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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] Summary of Origami Ideas Recommended for Seniors (1–10)
Origami Photo FrameNEW!
Some older adults may have a favorite photograph.
It might be nice to display it in a handmade photo frame.
Take a sheet of origami paper and roll it up from a corner into a tube shape.
Using patterned or printed origami paper is recommended.
Leave the clear file large enough to fit the photo, then cut it to your preferred size.
Glue the tube-shaped origami pieces onto the cut clear file using wood glue.
Older adults may feel deeply moved when they place a cherished photo in a photo frame they made themselves.
Try adding a stand to the frame, or decorating it with paper lace or ribbons.
Rose
This is a cute origami rose that instantly brightens up a room when displayed on the wall.
After creasing the origami paper along the diagonals and in a cross, hold the corners and fold them toward the center to make a triangle.
Fold the edges into a square, then open the whole piece into a square and flip it over.
Stand up the paper so the petals become three-dimensional, and gently twist and gather it to complete a rose from a single sheet of origami paper.
The key is to carefully open the petals without crushing them.
Try making lots in different sizes and colors and decorating your room with them!
box
Let’s make a very handy origami box for holding small items and snacks! Fold it into a triangle to make a crease, then bring all four corners to the center where the creases intersect.
Open it once, fold along the creases on all four sides, flip it over, and add more creases.
Finally, open the top, fold the bottom corner up into a triangle, do the same on the back side, and open the top section—the small square box is complete.
It’s great to place on a table while chatting with friends, perfect for holding little treats or items like stamps used for crafts!
ginkgo
In autumn, when the mountains are beautifully colored, how about decorating your wall with ginkgo-leaf origami? Fold a yellow sheet of origami paper in half twice into a square, then cut it while imagining the ginkgo’s split and the outline of the leaf.
Take the two separated pieces, accordion-fold each one, tape them together at the base, and fan them out to create a ginkgo with elegant wavy lines.
Add some origami cut into branch shapes with gentle wrinkles, plus little “ginkgo nuts” made by crumpling paper into small balls, and decorate your room.
Decoy boat
Let’s fold a trick boat that forms the same boat shape no matter which way you fold it.
Fold the origami paper in half, then align the left and right edges to that center crease to create three guideline creases.
Rotate the paper and make the same creases, then fold it into a triangle to add diagonal creases as well.
With the front side up, fold all four corners to the center, flip the paper over, and continue folding along the creases you’ve made to shape it into a boat.
Your origami boat is complete.
The key is to firmly set the basic creases before shaping it!
shuriken
When you were a kid, didn’t many of you have fun throwing paper shuriken you made together? Fold a sheet of origami paper in half and open it once, then fold the left and right edges to meet the center crease.
Fold it in half again, then fold both ends into triangles in an asymmetrical way.
Fold those triangles over once more to complete one part.
Make a matching second part using the same steps, and then fit them together by tucking each piece into the pocket of the other.
With just two sheets of origami paper, your shuriken is complete.
It’s also great to use the shuriken you made for recreational activities!
morning glory
Even if you’re not good at origami, no worries! Learn how to make a morning glory that you can fold easily in 30 seconds each.
Stack a sheet of origami paper cut into four pieces and crease it along the diagonal.
Open it once, make a cross-shaped crease, then squash-fold it into a square.
Cut the corners into a rounded petal shape, separate the four layers, and fold each one, making a small fold at the edge.
Finally, open the top and bottom petals, and while flattening the left and right sides, open it up—your adorable morning glory with layered petals is complete!