[Recreation] Summary of Recommended Origami Ideas for Seniors
Origami is a seated group activity that everyone can enjoy.
Because origami uses your fingertips, it also serves as brain training and can help prevent cognitive decline.
If you don’t fold regularly, it’s easy to forget how to make certain models, isn’t it?
In this article, we’ve gathered seasonal items, animals, plants, and more—from easy folds to more advanced designs.
You can make lots of pieces to decorate the wall, or stick them onto fans and other items to create your own projects.
Why not read this article and try folding together with older adults?
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[Recreation] A Collection of Recommended Origami Ideas for Seniors (71–80)
Just cut and paste—three-dimensional hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are soothing flowers that we often see during the rainy season, when there’s lots of rain.
Don’t you feel a little uplifted when you see hydrangeas blooming in vibrant colors in the rain? This time, let’s make a particularly eye-catching, three-dimensional hydrangea.
When you display it in your room, it’s so beautiful you might mistake it for the real thing.
Prepare some origami paper and cut it into small pieces.
Then cut several of them into flower shapes.
Roll up some flower paper and attach the flowers to it.
Since it’s just cutting and pasting, it’s easy for anyone to try.
Simple hydrangea
When you think of the rainy season, do hydrangea flowers come to mind? Let’s try making hydrangeas out of origami, blooming beautifully in a gentle, steady rain.
There are many ways to fold hydrangeas, but here we’ll introduce an easy method that combines multiple parts.
We’ll fold the cluster of flowers and the leaf pieces.
Since there aren’t many complicated folds, it may be easy for older adults to work on as well.
Once you glue the parts together, it’s complete.
You can hang it on the wall, stick it on a calendar, and more—the possibilities expand with your ideas.
sunflower
When you think of summer flowers, big sunflowers come to mind, don’t they? How about trying to fold a sunflower out of origami? With a quarter-size sheet of origami paper, you can make two petals.
Make four of these and you’ll have enough for one sunflower.
Use brown origami paper to create the center of the flower.
Then make the leaves and stem.
Make as many leaves as you like.
Once all the parts are ready, assemble them to complete the sunflower.
You can display it as is, or paste it onto colored paper for a nice seasonal touch.
If you want more petals, you can simply attach additional origami pieces to the back.
watermelon
A great recommendation for summer origami is a watermelon.
This watermelon can stand upright or be pasted flat.
You make it using two sheets of origami paper: one for the rind color and one for the flesh color.
Simply put, you fold the rind-colored paper around the flesh-colored paper.
Once it’s finished, folding it in half gives it a strong watermelon look.
When drawing the seeds at the end, it’s surprisingly easy to make mistakes, so it’s best to draw the ones at the edges and in the center first, then fill in the spaces between.
Try making a yellow watermelon, too!
roasted sweet potato
Autumn is often called the season of hearty appetites, and it’s when many foods are especially delicious.
Let’s make one of those autumn treats—roasted sweet potatoes—out of origami.
Because the process is simple—just folding purple origami paper into the shape of a sweet potato—it’s important to be mindful of capturing the potato’s soft, rounded form and finishing it in a way that looks tasty.
Rather than making crisp, firm creases, lightly folding the paper will give it a softer look, which is also recommended.
While the purple peel is important, making the yellow interior and the wrapping paper three-dimensional will make it look even more appetizing.
Frog Teru Teru Bozu
The rainy season often brings gloomy weather that looks like it could spill rain at any moment.
This time, we’re introducing a frog teru teru bozu that will lift your spirits and help you enjoy the rainy season.
All you need are origami paper, a pen, and stickers.
There’s some detailed folding involved, but using your fingertips stimulates the brain and may help prevent cognitive decline, so take your time and go at your own pace.
Once you’ve shaped the frog, finish by adding stickers and drawing the face with a pen.
In addition to its traditional use of wishing for sunny weather, it also makes a great room decoration.
A child wearing a raincoat
During the rainy season, we tend to stay indoors more and go out less.
But it all depends on how you look at it.
Instead of thinking you can’t go out, why not see it as a great chance to enjoy time at home? This time, we’re introducing an origami idea: a “child in a raincoat.” You’ll use two colors of origami paper, which means lots of finger movement.
Some steps are a bit complex, but that makes it a good stimulus for the brain, so you can expect brain-training benefits too.
Once finished, the piece can also be used as a finger puppet.