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[For Seniors] Perfect for winter events! Easy craft ideas
Here are some simple craft ideas perfect for winter events, especially for seniors!
Winter is full of events, and seasonal motifs are cute—not only is making crafts fun, but displaying them afterward is another thing to look forward to.
We’ve gathered only easy-to-make projects, making them ideal for recreational activities in senior facilities.
There are also options that are simple to make at home.
Be sure to enjoy winter together in a warm room while trying these crafts!
[For Seniors] Perfect for Winter Events! Easy Craft Ideas (1–10)
Shimenawa wreath decoration
How about making a handmade shimenawa wreath, an essential New Year’s decoration? By crafting it yourself, you get a charm you won’t find in ready-made items, and it’s perfect for finger dexterity training for seniors.
For the shimenawa part, you can unravel paper cord available at 100-yen shops and braid it yourself.
You can also have fun decorating it however you like with fans made from chiyogami paper, camellia flowers made from colored paper, and mizuhiki cords.
Using a store-bought wreath base makes it even easier to finish.
Christmas wreath at the mall
We’d like to introduce an easy-to-make Christmas wreath using only twist ties from a 100-yen shop.
This craft makes full use of your fingers, so it’s also effective for fine-motor rehabilitation for seniors! How about incorporating this craft into your Christmas event preparations? To make it, overlap the ends of two twist ties and twist them together, then clamp a pen, straw, or battery between the ties and twist two or three times.
Repeat this process, and once you’ve wrapped to the end, form a circle and twist the ends together to connect—done! You can make it look even more festive by adding bow-shaped ties or decorative stickers.
Try making it with your favorite colors and get into the Christmas spirit.
Camellia flower wall decoration
A festive camellia wall decoration made with origami! It’s a perfect piece to enjoy the winter season, so give it a try by hand.
For the camellia petals, fold a circle-cut sheet of origami paper, sketch the petal shape, and cut it out with scissors.
For the flower’s center, cut a strip of origami paper, fold it in half, make fine snips along the top and bottom, then wrap it around a plastic bottle cap to form the shape.
The camellia by itself is lovely, but pairing it with paper fans made from Japanese-patterned origami, or adding strings to turn it into a hanging decoration, will make it even more eye-catching.
Ozoni on a puzzle mat
Let’s make ozoni—an essential New Year’s soup—using puzzle mats you can find at 100-yen shops! This craft is great for seniors as a fine-motor activity.
First, cut the puzzle mat to the size of a square rice cake (kirimochi).
Next, fill a white balloon (with the tip cut off) with cotton and stretch it over the puzzle mat.
Attach felt to the back, and use a pen to add toasted markings—your main mochi is done! You can also create toppings like kamaboko fish cake and shiitake mushrooms by combining puzzle mats and felt, so give it a try.
Since the shape of the mochi and the ingredients can vary by region, we hope you’ll enjoy making the style of ozoni that feels familiar to you.
A photogenic snowman snow globe
A snowman with a snow globe look, featuring a base and dome made by cutting construction paper.
You can give the snowman a unique expression with crayons, and adding snow or stars in the background enhances the atmosphere.
Use double-sided tape to gently attach cotton for a fluffy effect, creating a three-dimensional feel as if the snowman is standing in the snow, making it even more festive.
The overall impression changes with the background color and the amount of cotton, allowing for flexible customization.
It’s easy for seniors to make and results in a highly satisfying wall decoration.
A perfect idea for capturing the feel of the winter season.
Cute Santa and an origami Christmas tree
These “cute Santa and origami Christmas trees” instantly bring the holiday spirit to any room just by displaying them.
The charm of this craft is that you can make it with familiar materials like colored construction paper, origami paper, and toilet paper rolls.
In both projects, the main steps involve cutting and pasting colored paper or origami.
A key point is using toilet paper for the white parts of Santa’s hat and outfit, as well as for his beard.
For the beard in particular, you tear the toilet paper by hand to give it a fluffy finish.
If you’re introducing this in a day-service craft activity, it might go smoothly if you assign roles and have everyone divide up the tasks.
Felt Christmas garland
Why not brighten up your room by handmaking a garland with Christmas-colored felt? All you need to do is cut, roll, and glue the felt, and you’ll end up with a stylish piece that feels warm and cozy! First, cut felt into holly shapes in two sizes—large and small—and glue them together.
Next, cut the felt into circles, snip them into a spiral, and create flowers by rolling from the tip and gluing as you go.
The key is to make flowers in different colors and sizes! To finish, attach each piece to jute twine, and you’re done.
Since it’s a craft that uses fine motor skills, it’s perfect for a winter craft activity at an adult day care service.