Simple Crafts for the Elderly Recommended for Tanabata
July 7 is Tanabata.
When you think of Tanabata, many people picture Princess Orihime, Prince Hikoboshi, and the Milky Way.
For older adults, hands-on crafts that let them experience seasonal events provide great stimulation for the brain.
In this article, we introduce easy craft ideas recommended for Tanabata.
We’ve gathered a wide range of Tanabata-themed craft ideas, including decorations, garlands, wall art, and tanzaku wish strips.
They’re all simple to make, so older adults can try them with ease.
Be sure to read this article and use it to help with your Tanabata crafting!
[For Seniors] Simple Tanabata Crafts Recommended (1–10)
Colorful streamers
Here’s a round, cute, and colorful streamer.
Prepare one sheet of origami paper and make straight vertical cuts, leaving the top section uncut.
The part you leave at the top will be the core of the streamer, so glue the origami around the core to reinforce it.
Glue the edges together to form a tube, then use an awl to make holes on both sides and thread a cotton string through.
Tie a large knot at the end of the string so the bead you’ll add at the top won’t slip off.
Cut a circle out of construction paper, fold multiple pieces into triangle shapes, and assemble them to create a flower ball to attach on top.
Match it to the streamer’s string, and it’s complete.
Tanabata Decorations: Sputtering Edition
It would be wonderful to incorporate spattering into Tanabata decorations.
Spattering is a technique where you create effects by flicking paint.
The problem is that paint tends to splatter everywhere, right? Here’s a simple way to spatter precisely where you need it.
Take a milk carton cut in half and make four slits.
Insert straws flattened on both ends into the slits, and you’re done.
Then move a paint-loaded brush between the paper straws to do the spattering.
Once you spatter it to look like the Milky Way, it’s complete.
Aurora Milky Way
100-yen shops used to be something you’d only see as a single store in a large mall, but now you can find them anywhere—tucked into a corner of a supermarket, inside a video rental store, you name it.
They’re convenient, carry just about everything, and have become essential to our daily lives.
How about using items like toy bamboo branches, slime, and glitter from a 100-yen shop to make beautiful Tanabata decorations? If you pair your finished pieces with an upward-facing light, they’ll look even more glamorous! They’ll be so nice you’ll want to keep them on display even after the Tanabata season ends.
Tanabata garland
Let me introduce a Tanabata garland that brings a cool, refreshing feel.
Prepare design paper, glitter star decorations, tape glue, and scissors, and let’s get crafting.
Attach the design paper to the glitter star decorations to make stars.
Cut strips while leaving the edge of the origami intact, roll them, and stick them to the back of the star.
You’ll have a beautiful shooting-star-like decoration.
Cut the design paper into circles and attach them to a string with cellophane tape.
Stick on the stars and circles to complete the garland.
Do try making this lovely garland to brighten up Tanabata!
Tanabata Wreath Made with Origami
Let me introduce a cute Tanabata wreath you can make with origami.
Create eight identical parts from origami paper, then glue them together, connecting them to form a wreath.
Once you’ve shaped the whole wreath, fold some bamboo leaves and attach them to the wreath.
When attaching the bamboo leaves, adjust their orientation to give the wreath a more three-dimensional, dynamic look.
Adding stars or little Orihime and Hikoboshi decorations can also give it a unique, adorable touch.
Give making a Tanabata wreath a try!
Tanabata wreath made with materials from a 100-yen shop
Here’s a simple and cute Tanabata wreath you can make using materials from a 100-yen shop.
Prepare a wreath base, wire, and bamboo-leaf origami paper to get started.
Sandwich the wire between two pieces of origami with glue, then cut them into bamboo leaf shapes with scissors.
Twist three together with the wire to form a bamboo leaf cluster.
Attach these along half of the wreath by twisting the wire around it, then hide the wired section with a ribbon to finish.
Cut star shapes from construction paper or origami and add them as decorations to the wreath.
Feel free to adjust the amount of leaves and decorations to your liking.
Having a variety of decorations ready might make it even more fun.
Easy! Tanabata decorations with a cheese box
Fermented foods are said to be good for the body, especially the digestive system—what kinds do you like? Natto, sweet miso, yogurt… and there are probably some people who aren’t fond of fermented foods at all.
Cheese is also a type of fermented food, and you can actually make a lovely Tanabata decoration using the round box from 6P cheese.
First, remove the bottom part of the box, then decorate the outside with colored paper or stickers.
Hang Tanabata-related items inside, and it’s complete.
Round shapes are hard to make from scratch, so the 6P cheese box is a real treasure.
If you use the lid as well, you can make two.
Share with someone close to you and enjoy!