[For Seniors] Summer Wall Decorations: A Collection of Fun, Eye-Catching Motifs
Many senior care facilities may be thinking it’s about time to switch their wall displays to something summery.
In this article, we introduce summer wall decor ideas for older adults.
We’ve gathered projects that evoke summer—like the ocean, morning glories, fireworks, and Tanabata—so please give them a try.
Even simple ideas can be impactful if you make many of the same piece and display them together.
For example, sunflowers, hydrangeas, and festival lanterns are perfect for this.
Of course, combining several summery motifs can also make for a delightful wall display.
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[For Seniors] Summer Wall Art Projects: A Collection of Fun-to-Look-At Motifs (161–170)
Goldfish wall decoration
How about a cool decoration that looks like cute goldfish gracefully swimming along the wall? The method allows for lots of individuality, so each older adult can enjoy it in their own way! Make the goldfish’s body with origami paper, and use tissue paper for the dorsal and tail fins.
If you crumple the tissue paper first and then cut it, you can create a variety of fluttery fin expressions! To finish, attach the body and fins and add the eyes.
Round stickers make easy eyes.
When displaying them on the wall, try adding strings and hanging them—you’ll get a refreshing, breezy look.
Give it a try!
wind chime
A wind chime whose clear tinkling sound brings a feeling of coolness.
You can make a flat piece using drawing paper, or create a three-dimensional work like a real wind chime.
If you go three-dimensional, it’s recommended that staff at a day service, for example, make the sound-producing part, and have the seniors draw pictures or write characters on the tanzaku (the strip hanging below the chime) or decorate it with stickers.
If you attach a small bell, it can make sounds on its own, too.
It’s a piece that lets you feel coolness with your eyes, watching it gently sway in the breeze.
[For Seniors] Summer Wall Art Projects: A Collection of Fun-to-Look-At Motifs (171–180)
Chinese lantern plants and wind chimes
In addition to being displayed during Obon, Chinese lantern plants (hozuki) are also cherished as good-luck charms believed to ward off lightning.
Wind chimes, needless to say, are quintessentially summery items, and many people find the sound soothing.
Both are known as symbols of summer, so they’re great motifs to incorporate into wall decorations.
Hozuki are distinguished by their plump vermilion appearance, and they look nice displayed together with other vegetables traditionally set out for Obon, such as eggplants and cucumbers you’ve made.
For wind chimes, it would be lovely to have seniors make them in their favorite colors as a craft activity and then hang them up—the wall will look bright and festive.
firefly
Although we see fewer of those beautiful scenes where faint lights drift back and forth in the darkness, fireflies remain a beloved symbol of summer.
Let’s decorate the wall with fireflies that evoke the feeling of the season and soak in the mood as if we were watching them in person.
Cutting and pasting origami is also great finger exercise for older adults, so why not include it as a craft activity in day-service programs? You can arrange them on the wall in the usual way, or hang them with thread so they sway like real fireflies—both are fun options!
yacht
When you think of summer, many people—of all ages—picture the sea! As a motif that suits the ocean perfectly, how about incorporating yachts into your wall decorations? A yacht is a boat that moves forward by catching the wind in its large triangular sails, and some seniors may remember the news from the 1960s about someone successfully crossing the Pacific by yacht.
There seem to be several ways to make one with origami, so please look up some instructions and try creating it using the method that feels easiest for you.
Sasa bamboo and tanzaku
For Tanabata wall decorations, bamboo branches and tanzaku (wish strips) are highly recommended.
Real bamboo can be hard to get, so make simple versions to enjoy the Tanabata mood.
After making bamboo from construction paper or origami, cut origami paper into long, narrow strips to use as tanzaku and have the older adults write their wishes on them.
If you stick the wish-filled tanzaku around the paper bamboo, your Tanabata scene is complete.
Encourage the older adults to read not only their own wishes but also those of others around them, and let that spark lively conversation.
straw hat
A straw hat is one of the symbols of summer that lets you feel the season.
Many people actually wore them in the summer, so it’s an item that’s familiar to older adults as well.
When making a straw hat as a wall decoration, we recommend using construction paper or origami paper to create a three-dimensional effect.
If you have extra time for the project, it’s also a great idea to use plastic bottle caps to make brooches and display them as wall decorations.
It requires some fine motor work, but it should be enjoyable as a craft activity for seniors.