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 Ideas (121–130)

Yukata Calendar

Making the August calendar

Yukata Calendar

Yukata are traditional garments that you might wear at summer events like fireworks festivals or summer fairs.

You may also wear one when staying at a ryokan.

Even in the muggy heat of summer, yukata don’t get very sticky with sweat, so they feel cool and comfortable.

A calendar decorated with origami yukata that evoke the feeling of summer could also help older adults enjoy the season.

When making a yukata out of origami, using washi-style patterns or bleeding-dye designs creates a nice atmosphere.

Attach an obi made from origami or construction paper in your favorite color, and your yukata is complete.

There are also simple folding methods, so please give it a try.

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yukata (summer cotton kimono)

Let’s make a yukata and an obi out of origami—perfect for July festivals.

Prepare one sheet of origami paper to make the yukata.

Make firm creases as you fold.

The key is to puff it out slightly as you fold so the top and bottom of the yukata connect smoothly.

Carefully make each crease one at a time.

For the obi, men should fold a long, narrow strip of origami paper as if tying it; women should fold it into a ribbon shape.

Adjust the proportions of the yukata and obi as you craft them.

Using patterned origami paper is recommended for a summery look.

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soft serve ice cream

[Summer Origami] How to fold a soft-serve ice cream with voice narration ☆ Origami Ice Cream — Decorations for July and August

soft serve ice cream

Perfect for summer, let’s fold a soft-serve ice cream with origami.

After folding the paper in half, fold the bottom right and bottom left corners inward to meet at the center.

Next, fold the bottom point up to align with the top point, then fold so that the center crease lines up with the right crease.

While looking at the center crease, shape the ice cream by forming creases that create the ice shape.

When shaping the ice cream, it works well to fold it as if making a spiral.

Finally, draw a pattern on the cone with a felt-tip pen to finish.

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firefly

Easy way to fold an origami insect series firefly! Recommended for July.

firefly

These days, we don’t get as many chances to see fireflies glowing over rice fields and waterways at night.

When today’s seniors were young, weren’t there many more fireflies flitting about? Let’s make a calendar using firefly origami that brings back those kinds of summer memories.

Since you’ll make the firefly’s body and its glowing part separately, there are fewer tricky steps.

For the glowing tail, try sticking on a yellow circle cut from origami paper or a round yellow sticker.

Besides calendars, this firefly origami is perfect for summer crafts like wreaths and wall decorations.

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Sea-themed calendar collage

https://www.tiktok.com/@pom2026_nata15/video/7315047594042936578

How about creating an exciting ocean scene using translucent origami you can find at 100-yen shops? In addition to origami themed around sea creatures, try combining blue, cellophane-type origami, as well as memos and stickers—have fun mixing and matching.

Arrange and paste them to fit the size of the calendar you want to make, and you’ll have a unique, original ocean.

You’ll be able to reminisce about nostalgic seaside memories and enjoy a delightful July.

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[For Seniors] Make the Most of the Hot Summer! A Collection of Easy Craft Ideas (131–140)

Pastel Art: Water Balloons

[Template 03] Let's Draw Water Balloons – Pastel Art | Seniors & Care Facilities | Recreation

Pastel Art: Water Balloons

In July, as summer gradually hits its stride, you can’t help but crave something cool to take the edge off the heat.

This piece suggests drawing water balloons with pastels—something that feels refreshing while still capturing quintessential summer scenes like festivals.

Cut paper into the shapes you want, layer them over a backing sheet, and apply shaved pastel over the cutouts to create a soft, gentle-colored illustration.

The key is to use bright colors for the water balloons and cool, blue-based tones for the background to evoke a sense of coolness.

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ice wind chime

Ice cream is a popular dessert for people of all ages, isn’t it? The cool sensation and sweetness when eating ice cream are said to bring happiness and even activate the brain’s “pleasure hormones.” Today, we’re introducing wind chimes with an ice cream motif.

They’re very easy to make! First, cut a plastic bottle and draw your favorite ice cream on it.

Choose whatever you’re craving—chocolate mint, strawberry, melon, and so on.

Add a cone, and you’ll have a wind chime that looks just like real ice cream.

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