[For Seniors] Easy Origami Recommended for Winter
As the seasons shift from autumn to winter, the days are getting chilly.
For many older adults, going out can start to feel like a hassle.
So this time, we’re introducing origami that’s perfect for winter.
There are lots of delightful designs to make, like winter flowers, snowmen, and New Year’s good-luck charms.
It’s also fun to make plenty and use them as wall decorations or hanging ornaments.
What’s more, fine motor activities that use the fingers can stimulate the brain and help prevent dementia.
Please enjoy making them together and have a wonderful time.
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[For Seniors] Easy Origami Recommended for Winter (1–10)
snow rabbit
These days there’s less snow, but when today’s seniors were young, it probably snowed more.
Some of you may even have made snow bunnies out of real snow.
Here’s an origami snow bunny that lets you reminisce about those winter memories.
Use white origami paper and start folding.
There aren’t many complicated steps, so it should be easy for older adults to try.
Adding stickers for the rabbit’s characteristic red eyes will make it look even nicer.
This is a project that can help older adults who find it hard to sense the seasons feel the atmosphere of winter through an origami snow bunny.
New Year’s decoration with a crane and a folding fan
New Year’s is one of the major events of winter.
Many older adults also regard New Year’s as an important tradition that has been passed down in Japan since long ago.
Here, we’ll introduce New Year-appropriate origami decorations that you can display at home.
Fold auspicious designs like fans and cranes, and arrange them on a backing board.
For New Year’s, we recommend using Japanese-style patterned paper.
Of course, origami that suits the season—such as daruma dolls or turtles—works just fine too.
As you make them, older adults are likely to enjoy the lively New Year’s atmosphere as well.
A chubby and cute daruma
Daruma markets are frequently held from around December to March.
In Japan, the daruma markets held in three locations—Gunma Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, and Tokyo—are known as the three great daruma markets.
Some older adults may have gone to these markets every year.
Daruma dolls have long been cherished as lucky charms because their model was a revered monk and because they rarely fall over and always bounce back upright.
Let’s try making a daruma out of origami, which is familiar to many seniors.
You’ll fold it into a round, plump shape; since there are few complicated steps, it’s an easy craft for older adults to enjoy.
In addition to the classic red, try making colorful daruma in green, yellow, or white.
By the way, it’s said that each color carries its own wish or meaning.
[For Seniors] Easy Origami Recommended for Winter (11–20)
Kagami mochi
Kagami mochi is an essential New Year’s decoration, imbued with the meaning of welcoming Toshigami, the deity of the new year.
This project recreates kagami mochi with origami, making it easy to incorporate into your New Year’s decorations.
Fold the paper firmly, then open it to create steps, and round the corners to form the two-tiered mochi shape.
Once the mochi is shaped, attach the mandarin piece and decorative cord to finish.
You can also express your originality through how you choose to decorate it.
New Year hanging decorations
There are many types of New Year’s decorations, and they all tend to have a luxurious, festive feel.
This craft project suggests making various lucky New Year’s ornaments out of origami and turning them into hanging decorations with string.
Classic motifs to create include pine, bamboo, and plum, as well as folding fans and battledores.
As you work, keep the size and color balance in mind and aim to give each piece a sense of three-dimensionality.
If you use red-and-white string, it will match the overall mood of the decorations and convey an even more auspicious impression.
celebratory crane
New Year’s is one of the major events that comes in winter, and people sometimes display lucky charms to wish for a better year.
Among these charms, let’s focus on the crane, a symbol of longevity, and make a three-dimensional crane mascot using origami.
The biggest difference from a regular origami crane is the shape of the wings.
By adding a clever twist to the folding process partway through, the wings spread out in a three-dimensional form.
Because the reverse side becomes visible when you spread the wings, it’s recommended to use origami paper that’s colored on both sides.
three-dimensional snowflake
Winter is the season when we see snow more often, and sometimes it freezes into intriguing shapes.
This content recreates that magical winter phenomenon—snowflakes—using origami, and the results seem perfect for decorations.
You’ll use origami paper cut into quarters, fold each piece into a triangle, make small cuts, then unfold it to form a snowflake-like shape.
Instead of using just one piece, layering and gluing separately made pieces together gives a more three-dimensional finish, which is highly recommended.