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 (181–190)

A simple star with paper cutting

On the night of Tanabata, when Orihime and Hikoboshi are said to meet just once a year, the real stars of the show are, of course, the stars themselves.

Let’s try making various star decorations out of paper, an essential part of Tanabata ornaments.

Simply cutting colored paper into star shapes is plenty, but if you draw lines across a pentagon like diagonals and fold along them slightly, you’ll get a three-dimensional star.

Using sparkly paper will double the glittery effect.

You can also cut a star-shaped window out of a paper star to create a translucent-looking ornament.

Try connecting stars of different sizes, arranging them in color gradients, and so on—have everyone share their ideas!

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papercut sunflower

[Origami] Kirigami Flower (42) Sunflower 🌻 Sunflower Origami

papercut sunflower

Once you get the hang of it, kirigami is an easy and enjoyable craft, making it a great recommendation for older adults as well.

Folding origami paper and cutting it with scissors helps train finger dexterity and may aid in preventing cognitive decline, so try incorporating it into at-home activities or day service recreation.

To make a kirigami sunflower, first fold a yellow origami sheet into a triangle, then fold firmly so the creases cross at the center, and fold it in half again.

Next, sketch a template so it forms petal shapes, cut along the lines with scissors, and open it up to reveal the flower.

Do the same with a slightly smaller brown origami sheet to create the sunflower’s center.

If you punch two holes with a hole punch while it’s folded, it will give a more sunflower-like look when opened.

Finally, layer the two pieces and glue them together to finish.

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[For Seniors] Make the Most of the Hot Summer! A Collection of Easy Craft Ideas (191–200)

Hang it up too! Sea creatures made of toilet paper

[Sea Creatures Craft] An easy-to-make adaptation video by a childcare worker using toilet paper rolls

Hang it up too! Sea creatures made of toilet paper

Toilet paper rolls are a must-have item for crafts! Try making easy ocean creatures.

Paste origami paper onto the roll, then use scissors to make slits to create squid and octopus legs or a fish’s tail.

Adding curls and creases will make them look more like sea creatures! Attach a string to turn them into hanging decorations.

Besides wall displays, you can also add clips to enjoy “fishing,” so these crafts could be great for recreational activities at day service centers.

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Easy coloring! Stained-glass style of the sea

[Summer Craft] Easy with Coloring Pages! Stained Glass-Style Wall Decoration (Part 2)

Easy coloring! Stained-glass style of the sea

This is a stained-glass-style wall decoration with a cool, refreshing vibe.

Even if real stained glass feels daunting, you can easily make this with coloring pages, transparent cellophane, aluminum foil, and markers! It’s a great idea to copy when you want a wall display that’s a little different from the usual.

First, draw a draft on paper, place transparent cellophane over it, and trace the draft with a black marker.

Next, flip the cellophane over and color it in with markers.

Finally, crumple a sheet of aluminum foil, spread it back out, glue it down as if wrapping it with thick paper, and tape the colored cellophane on top—and you’re done! Try arranging various ocean-themed motifs like turtles, whales, and seashells.

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Summer interior frame

[Summer Vacation Free Research / Craft] 100-yen DIY: I made a summer interior frame

Summer interior frame

Summer brings various events like Tanabata, trips to the beach, and summer festivals, and many people may want to capture those moments in photos.

If you put some thought into the frames you display them in, your memories might be beautifully enhanced.

By simply adding summer-themed decorations to a photo frame you can even find at a 100-yen shop, you can easily create a summery frame.

A frame painted entirely in blue and adorned with shells or sand motifs strongly evokes the ocean, making it perfect for displaying beach photos.

In this way, choosing a frame theme to match the photo seems like a fun idea.

You could even use frames as decorations on their own, not just for holding photos.

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Summer wall decoration

[Senior Recreation] Summer Wall Decoration Craft [Easy Project]

Summer wall decoration

A summer-themed wall display lets you feel the season and brightens the mood, doesn’t it? This is a wall art project that’s easy for seniors to make, too.

How about a design with sunflowers stretching energetically up toward the blue sky? For the sunflower blossoms, tissue paper or colored paper works well.

For the stems and leaves, crumple paper into a ball, open it up, and cut it into shape after giving it a wrinkled texture—this brings out a natural, plant-like feel! Using materials like crepe sheets that already have a wrinkled texture makes it easy, so give it a try.

Adding clouds, the sun, and summer insects will make the display look even more charming!

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Summer Flowers

Torn-paper collage: Summer Flowers (1)

Summer Flowers

Summer flowers like hydrangeas, sunflowers, and irises make perfect motifs for chigiri-e paper collage.

Their vivid colors—purples, blues, and yellows—stand out beautifully against white backgrounds, such as shikishi boards or postcards.

To express the softness of summer flower petals, washi paper is ideal.

The fibers that appear when you tear washi enhance a natural, organic feel.

Even if you simply tear the paper casually and paste it down, you can create an artful chigiri-e piece—so give it a try!

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