi-shaped streamers with traditional Japanese patterns
You can find many kinds of origami paper at 100-yen shops and variety stores.
Let’s try folding a carp streamer (koinobori), which you can also use for a May calendar, using Japanese-patterned origami paper.
Some steps are a bit intricate, so please make it together with support from those around you.
If you’re good at origami, you’ll find this project fun.
Origami involves lots of finger movement, which helps stimulate the brain.
It can be done while seated, so many older adults are likely to enjoy making it.
You can create a calendar decorated with lovely origami koinobori.
Brush pen illustration – Koinobori (carp streamers)
Brush-written characters and illustrations convey strength, dynamism, and a distinctly Japanese atmosphere.
How about using such brush lettering and brush-style illustrations to create a calendar imbued with that robust Japanese aesthetic? May features Children’s Day, so carp streamers are a classic motif; you might also use bold brush flicks to depict the way they billow in the wind.
Since brushes can vary line thickness, it could be interesting to explore how differences in thickness change the overall impression.
Calendar with a large samurai helmet and carp streamers
In homes of elderly people who have grandchildren, you might find a kabuto (samurai helmet) displayed for Children’s Day.
Recently, it seems more common to display a kabuto than carp streamers for the holiday.
A calendar featuring a large kabuto can also evoke the arrival of May.
To fold a large kabuto, you need a big sheet of paper.
Using newspaper makes it easy to create a large helmet.
If you add accents with traditional Japanese origami or patterned paper, you’ll have a cool-looking kabuto.
You can also attach carp streamers made from origami and try making a May calendar.
carnation
Mother’s Day, a time to express gratitude to our mothers, is an important event that arrives in May, and carnations are a key motif that brighten the day.
Let’s make three-dimensional carnations out of origami and use them to decorate a calendar.
The flower parts are made from a sheet of origami paper divided into four sections, and by combining them, you can create a sense of fullness in the bloom.
How you layer each part will highlight softness, depth, and a glamorous look, so keeping that in mind as you proceed is the key point.
Brush pen illustration – kabuto (samurai helmet)
This is a May calendar featuring brush pen illustrations.
If you draw the helmet (kabuto) displayed for Children’s Day in a brush pen style, it will have a look befitting a brave, valiant helmet.
Helmets can seem hard to illustrate.
It might help to look up simple kabuto drawings online or in books for reference.
The unique texture of brush pen illustrations will make the helmet stand out.
Along with the helmet, adding irises or carp streamers (koinobori) can make the calendar feel even more like May.
Hopefully, it will also inspire older adults to take an interest in brush pen illustration.
kashiwa mochi (oak leaf-wrapped rice cake)
Children’s Day is an event that symbolizes May, and various motifs appear to enliven the occasion.
How about making kashiwa mochi out of origami—one of the motifs that evokes Children’s Day—and arranging them to brighten up a calendar? The key to a cute finish is to add rounded shapes to convey softness and charm.
It’s also recommended to combine them with animal motifs to further highlight the fun of the event.
Kintaro
This origami piece features Kintaro, a perfect motif for Children’s Day.
You’ll use a total of four sheets of origami paper, large and small, to make the head, hair, body, and bib.
The most challenging part is the body, but since you first fold it into a star shape and then create the arms and legs, you can enjoy the transformation as you work.
The other parts are simple and can be made quickly.
Once Kintaro is complete, finish by drawing the face and the bib’s pattern with a pen.
Add it to your May calendar to rekindle a childlike spirit and make it a lovely month that brings to mind your grandchildren.
