Recommended winter wall decorations for seniors: heartwarming ideas
During the persistently cold winter, many older adults tend to spend more time indoors.
Winter is full of enjoyable events and festivities, such as Christmas, New Year’s, and Setsubun.
Let’s help older adults feel the season even while indoors with winter-themed wall decorations!
In addition to winter events and traditions, there are also decorations inspired by flowers that are at their best during this time of year.
Craft activities that use fine motor skills can help prevent dementia and are also recommended as a communication tool.
Enjoy creating together and have a wonderful time.
[For Seniors] Recommended Winter Wall Decorations: Heartwarming Ideas (1–10)
shimenawa (sacred Shinto rope)
When it comes to the most popular wall decoration in Japan, shimenawa ropes come to mind.
Even people who don’t usually decorate their walls likely hang a shimenawa.
Originally a sacred item, in recent years more cute and charming designs have appeared.
That’s why I’d like to suggest making a shimenawa yourself.
The rope part is simple, but the upper decorative section is the tricky part.
Carefully craft each element like ema plaques and folding fans.
Since you’re making it anyway, it can be fun to add decorations with originality.
Consider including things that make everyone smile, such as characters children love.
Plum Blossoms and Nightingales
Known as a season word for early spring, plum blossoms and bush warblers are often displayed during the transition from winter to spring.
They appear in waka poetry and hanafuda as well, making them a familiar motif for seniors—let’s create a wall decoration featuring them.
Crumple and reopen origami paper to form plum blossoms, then attach the center pieces with glue.
Cut origami to match the silhouette of a bush warbler drawn on construction paper, and paste it together with branches made by twisting brown paper.
It’s a wall decoration you can enjoy while choosing the plum blossom colors and deciding where to display them.
New Year’s Mount Fuji decoration made of paper
Here’s a wall decoration idea featuring Mount Fuji, a familiar motif for the New Year.
Since it involves crafts using various types of paper—origami, cardstock, crepe paper, and more—the main tasks are cutting and pasting, making it perfect for older adults to enjoy creating.
First, apply your choice of paper to a cut piece of cardboard to make the base, then combine elements like Mount Fuji, the first sunrise of the year, and the zodiac animal for that year.
You can finish it with a traditional Japanese look using washi or chiyogami, or go for a modern Japanese vibe by pairing it with Western-style flowers—both are great! The charm of this project lies in the freedom to arrange and design it exactly the way you like.
Kadomatsu
Based on the traditional Japanese belief that “a deity dwells in the treetops,” kadomatsu are displayed at New Year’s entrances as a temporary abode for the Toshigami (New Year deity).
As a classic New Year’s decoration, they make a perfect theme for January wall displays.
They not only evoke the festive New Year spirit just by looking at them, but are also considered auspicious, making them a great craft activity for seniors.
With their colorful palette that brightly celebrates the start of the year, these vibrant wall decorations instantly call to mind the New Year for everyone.
Fluffy and cute snow bunny
Here’s how to make a wall decoration themed around a snow rabbit, a popular winter tradition.
Fold origami paper into quarters and cut it into an oval shape.
Attach it to construction paper, cut it out again, and glue it in place.
The key point is to glue on craft cotton at the end to create a snowy effect.
Decorate the eyes and ears with green construction paper and decorative parts, then thread a ribbon through a hole at the top to complete your winter wall hanging.
It’s also recommended to add illustrations or decorations, such as falling snow around the edges of the construction paper.
New Year’s holiday fan ornament
This is a lavish decoration perfect for the New Year, featuring various lucky motifs arranged on a fan-shaped base.
It’s important to consider the color balance with the decorations and carefully choose which origami paper to use for the main fan.
Popular items to include are ornamental cabbages, camellias, and cranes—elements that embody not only beauty but heartfelt wishes for the coming year.
Since the fan-shaped base has tiers, it’s best to aim for a sense of three-dimensionality in the arrangement—not just by cutting origami or construction paper, but by giving the overall display depth and dimension.
first calligraphy of the year
Kakizome is a wonderful idea for a winter wall decoration.
It’s a recreational activity that can be enjoyed together with seniors.
Let’s carefully write New Year’s resolutions or favorite words with a brush or pen.
If you follow a model example, you’ll be able to write nicely.
Writing is said to help move the fingers and calm the mind.
It also contributes to the physical and mental well-being of seniors.
The finished pieces look lovely displayed in a room, and they’re also great for decorating facility walls.
It will become a heartwarming decoration that evokes the season.