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! A Collection of Easy Craft Ideas (131–140)

Wind chime decorations made with thread

How to make a wind chime decoration with thread: a simple summer vacation craft for elementary school students and senior recreation

Wind chime decorations made with thread

Wind chimes are a uniquely Japanese symbol of summer, aren’t they? Just gazing at them makes you feel the season’s arrival.

How about making your own wind chime by hand? This time, I’ll introduce a very simple handmade wind chime you can create.

First, inflate a balloon and wrap thread around it.

Then harden it with glue and let it dry.

Add decorations as you like, and in no time it’s finished.

You’ll have a one-of-a-kind wind chime that exists nowhere else in the world! Hang it by the window, and you’ll feel the essence of summer.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

For Seniors: Make the Most of the Hot Summer! Easy Craft Ideas (141–150)

Fireworks Milk Carton Fan

Let’s have fun making it with the scratch technique: A milk carton fan

Fireworks Milk Carton Fan

On hot summer days, many older adults have probably fanned themselves with a hand fan.

Here’s a perfect summer craft idea: a handmade uchiwa (Japanese fan).

Using an empty milk carton, you can make a sturdy fan.

Cut the milk carton into a circle and tape a chopstick to the outer (printed) side to serve as the handle.

Then cut another circular piece from a milk carton and attach it on top with the white side facing outward.

Draw fireworks on a round piece of construction paper, stick it onto the fan, and you’re done.

The fireworks motif enhances the summery feel and will help older adults enjoy the sense of the season.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Stained-glass-style wind chime made with transparent origami

Wind chimes made with 100-yen shop materials | Stained glass style | #childcare #nurseryteacher #crafts

Stained-glass-style wind chime made with transparent origami

If you want a wind chime that’s enjoyable even just to look at, a stained-glass-style wind chime is a great choice.

As we age, some people find it harder to hear sounds.

Even for those folks, this stained-glass look lets you fully savor the refined beauty of summer, thanks to its vibrant appearance.

It’s also very easy to make: simply stick transparent origami onto a clear plastic cup! You’ll end up with a wind chime that looks high-end, as if you bought it at a store.

The way it appears changes with the light, gently stimulating the senses and helping you enjoy a calm, soothing moment.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Wind chime of a goldfish bowl

[Easy Summer Japanese Craft] Goldfish Bowl Wind Chime

Wind chime of a goldfish bowl

Goldfish bowls are something nostalgic for many seniors.

Some of you may remember buying goldfish at summer festivals when you were little and keeping them at home.

Goldfish have a way of evoking the feeling of summer and bringing comfort.

This time, we’re introducing a wind chime craft with a goldfish bowl motif.

Fasten a paper band and place a clear plastic cup inside it.

Amazingly, you can make the goldfish simply by coloring straws red and sticking them together.

It’s an easy project that only involves cutting and pasting, so even those who aren’t confident in crafting will find it easy to try.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Strip with mesh

[Craft Idea] Tanzaku with Net – a strip of paper ~Tanabata~ (July) (Tanabata tanzaku) (Senior recreation) (Easy craft) (Craft activity) (Early childhood education) (Daycare/Hospital) (Psychiatric OT)

Strip with mesh

Tanabata, one of the major events in July.

In senior care homes and welfare facilities, many hold Tanabata events or decorate the interiors, don’t they? Tanabata is also a day when people attach wish slips to bamboo.

Let’s add a creative touch to those tanzaku by making slits that form a mesh pattern.

There is originally a net-shaped decoration for Tanabata, and as the name suggests, it carries the wish for an abundant catch of fish.

Fold down the top of the tanzaku paper, then make many cuts.

When you unfold it, you’ll have a mesh-like pattern.

If you like, you can also make Hikoboshi and Orihime and place them alongside the mesh of the tanzaku.

As they make these, some older adults may recall past Tanabata memories.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Sunflower magnet

Summer vacation craft: Sunflower magnets with origami and plastic bottle caps 🌻 #SummerVacationCraft #Origami #Craft

Sunflower magnet

Let me introduce a sunflower magnet you can make with origami paper and a plastic bottle cap.

First, prepare yellow, green, and brown origami paper.

Fold the yellow and green paper while marking guidelines, then cut them into flower and leaf shapes with scissors and shape them neatly.

When assembling the flower, layer the petals slightly offset so they don’t overlap directly—that makes it look nicer.

Cut the brown paper into a circle, then glue it on while checking the placement with the leaves to form the sunflower.

Glue a magnet to a plastic bottle cap, then attach it to the back of the sunflower to finish.

If you make a bunch and display them, they’ll transform the feel of your room.

Give it a try!

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem

Morning glory message card

This morning glory message card is a gift that will delight anyone—people who’ve helped you, family, friends, and more! It’s also a great idea to include in craft activities at day service centers.

It works well for seniors as finger dexterity rehab and for dementia prevention, too.

How about a morning glory that can be made from a single sheet of origami so it’s easy for seniors to create? The flat type is perfect for attaching to cards.

If you have time, you can also make leaves and vines to decorate the card together.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem