[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.
- [For Seniors] Easy Crafts Recommended for August
- [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] Enjoy the Hot Summer to the Fullest! Simple Craft Idea Collection (51–60)
Simple summer greeting with watermelon
We’d like to share an idea for a “Simple Watermelon Summer Greeting” that lets you feel the season by making the most of traditional Japanese materials.
Paste a thin sheet of washi onto a postcard, then use red and green paints on top to express the colors of a watermelon.
The natural bleeding and unevenness become part of the charm, creating a refreshingly handmade look.
Add a short note of concern for the recipient’s well-being on a separate small piece of washi, and layer it over the painting to finish.
This piece gently updates the custom of midsummer greetings, which has continued since the Edo period, into a form suited to modern times.
Along with the quintessential taste of summer—watermelon—a heartfelt card delivers both seasonal greetings and warmth.
Summer greeting with fireworks
When we hear “fireworks,” we tend to imagine the kind that shoot up into the sky with a boom, but what’s being introduced here is how to draw sparklers (senko hanabi).
First, draw the sparkler itself, then add red and yellow sparks around it.
As a creative touch, try using the rim of a wax crayon—not just paint—to depict the sparks.
Because the wax is white, it’s hard to see while you’re drawing, but at the end, when you lightly wash the whole piece with blue paint, it creates a resist effect, making the white areas stand out beautifully.
Goldfish made with craft bands
Here’s an idea for making a goldfish out of craft bands.
Prepare two craft bands that are 35 cm long and 6 strips wide.
The length and width will vary depending on the size of the goldfish.
First, fold each craft band in half, layer them, and weave using the box (four-strap) weave.
Flip it over, fold the craft band, and pass it through the next gap.
Repeat folding and threading; once the head and body of the goldfish are formed, leave the fin sections and cut the craft bands.
Tuck in the cut ends to create the tail fin, and you’re done.
Add eyes to finish it off cutely.
Goldfish made by folding felt
Introducing a gentle craft idea for seniors that you can enjoy with a summery feel: “Folded Felt Goldfish.” Using soft, easy-to-handle felt as if it were origami, fold and shape it into a cute goldfish.
The thickness makes it easy to hold, so it’s suitable even for those who find fine motor tasks challenging.
Place the finished goldfish on light blue felt, and it will look as if it’s swimming in cool water.
Its refreshing appearance makes it delightful to display.
It’s a relaxing, seasonal recreation you can enjoy without strain.
[For Seniors] Make the Most of the Hot Summer! Easy Craft Ideas (61–70)
Goldfish made with paper quilling
Let’s try making a goldfish with paper quilling, a craft where you roll narrow strips of paper to create various shapes.
Basically, you wind the paper around a thin stick like a toothpick to make coils, then loosen, pinch, and shape them into parts.
You’ll need six parts for the goldfish: one for the head and body together, three for the tail fin, and one each for the dorsal and pectoral fins.
Once the parts are ready, assemble and glue them together, then add beads for the eyes.
Create a base by gluing paper cord into a spiral, attach the goldfish to it, and you’ll have a summery wall decoration.
Goldfish at the summer festival
Here’s a goldfish craft idea that will be a big hit at summer festivals in your facility.
Make the goldfish by covering a balled-up tissue with flower paper, shaping it, stapling it in place, and adding eyes—that’s it! It’s cute as is, but add one more touch to give it a summer festival vibe.
Put sparkly packing material or colored cellophane into a wrapping bag to represent water.
Place the goldfish—attached to fishing line—inside, then close the wrapping bag so it forms a triangle.
This way, you can recreate the feeling of goldfish scooping at a festival!
Goldfish postcard made of fabric
The “fabric goldfish postcard,” which captures the feeling of summer, is a gentle craft idea that’s also recommended for older adults.
By cutting red or orange fabric into small pieces and layering them, you can create the shape of the goldfish and the pattern of its scales.
Using chirimen crepe or yukata fabric gives it a cool, elegant look.
The detailed work of cutting and pasting fabric engages finger movements and can help stimulate cognitive function.
You can display the finished piece, send it as a postcard to someone, and enjoy the interaction it inspires—making this a highly recommended craft.