Lovely senior life

[For Seniors] Enjoy the Hot Summer to the Fullest! A Collection of Easy Craft Ideas

Social worker / Care workermoko
My name is Moko, a mother of three who admired my mother and worked in the care industry as a care worker and as a medical social worker (MSW) in a hospital. I will be drawing on my previous experience to write mainly about caregiving. Thank you in advance.
Care Worker Initial Training Certification ObtainedNakajima Junko
Leveraging my experience working as a care worker at a day service, I am currently active as a writer in the caregiving and welfare fields. Beyond writing, I hope to expand my work into web design and illustration. I am a mother of three who has begun studying to become a certified social worker.

Summer is the season when we start to sweat more and more.

Even indoors, you may sometimes feel the heat.

However, some older adults seem to have a harder time sensing heat.

This time, we’ll introduce some simple, recommended crafts you can do indoors during the hot season, when outdoor activities tend to decrease.

By creating summer-themed pieces, you can help people feel the season, even if it’s become harder to sense it.

After making them, you can take them home or display them at a facility, which can also give a sense of accomplishment!

Crafting involves fine motor movements of the fingertips and thinking through the steps in your head, stimulating the brain and serving as brain training.

Please enjoy making them at your own pace.

[For Seniors] Make the Most of the Hot Summer! Easy Craft Idea Collection (101–110)

Super Easy! Cicada

[Origami] Super Easy! How to Fold a Cicada – Summer Insect, Making a Cicada, Original Creation

Super Easy! Cicada

When it comes to classic summer insects, many people probably think of cicadas.

Their buzzing also accentuates the heat of summer.

That’s why folding a cicada in origami in July can immediately evoke a sense of summer, even for older adults.

Let’s try a simple cicada origami.

Even with a design that has few complicated steps, using the fingertips helps stimulate the brain.

By making fine folds around the abdomen, you can create a realistic cicada shape.

As you fold cicada origami together, you might find yourselves chatting with seniors about memorable summer stories from the past.

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Summer greetings with a uchiwa (hand fan)

It’s not too late! Sending midsummer greetings with a hand fan!

Summer greetings with a uchiwa (hand fan)

Here’s an idea for a “summer greeting fan” made with a unique technique using a plastic bag.

Turn a plastic bag inside out and inflate it, then apply paint or ink to its surface and press it onto a plain hand fan.

The wrinkles of the bag become patterns as they are, creating unexpected and beautiful designs.

You can freely express motifs like fireworks or flowers, and if you add a message to the finished fan, you’ll have a warm summer greeting.

The process is simple yet lets your sensibility shine, making for an enjoyable creative time.

It’s a gentle summer letter that sends both coolness and heart.

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Orihime and Hikoboshi

These are Orihime and Hikoboshi made with three sheets of origami paper.

You fold them in three separate parts and then assemble them.

The head uses black origami paper, and the face is made from the white reverse side.

The other two parts are the upper garment and the lower garment.

Since the folds are the same as the balloon model up to a certain step, it shouldn’t be too confusing.

Insert the lower garment from underneath the upper garment.

Finally, glue on the face piece to finish.

Feel free to draw the facial expressions however you like.

Your very own original Orihime and Hikoboshi will surely turn out adorable.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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beetle (specifically, a rhinoceros beetle)

[Origami] How to Make a Rhinoceros Beetle

beetle (specifically, a rhinoceros beetle)

When it comes to summer, the insect kids long for most is probably the rhinoceros beetle.

It’s a bit complicated, but it looks really cool when finished, so give it a try.

First, divide a sheet of origami paper into four equal parts, use one piece for the body, and make the horn at half that size.

Then divide the remaining half into three to make the legs.

If you twist the paper to form the legs, they’ll look more realistic.

Assemble and glue the parts together to finish.

Try making a female rhinoceros beetle without a horn, too.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Beer and edamame

Origami [Beer and Edamame] Origami Beer & Green Soybeans

Beer and edamame

We’ll introduce how to fold a beer-themed origami that forms a pouch and can even be used as an envelope, along with an edamame design that pairs perfectly with beer.

For the beer origami, yellow paper is recommended.

It’s also nice to add a message with a white pen, like tiny bubbles.

The edamame looks cute if you make it from a quarter-sized sheet of origami paper.

You can make two types: with pods and without.

After crafting such delicious-looking origami, you might find yourself craving the real thing! Give it a try yourself.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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[For Seniors] Make the Most of the Hot Summer! A Collection of Easy Craft Ideas (111–120)

Morning glory flowers and buds

How to make Origami Morning Glory Flowers and Buds

Morning glory flowers and buds

We’d like to share an idea for making morning glory flowers and buds out of origami, a classic symbol of summer.

By combining the flower and the bud, you’ll create a gentle piece full of seasonal charm.

Carefully folding the rounded petals and tiny bud shapes naturally engages your fingertips and makes for good fine-motor exercise.

It may even help prevent cognitive decline, so it’s highly recommended.

By changing the colors and sizes, the same morning glory can really show its individuality.

You can also use them for wall decorations or card-making, and just looking at them brings a refreshing feeling.

Let’s brighten up summer with cheerful origami morning glories!

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shooting star

[Can be made with one sheet of origami] Cute shooting star origami – Origami Shooting Star Tanabata decoration

The origami “shooting star,” perfect for the Tanabata night sky, is a magical and delightful craft to look at.

After folding a star shape and adding a tail, it looks just like a real shooting star streaking across the night sky.

By changing the colors and length, you can create decorations with a variety of expressions.

It’s easy for older adults to try, and the gentle, finger-focused work can help stimulate the brain.

Displaying them together with tanzaku strips and the Milky Way will bring out the Tanabata spirit even more.

Why not make a wish and create a shooting star with origami?

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