[For Seniors] Craft Ideas Recommended for New Year’s and the New Year

New Year’s decorations

New Year decorations made with easy origami and tissue paper (with audio commentary) – Origami Japanese New Year decoration

Let’s welcome the New Year with festive decorations! Here are some ideas for New Year’s ornaments.

Many people may have wanted to make New Year’s decorations but gave up because they seemed difficult.

This time, let’s try making New Year’s decorations with simple steps.

What you’ll need: origami paper, tissue paper for flowers, colored construction paper, scissors, glue, mizuhiki cords, rubber bands, and masking tape.

Using flower tissue paper adds soft volume and gives a glamorous finish.

Give it a try!

A charm with a cute sheer look

Actually a lot of requests 🌸 Omamori (good luck charm) 🌸 #shorts

How about a handmade charm to encourage exam takers and others? For this charm, you’ll use a laminated sheet made by placing an aurora-design sheet and a transparent film—both cut into small squares—together with something like a clear sticker inside a laminating pouch.

This laminated piece becomes the body of the charm, and the outer part is made from felt.

Cut a window in the felt outer layer, apply double-sided fabric tape, and insert the laminated sheet.

With its sparkle and transparency, it feels like a charm that promises a bright future.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

Report a problem

Daruma-otoshi

I tried making a daruma otoshi with plastic bottle caps. #DIY #shorts #handmadeToys

Here’s a craft project that brings out both nostalgia and playfulness: a DIY version of Daruma Otoshi.

Cut colored tape to fit the size of bottle caps and stick it onto three caps.

Stack two of them and freely draw the Daruma’s face and body.

Use the remaining cap as the base, and play by knocking the stacked parts down.

Because it uses few tools and can be completed quickly, it’s recommended even for seniors who aren’t used to crafts.

There are many steps that involve fine motor movements, like drawing and choosing colors, making it helpful for hand rehabilitation.

The finished pieces look adorable just lined up for display, and one of the charms is the warm, handmade feel.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

mutō

Report a problem

Rabbit ema (a wooden Shinto votive tablet featuring a rabbit)

Video on how to make the 'Raku-Reku Kit' | Theme: 'Ema Rabbit'. If you're wondering what kind of product the Raku-Reku Kit is, please take a look.

Let’s try making an ema plaque featuring the zodiac using a kit.

Many facilities probably create New Year’s crafts around the year-end and New Year holidays.

Using a kit makes preparation easy and allows you to create lovely pieces.

Cut out the parts with scissors and attach them to the ema plaque that serves as the base.

The process of applying glue to the small parts and sticking them onto the plaque seems like something you can really focus on.

There are reports suggesting that, for dementia prevention, concentrating on new tasks is more beneficial than doing familiar ones.

By using a kit to create a beautiful piece, you can also expect brain-training benefits.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Nakajima Junko

Report a problem

Plum wreath

[100-Yen Shop DIY] Mini Plum Blossom Wreath Made with Felt

Here is an idea for making a plum blossom wreath with felt that lets you enjoy a traditional Japanese atmosphere.

Cut slits into a rectangular piece of felt, then round off the ends to create petal shapes.

Thread a string through the slits and gather the felt; after trimming the string, tie it off and shape it into a flower.

Secure it firmly with glue, and decorate with metallic beads or other embellishments to complete each flower component.

Finally, arrange the flowers evenly on a wooden ring and glue them in place to finish a beautiful plum blossom wreath.

Enjoy the soft feel of felt while moving your fingers—it can also help stimulate the brain.

It’s a heartwarming craft that brings a sense of Japanese elegance to your room just by displaying it.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

mutō

Report a problem

New Year’s decoration chopstick rest

[Practical] Good-luck item: fan with crane / New Year’s decoration / chopstick rest / Japanese fan with crane / chopstick rest

As a table-coordination item to welcome the New Year on a pleasant note, we recommend lucky chopstick rests made from origami! Origami is also effective for finger rehabilitation for seniors, so why not give it a try? You can make one chopstick rest from a single sheet of origami paper.

This design combines a fan and a crane: first create the fan portion, then fold the crane.

Because the chopstick rest itself is small, the folds become finer as you go, which may feel a bit challenging.

The final design places the crane at the center of the fan, so it can be used not only as a chopstick rest but also as a decorative accent for New Year’s festivities.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

miyabi

Report a problem

Shimenawa wreath decoration

All Paper! How to Make a New Year’s Shimenawa Wreath Decoration

Why not try making a handmade shimenawa wreath, an essential New Year’s decoration? It’s perfect for seniors’ finger dexterity training, and the handmade touch gives it a unique charm you won’t find in store-bought items.

For the shimenawa rope, you can unravel paper cord available at 100-yen shops and braid it yourself.

You can also enjoy decorating it however you like with items such as fans made from chiyogami paper, camellia flowers crafted from colored paper, and mizuhiki cords.

If making the shimenawa from paper cord feels too challenging, using a store-bought wreath base could be an easier way to finish it.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

miyabi

Report a problem