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 (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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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[For Seniors] Make the Most of the Hot Summer! Simple Craft Ideas (151–160)

Marbled Fish You Can Make with 100 Yen Store Supplies

Mysterious and fun♪ Marbled little fish

Marbled Fish You Can Make with 100 Yen Store Supplies

Here’s an idea for a wall decoration that uses marbling, a technique that lets you enjoy unexpected patterns.

Marbling offers a different experience from painting, and older adults may also enjoy trying it.

You can now easily get marbling materials at 100-yen shops or online, so it’s more accessible.

Mix marbling solution or liquid laundry starch thoroughly into water, drop in several colors of special marbling ink, and use a bamboo skewer to draw patterns.

Next, float pieces of drawing paper cut into fish shapes on the surface to transfer the design—and you’re done! It creates an artistic wall display, so give it a try.

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Shaker-style goldfish from the 100-yen shop

[100-yen shop] I put the goldfish made with quilling into a shaker [Quilling]

Shaker-style goldfish from the 100-yen shop

This craft uses paper quilling parts shaped into goldfish and flowers, arranged so they can move inside a case.

By inserting a sheet of paper in the center of the case and attaching pillars to both the front and back, you can enjoy two different worlds—one on each side—which is a fun feature.

It’s important to decide how to spread and combine the coiled paper: make the elements you want to stand out, like goldfish or flowers, larger, and create the surrounding decorations smaller.

By changing the colors of the paper and how you coil it, you can design your own beautiful world inside the case.

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Authentic morning glory made with five sheets of origami

[Origami] How to make a morning glory / How to make origami 'Morning Glory'.

Authentic morning glory made with five sheets of origami

Let’s make a beautiful three-dimensional morning glory! You’ll use five sheets of origami to create one bloom, so the difficulty may be a bit high.

Make five parts, then assemble and glue them together.

To prevent the glue from coming off, it’s a good idea to hold the pieces in place with clips or clothespins as you work.

For the finishing touch, slightly fold the rim to give the morning glory a 3D look.

You can also change the size of the sheets to make morning glories in different sizes—give it a try!

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