[For Seniors] Enjoy the Hot Summer to the Fullest! A Collection of Easy Craft Ideas
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.
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- [For Seniors] Enjoy and Beat the Summer Heat! July Craft Ideas
- For Seniors: Simple and Lovely Crafts – A Collection of Take-Home Project Ideas for Day Service
- [Day Service] August Craft Ideas That Seniors Will Enjoy
- [For Seniors] Introducing Fun Crafts Made with Plastic Bottle Caps
- [For Seniors] Sunflower Crafts: A Collection of Ideas to Brighten Up Your Indoor Space
- [For Care Facilities] Let’s Enjoy the Summer! A Collection of Wall Decoration Ideas
- [For Seniors] Easy and Fun! Tsumami Zaiku Craft Ideas
- [For Seniors] Styrofoam Craft Ideas: Simple and Recommended
- [For Senior Daycare Centers] Ideas for Summer Take-Home Crafts
- [For Seniors] Easy Craft Ideas to Make at Day Service in July
- [For Seniors] August Wall Decoration Idea Collection
- [For Seniors] Small craft ideas: for yourself and as gifts!
[For Seniors] Make the Most of the Hot Summer! A Collection of Easy Craft Ideas (21–30)
watermelon
When it comes to summer foods, watermelon is definitely a must! Eating it is great, of course, but how about making a delicious-looking watermelon out of construction paper or origami? Use green paper for the rind, red or yellow paper for the flesh, and black paper for the stripes on the rind and the seeds—simple! Then just glue the pieces together and you’re done.
If you want to make it three-dimensional, trace a circular object to shape the watermelon, or model it as a watermelon cut into fractional wedges so you can create not only the outside but also the inside in 3D.
If you place it on the table where you’re eating watermelon, it’ll make the scene even more fun to look at!
uchiwa (Japanese hand fan)
Uchiwa fans, long used as an easy way to keep cool, have simple designs that invite all kinds of original customization.
You can have fun making them by attaching origami flowers and other objects, or by decorating with stickers if you’re not so handy.
It’s enjoyable to cool yourself with a fan you designed, and simply looking at the finished piece can be delightful too.
As a way to get through the hot summer while having fun, this craft is especially recommended for seniors.
[For Seniors] Make the Most of the Hot Summer! Easy Craft Ideas (31–40)
sunflower wall decoration
Sunflowers are one of the flowers that symbolize summer, aren’t they? Seeing sunflowers blooming on a hot day can make you feel energized.
Let’s make a wall decoration with a sunflower motif.
Using crinkled crepe sheets to create the sunflowers gives the piece a nice textured look.
Fold and cut the crepe sheets to make the sunflower petals.
We’ll form the center by crumpling tissue paper, and here’s a fun method: put the crumpled tissue paper into a plastic bottle cap for the center, or press the tissue crumpled with the cap.
This leaves a round imprint on the tissue, adding a nice accent to the sunflower’s center.
Glue the sunflower onto a backing sheet, place it on a stand made from a disposable chopstick, and it’s complete.
It’s a lovely piece that seniors can take home and display in their homes.
catapult
Let me introduce a fun-to-play catapult.
Paint some color onto the popsicle sticks, stack five of them together, and secure both ends with rubber bands.
Take the remaining two sticks, band them together, then insert the stack of five between them and fix in place.
Secure the center by crossing a rubber band, and glue a plastic bottle cap to the end to finish.
Put a pom-pom in the bottle cap and launch it to play.
Making a target to aim at will make the game even more exciting.
It’s also fun to write numbers on the targets and turn it into a point-scoring game.
Watermelon fan
Here’s how to make a watermelon fan using popsicle sticks.
Gather popsicle sticks, wire, colored construction paper, and glue.
Prepare five popsicle sticks and drill a hole at the bottom of each stick.
Thread the wire through the holes to bind them together.
Cut the construction paper into a fan-shaped watermelon slice, and use colored paper to create the rind and seeds to form the watermelon design.
Open and close the fan as you assemble it so the shape and movement work smoothly, then finish it up.
Add your name or decorations to create your own original fan.
Pin Friends
Let me introduce some very cute “pin friends” made from popsicle sticks.
Draw faces on the sticks and add color.
Using washi tape or colored pens to create patterns will make them look bright and adorable.
Once you’ve finished drawing, glue the popsicle sticks onto clips and you’re done.
They’d look stylish and cute attached to a small message card or letter.
Making several in different sizes to create a set of pin friends would look festive when lined up, too.
Give it a try!
Sparkling snow globe
Snow globes are often associated with winter, but their cool, refreshing look might be just what you want to see during the hot summer.
They’re easy to make using a plastic bottle, so it’s a recreational activity that seniors can enjoy as well.
By using the contents of a cold pack, you can recreate the unique, dreamlike motion of a snow globe—guaranteed to lift your spirits while you’re making it.
With the attachment that comes from having made it yourself, it becomes a craft you’ll want to keep gazing at as a piece of interior decor.