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

Shishimai made from a tissue box

How to Make a Tissue Box “Shishimai (Lion Dance)” [Easy New Year’s Craft]

How about making a square-faced lion using an empty tissue box? With a tissue box, construction paper, and a green plastic bag, you can do it easily.

First, cut the tissue box in half, leaving the bottom part intact.

Prepare another tissue box: cut one piece to 12 cm for the side and 5 cm for the front surface, and cut another piece to 2 cm.

Assemble these pieces and cover the front surface with red construction paper.

Create bold lion face parts from colored paper and stick them on, and you’re done.

The mouth opens and closes, which gives it an exciting, dynamic look and makes it fun to play with.

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hiyori

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Toilet-paper kadomatsu

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll ‘Kadomatsu’: Easy New Year’s Craft

Here’s a decorative kadomatsu you can make by reusing toilet paper rolls.

It’s perfect for a New Year’s craft activity, so consider trying it at a day service center or similar setting.

Cut the ends of toilet paper rolls diagonally and wrap them with green construction paper to represent bamboo.

Make three of these and glue them together.

Next, take a rectangular piece of construction paper, snip fine cuts along the top and bottom edges, and wrap it around the bamboo to finish.

For an even more festive look, wrap red construction paper or washi-patterned paper over it.

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miyabi

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Ozoni on a puzzle mat

Tell me your recommended ozoni (New Year's soup)~ ☺️ #shorts #NewYear

Let’s make ozoni—an essential New Year’s soup—using puzzle mats you can even find at 100-yen shops! It’s also a great craft activity that engages seniors’ fine motor skills.

First, cut the puzzle mat to the size of square mochi.

Next, fill a white balloon (with the tip cut off) with cotton and cover the puzzle mat piece.

Attach felt to the back, and use a pen to add toasted markings—your main mochi is done! You can also make toppings like kamaboko and shiitake mushrooms by combining puzzle mats and felt, so give it a try.

Since the shape of the mochi and the ingredients can vary by region, have fun making the style of ozoni you’re most familiar with!

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miyabi

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Paper collage of Mount Fuji

Kimie Gangi’s tissue-paper collage “Mount Fuji”

Mount Fuji, which is said to bring good fortune when it appears in the first dream of the year, looks especially beautiful in winter when the summit area is covered with snow.

Let’s create a soft, gentle look by making a paper-collage of Mount Fuji using tissue paper.

Build the lower part of Mount Fuji with a deep blue and place it first, then layer a light blue background over it to clearly emphasize the mountain.

By cutting large openings in the background for the base of the mountain and the surrounding foothills, the white of the backing paper will show through to represent the snow-capped summit.

After that, arrange decorative elements around it to give the whole piece an auspicious feel.

Paying attention to the wrinkles in the tissue paper is also recommended, as they can express both the three-dimensional texture of the mountainside and a sense of softness.

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kappamaki

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Origami: Mount Fuji ema (votive plaque)

[New Year Origami] How to Make an Ema of Mt. Fuji

How about making an origami ema plaque with your New Year’s wishes for the New Year? First, fold the origami paper toward the center to halve it, then fold it in half again.

Next, fold the left and right sides diagonally to create angles and form the shape of an ema.

Finally, make a slit in the center so you can thread a string through.

Also, slightly fold each of the four corners of a small red origami paper to make a sun; fold a small green origami paper like a crane at first, then spread the left and right sides to make a pine shape.

For the blue origami paper, if you use the white reverse side to suggest snow, you can create a beautiful Mt.

Fuji.

With the first sunrise from Mt.

Fuji, your auspicious ema is complete!

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Kadomatsu made of origami

[Origami] New Year’s Decoration: How to Make a Kadomatsu | Winter Origami

How about making kadomatsu out of origami as part of your New Year’s decorations? It takes a bit of time, but you don’t need any difficult techniques, so give it a try! The pine, bamboo, and plum motifs, the fan, and even the kadomatsu base—everything is made from origami.

Because there’s lots of detailed work, it’s perfect for finger dexterity training for seniors and for helping prevent cognitive decline.

If smaller origami paper is hard to work with, feel free to adapt the project by using larger sheets.

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miyabi

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Lucky Cat New Year Wreath

[Origami] How to make a New Year’s wreath — Origami New Year’s Wreath

New Year decorations that wish for the health and happiness of your family—how about making them with origami? This time, we’re introducing a particularly cute one: a “Maneki-neko New Year wreath.” First, combine four sheets of origami to create the wreath portion.

Using patterned origami gives it a pop and lively look.

Once the wreath is complete, fold a Maneki-neko and attach it to the wreath.

Feel free to change the cat’s expression to your liking.

This way, a New Year decoration that is already auspicious will feel even more lucky.

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yamamoto

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