[For Seniors] Introducing Fun Crafts Made with Plastic Bottle Caps
We’ve gathered practical craft ideas that use plastic bottle caps.
Bottle caps that would normally end up as trash—why not use them to enjoy some crafting?
You can easily make useful items like brooches, small containers, magnets, and memo stands.
They’re perfect for small gifts, too.
Moving your hands helps stimulate both body and mind, making this a great recreational activity.
Please use these ideas as a reference for craft activities in senior care facilities.
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[For Seniors] Fun Crafts Using Plastic Bottle Caps (21–30)
prefectural capital
There are 47 prefectures in Japan, right? How about a plastic bottle cap puzzle with the capital of each prefecture written on it? Write the prefectural capitals on both the caps and the sheet.
It might be nice to make the sheet look like a map of Japan.
Some seniors will likely have connections to certain prefectures where they live or where they’re from.
They may have memories tied to those regions and feel nostalgic about the past.
It seems like this game could spark lively conversations about memories from all over Japan.
rubber band car
Let me show you how to make a rubber band car where ice cream sticks quickly transform into a car.
Start by gluing the ice cream sticks together to create the base of the car.
Cut a straw and glue the pieces on to make the axle holders for the wheels.
Fit plastic bottle caps onto cut bamboo skewers and glue them in place to create the wheels.
Make a hook or catch for the rubber band, and once you attach the rubber band at the end, it’s complete.
The car launches using the spinning force from the rubber band, and it’s a lot of fun.
Try painting the ice cream sticks and make your very own original car!
origami grapes
Here’s an introduction to making “grapes” that cleverly use the round shape of plastic bottle caps.
Prepare green paper for tracing, use a bottle cap as a template to trace circles, and cut them out with scissors.
Using the same green paper, make the leaves and stem.
If any participant enjoys drawing, consider letting them handle the illustration part.
Next, apply double-sided tape to the bottle caps, attach the traced paper circles to create the grape bodies, and then add the leaves and stem to finish.
If possible, choose green bottle caps as well.
Since there are hardly any complicated steps, this craft idea should be enjoyable for many people.
Finger exercises with plastic bottle caps
Here’s a recreational activity you can make using the many plastic bottle caps that tend to pile up.
Place the caps on a base sheet, matching each cap with the same kanji written on the sheet, making sure not to make mistakes.
Kanji sets that are hard to distinguish—like the fish or tree radicals series—are recommended.
Because players identify the characters while pinching the caps with their fingers, it trains both the brain and fine motor skills.
Give it a try—make it and play with it! You could also turn it into a game by pairing addition problems with their answers.
cake
Use a plastic bottle cap as the base, then decorate it to give it the look of a cake.
Since the paper decorations will stand out more, it’s best to use caps with minimal designs.
The way you wrap the paper is key—by wrapping paper cut into curves or spreading out the wrapped paper, you can create cake-like decorations.
Think of decorating the cap with parts inspired by roses and ribbons.
Incorporating beads in addition to paper decorations will make the cake look even more glamorous.
Small cake
For those with a sweet tooth, let’s try crafting a delicious-looking cake using a plastic bottle cap! You might think, “Making a cake sounds difficult,” but the process isn’t very complicated.
For example, prepare a plastic bottle cap, some milk carton cardboard, two types of felt for the top and sides, and glue.
Glue pieces of the cut milk carton to the detailed areas of the cap to secure them, then attach felt cut to size around the sides of the cap with the same glue.
After that, glue felt on the top to finish the base.
From there, decorate it however you like with small items and embellishments from a 100-yen shop, and complete your original cake! There’s no sewing with needles or thread involved, so it’s safe and enjoyable for seniors as well.
Hat magnet
This idea is to use plastic bottle caps to make tiny hats—and even turn them into magnets.
Magnets are surprisingly handy in everyday life, so if they’re shaped like cute hats, users will definitely appreciate them.
The method builds on the techniques introduced in the reviews of the “Straw Hat Brooch” and the “Candy Magnets,” so it should be easy to understand.
You can get magnets for the back of the hat at 100-yen shops.
Instead of round magnets, consider using a magnetic sheet, which you can cut to any shape—highly recommended.