For Seniors: Fun, Energetic Ways to Beat the Summer! Origami Idea Roundup
Summer events like festivals and the opening of beach season excite both adults and children, but when the peak of summer arrives, many older adults choose to stay indoors due to the intense heat.
In senior care facilities as well, people tend to spend more time inside.
Even in a cool indoor environment, why not try origami activities that evoke the feeling of summer? Folding motifs like yukata, fireworks, and shaved ice may bring back fond memories of summers past.
Enjoy a wonderful crafting time while sharing those delightful stories from long ago.
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- [For Seniors] August-Themed Origami: Simple Ideas to Try
- [For Seniors] Have Fun with Recreation! Origami Ideas
- [For Seniors] Handmade Summer Greeting Cards: A Collection of Lovely Summer Motifs
- [For Seniors] Perfect for June: Introducing simple origami projects
- [For Seniors] Enjoy the Hot Summer to the Fullest! A Collection of Easy Craft Ideas
- [Recreation] Summary of Recommended Origami Ideas for Seniors
- [For Care Facilities] Let’s Enjoy the Summer! A Collection of Wall Decoration Ideas
- [For Seniors] Summer Wall Decorations: A Collection of Fun, Eye-Catching Motifs
- [For Seniors] Fun Origami That Also Works as Rehabilitation
- [For Seniors] Enjoy and Beat the Summer Heat! July Craft Ideas
- Easy origami that delights the elderly. Enjoy a heart-lifting time with seasonal origami.
- [For Seniors] Enjoy Summer to the Fullest! Fun Summer-Only Activities Introduced
For Seniors: Enjoy a Lively Summer! Origami Idea Collection (21–30)
Simple paper-cutting: Morning glory
We’d like to introduce a seasonal craft for seniors that can be enjoyed with origami and scissors: Easy Morning Glory Kirigami.
Fold the origami paper and cut it into petal shapes.
By also cutting out a small hole in the center, you’ll create the airy look characteristic of morning glories, resulting in a cool, refreshing appearance.
The sequence of folding, cutting, and unfolding naturally encourages fine motor movements of the fingers and also stimulates the brain.
Make several in different colors, add leaves and vines, and paste them onto construction paper to create a summery wall decoration.
It’s a simple yet satisfying activity that lets you enjoy the season at a comfortable pace.
Goldfish made with origami
Here’s an idea for making a goldfish using two sheets of origami paper.
If you use 15 cm paper, the goldfish will turn out quite large, so if you want to make a smaller one, cut the paper into quarters and use that.
With the first sheet, make the goldfish’s head and body, as well as the dorsal and pectoral fins.
With the second sheet, make the decorative tail fin.
Basically, you’ll create creases and fold along them, but for the tail fin you’ll need to open up the pockets to squash them and fold the edges narrowly, so proceed carefully.
Once both parts are finished, attach them together, add the eyes, and you’re done.
A folding screen ornament with goldfish motifs
Here’s an introduction to a goldfish folding screen decoration that you can display in your room once it’s finished.
We’ll make goldfish out of origami.
You can fold the goldfish, or simply cut them out in a goldfish shape—either works.
Using origami paper with traditional Japanese patterns or other designs will make it look even nicer.
If you make slits and creases in the construction paper that will become the folding screen, you can create a more design-forward piece.
Attach the goldfish to the screen and it’s complete.
Just placing it in your room will let you feel a refreshing coolness from the goldfish.
goldfish wind chime
On hot summer days, hearing the tinkling sound of wind chimes—“chirin, chirin”—can make the heat feel more bearable.
Many older adults may also associate wind chimes with the image of summer.
With that in mind, here’s a perfect summer craft: a goldfish wind chime.
The goldfish will be made with origami.
Because the goldfish has a three-dimensional finish, attach it to the bell portion of the wind chime and add a tanzaku (paper strip).
If you also attach a small bell, you’ll hear a gentle sound every time the wind blows.
Older adults may find it novel that you can make a wind chime out of origami.
Boat made with origami
“Boats Made with Origami” is a fun recreational activity for seniors that brings the feeling of the summer ocean indoors.
The yacht is made by folding the origami paper diagonally to form a sail, giving it a light and breezy look.
The passenger ship combines mountain and valley folds to add three-dimensionality, resulting in a piece with real presence.
The sea is expressed with blue and light-blue vinyl tape to depict waves, and the tape’s sheen evokes the sparkle of a water surface.
The project is simple yet offers fine-motor exercise, and the completed boats brighten the walls to spread a summery seaside scene throughout the room.
The colorful creations lift spirits and naturally encourage interaction among participants, making this a highly recommended activity.
Colorful streamers
In some places, the Tanabata Festival is held in summer, right? Nothing sets the mood quite like Tanabata decorations.
Here’s a colorful paper streamer you can make with origami that also works great as a wall decoration.
Leave about 1.5 centimeters uncut from one end of the origami paper, and make slits about 1 centimeter wide.
Attach a strip of origami paper the same width as the portion you left at the beginning, then roll the whole sheet into a tube.
Thread a string through, and your streamer is complete.
It looks lovely on its own, but making a paper kusudama (decorative ball) and attaching it to the streamer makes it even prettier.
Older adults who enjoy origami might also have fun making this.
By the way, the streamer represents the weaving threads offered by Orihime, and displaying it is said to carry the wish for improvement in sewing skills.
Let’s make fireworks with paper quilling
Fireworks put you in an emotionally rich mood and provide a wonderful kind of stimulation, don’t they? They’re especially beneficial for the brains of older adults.
As we go about our daily lives, it’s easy to lose a sense of contrast and of the seasons, so seasonal events are very important.
When you make a fireworks craft, you can imagine the summer that’s just around the corner.
This time, I’ll introduce a fireworks craft using origami and bamboo skewers.
First, wrap the origami paper around the bamboo skewer.
Then attach them to construction paper to depict the fireworks.
The steps are very simple, yet the result is a splendid display of fireworks, so I highly recommend it.
