Lovely senior life

[Recreation] Summary of Recommended Origami Ideas for Seniors

Care Worker Initial Training Certification ObtainedNakajima Junko
Leveraging my experience working as a care worker at a day service, I am currently active as a writer in the caregiving and welfare fields. Beyond writing, I hope to expand my work into web design and illustration. I am a mother of three who has begun studying to become a certified social worker.

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?

[Recreation] A roundup of origami ideas recommended for seniors (111–120)

Pochi-bukuro (small decorative envelope for gifting money)

[DIY Work Video] [100-yen Shop Budget-Friendly] Easy! How to Make a Koinobori Gift Envelope – Golden Week & Children’s Day – Left-Handed Tutorial

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.

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Medal name tag

[Origami] A medal you can write a name on. Since you can write a message, it’s also great as a name tag! ORIGAMI_MEDAL

Medal name tag

How about making a cute nameplate like the medals you get at a sports day? All you need is one sheet of origami paper and another piece of paper to write the name and insert inside.

There are many steps, but the folding itself isn’t very difficult.

Take your time and fold carefully.

If you use double-sided origami paper with different colors on each side, it will turn out more colorful and cute.

You can attach it to your chest like a badge with double-sided tape, or add a ribbon and wear it around your neck like a medal.

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papercut sunflower

[Origami] Kirigami Flower (42) Sunflower 🌻 Sunflower Origami

papercut sunflower

Once you get the hang of it, kirigami is an easy and enjoyable craft, making it a great option for older adults as well.

Folding origami paper and cutting with scissors are effective for finger dexterity training and dementia prevention, so try incorporating it into at-home activities or day-service recreation.

To make a kirigami sunflower, first fold yellow origami paper into a triangle.

Then fold it firmly by crossing at the center, and fold it in half again.

Next, sketch a template so the cuts will form petal shapes, cut along the lines with scissors, and open it up to reveal the flower.

Do the same with a slightly smaller piece of brown origami paper to create the sunflower’s center.

If you punch two holes with a hole punch while it’s still folded, it will give a more sunflower-like look when opened.

Finally, layer the pieces and glue them together to finish.

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Cute maple leaves

[Autumn Origami] Easy! Cute Maple Leaf How to Make / Fall Foliage Decoration Origami Maple

Cute maple leaves

This is a cute way to make a maple leaf by quartering an origami sheet to create small pieces, folding them again, and assembling them.

Prepare eight diamond-folded pieces: use seven for the maple leaf blades and fold the remaining one into a thin strip for the stem.

Because the paper is small, the creases are fine and may be a bit tricky, but the precise finger movements are great brain training, so it’s recommended.

Open just one side of each diamond, apply glue, and attach the next piece, continuing in this way.

You’ll end up with a sturdy, adorable maple leaf.

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Koinobori made with Japanese-style origami

[Easy] 3D ✨ Carp Streamer Craft 🎏 [100-yen Origami] How to Make Carp-shaped Streamers

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.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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