[For Seniors] Have Fun with Recreation! Origami Ideas
Origami, which is incorporated into recreational activities at care facilities.
Origami seems familiar to many older adults, as they often folded paper when they were young and it was a common pastime.
Because you can fold while chatting with other seniors, it also helps promote communication!
So this time, we’ll introduce origami that’s perfect for recreation activities for older adults.
Using your fingertips and thinking about what shape it will become when finished also serves as brain training.
Please make good use of these origami ideas in your recreational programs!
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[For Seniors] Have Fun with Recreation! Origami Ideas (161–170)
Pochi-bukuro (small decorative envelope for gifting money)
Let’s try making a small money envelope (pochibukuro) shaped like a carp streamer (koinobori).
In many older adults’ households, people still raise koinobori or display samurai helmets (kabuto) for the Boys’ Festival in May, don’t they? Since the Boys’ Festival and Children’s Day fall during Golden Week, it’s also a time when grandchildren or relatives’ children might gather.
In such situations, it would be nice to give them a gift tucked into a handmade koinobori pochibukuro.
The steps to make the envelopes aren’t complicated, so they should be easy for older adults to create as well.
Plus, handmade pochibukuro can be threaded onto a string to make a garland, so they can also be used as indoor decorations.
Message Card
Let’s try making a message card for Children’s Day.
We especially encourage older adults who have grandchildren to make a Children’s Day message card.
Create items that evoke Children’s Day or the Boys’ Festival using origami or construction paper, and attach them to the card.
For example, carp streamers (koinobori), iris flowers, or Kintaro are great motifs.
Besides crafting with paper, you can also write a message with a brush or draw a picture.
A heartfelt, handmade card is sure to delight the recipient.
If you like, please use this as inspiration to create a wonderful message card.
A wreath of double-flowered cherry blossoms
Many seniors eagerly look forward to the cherry blossoms blooming, don’t they? Before the blossoms open outdoors, why not fold cherry blossoms indoors and feel the arrival of spring a little early? This delicate craft is completed by making several small cherry blossoms and layering them.
There are many fine steps, but you’ll feel a real sense of accomplishment when it’s finished.
Let’s make each petal one by one using small pink origami paper.
Glue the petals together, attach the leaves, and your cherry blossom is complete.
Make several blossoms to form a wreath, or decorate a garland or a wall—any of these would look lovely.
Enjoy trying different arrangements!
Koinobori made with Japanese-style origami
Here is a three-dimensional koi nobori (carp streamer) made from Japanese-style origami paper that you can easily find at 100-yen shops.
You first make the koi nobori’s body flat, then add slits and fold along them to turn it into a three-dimensional shape, which is the fun part.
For the koi nobori’s pole, roll copy paper around a toothpick or skewer.
Apply glue to the slit section of the body and attach the pole there.
The colorful washi patterns are very cute and will brighten the atmosphere when placed in an entryway or living room.
Shuriken Origami
Let’s combine two sheets of origami in different colors to make a classic ninja item: the shuriken.
You’ll create parts with twisted, sharpened tips, then stack and align them to complete the shuriken.
Because the color contrast really stands out in this craft, be particular about your choice of origami paper and finish it with your own design.
It’s great for encouraging fine finger movements and concentration during the folding steps, and it’s also recommended as a target-throwing tool to help build arm strength.
Origami name tag
Let me show you how to make a name tag out of origami that looks like a woven ribbon.
We’ll fold it using a rectangular piece made by cutting a square of origami paper in half.
It’s very easy to fold, so you can make two tags from one sheet, and you can even use the leftover paper for decoration.
You can place it like a place card and use it as a nameplate, or attach this ribbon tag to crafts made during an activity to write the creator’s name—it’ll look cute either way.
For the ribbon’s tail, you can either cut the notch with scissors or create it by folding, so choose whichever method you prefer.
Origami stand-up name tag
Let’s try making a cute heart-shaped nameplate out of origami.
Origami is often used as a recreational activity, right? It’s fun to enjoy origami during a rec session, and this project is also recommended as a practical craft you can use afterward.
Plain origami paper works fine, but using patterned paper makes it even cuter.
The white area on the back is where you write the name.
The key feature of this nameplate is that it stands on its own.
It’s a nameplate you can casually place on the table during a tea party or a chat.