[For Seniors] Easy Craft Activity Using Straws
You might not associate straws with crafts, but you can actually make all sorts of things with them.
This time, we’ll introduce easy straw craft activities that are especially recommended for seniors.
Straws, which are so useful for drinking, can also be used in many ways for crafts.
You can even make flowers and stars with straws.
Some projects involve making cuts and require fine motor work, which can help improve concentration.
Please use this article as a reference for straw craft activities in day service programs and senior care facilities.
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[For Seniors] Simple Craft Activities Using Straws (1–10)
hair tie
Hair ties are a groundbreaking item that make your hair look stylish, aren’t they? This time, let’s make a hair tie using a straw.
The materials you’ll need are a straw, elastic, yarn, a tapestry needle, and so on.
A handmade hair tie is one of a kind in the world, so it’s sure to come in handy.
You can easily make one just by wrapping yarn around the straw.
It also makes a great gift for someone special.
There are many kinds of yarn, so choose your favorite color.
Just putting on a stylish hair tie is enough to lift your mood.
Ribbon chopstick rest
Let’s make a ribbon-shaped chopstick rest using a bendy straw.
Cut off equal lengths with the flexible section in the center.
Leave only the middle bendy part, cut off both sides, then open them up and insert them into the flexible section.
There’s also a variation of this arrangement.
The method is simple, but because cutting and spreading a thin straw involves fine motor work, it can be helpful for hand rehabilitation.
Making several and using them as chopstick rests for a party is a great idea, too.
Sakura Necklace
Let’s make a cute cherry blossom necklace using straws and origami.
First, divide a sheet of origami paper into four equal squares, then fold each one into five sections to create cherry blossoms.
Once you learn this method, it’s handy for easily making stars and flowers too.
Next, add leaves made from origami, punch a hole in the center, prepare some thread, and string them in the order of a short piece of straw, a flower, a straw, and a flower.
Threading straws onto the string is also great for fine motor rehabilitation, so I highly recommend it.
It also makes a lovely room decoration.
[For Seniors] Easy Crafts Using Straws (11–20)
Butterfly straw decoration
You often see origami that isn’t made of paper, right? This material was originally developed to make it easy to fold polyester sheets, which didn’t fold well before.
It has transparency and a glossy finish, and it’s water-resistant.
Let’s use it to make decorations for straws.
They’re handy at parties as markers so you don’t mix up your drink with someone else’s.
Stack two quarter-size sheets of origami, fold them in half, cut out a butterfly shape, then make a slit along the center line for the straw to pass through—and you’re done.
Dear little star
How about a simple star craft you can make with just two straws? When it comes to star decorations, making them with origami might be the most well-known method.
But stars made from straws have a different, dreamy look that’s really beautiful, so I recommend giving it a try.
You interweave and overlap the ends of the straws, repeating the process over and over; as the corners increase, it eventually forms the shape of a star.
For a fun variation, try using two different colored straws to make it look even more vibrant!
umbrella
How about making a cute umbrella decoration with a straw as the handle? First, prepare a sheet of origami paper, fold it in half twice, open it, and keep folding the opposite side along the crease you made.
Then fold the narrow corner in half, open it, and fold it to the other side—done with that step.
Finally, cut it into an isosceles triangle with scissors, cut the straw to a suitable length, and attach it as the handle to finish! Try using different colors to create your own original umbrellas!
flapping straw
How about a super impactful flapping-straw idea that moves dynamically like a living bug? First, take two straws, bend them at the accordion (flex) sections, align them, and cut.
Next, cut another straw in half, thread a string through a rubber band, and tie it into a loop.
Then thread the rubber band through a non-accordion straw, pass the other half through in the same way, and cut the twine—that’s it.
Finally, place it on a desk, twist the side “legs,” and let go; it will spin around with a cute, bug-like motion from the recoil!