[For Seniors] Enjoy the Cold Winter! Simple, Recommended Crafts
Here are some recommended winter craft ideas that are perfect for seniors!
Winter brings lots of fun events and occasions, such as Christmas and New Year’s.
You might also think of seasonal foods, games, weather, and the cold.
So this time, we’ve gathered many craft ideas that help seniors feel the winter season.
Why not enjoy some craft activities in a warm indoor setting?
Using your fingers and brain can also provide cognitive training benefits.
If the crafts are practical, you can take them home to use or display and enjoy.
Please make use of these ideas in your daily recreation activities.
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[For Seniors] Enjoy the Cold Winter! Simple Recommended Crafts (51–60)
Daruma-otoshi
Here’s a craft project that brings out both nostalgia and playfulness: a DIY version of Daruma Otoshi.
Cut colored tape to fit the size of bottle caps and stick it onto three caps.
Stack two of them and freely draw the Daruma’s face and body.
Use the remaining cap as the base, and play by knocking the stacked parts down.
Because it uses few tools and can be completed quickly, it’s recommended even for seniors who aren’t used to crafts.
There are many steps that involve fine motor movements, like drawing and choosing colors, making it helpful for hand rehabilitation.
The finished pieces look adorable just lined up for display, and one of the charms is the warm, handmade feel.
Daruma Fukuwarai
Some seniors may remember playing fukuwarai with their families during New Year’s.
Here’s a craft kit that will bring back those fun times.
Using fabric, you can make a daruma-themed fukuwarai decoration.
Attach fabric pieces, cut into each facial part, onto a felt base.
Since it only involves cutting and pasting, it’s also recommended for older men who have never tried sewing.
The best part of this kit is placing the facial features.
You can start with the eyes or the nose—whichever you like.
Let seniors arrange the pieces however they prefer.
It’s a fukuwarai kit that makes the process itself a joyful time.
Heart coaster
How about an easy-to-make heart-shaped felt coaster? You don’t even need to sew—just use glue.
Round the edges and cut two pieces of felt into the same shape, then make vertical slits in both.
Interlace the slits one by one, folding them together like a weave.
Glue the last section to finish.
If you don’t round the edges or leave excess, you can weave with strip-shaped felt to make a square coaster.
Try different color combinations you like.
ball ornament
Here’s an introduction to making a cute spherical ornament out of felt.
First, create a circular template and use it to cut out circles from felt.
Cut five pieces each in two colors, such as red and green, then cut them in half and glue them together with a hot glue gun.
Be careful not to burn yourself, as the glue gun gets very hot.
After making two half-spheres, attach a bell with a thread to the bottom, and a ribbon with a pearl bead to the top.
That’s it! Simply by changing the colors, you can create ornaments with either a Western or Japanese feel—aren’t they lovely?
[For Seniors] Enjoy the Cold Winter! Simple Recommended Crafts (61–70)
Felt ema (votive plaque)
This project involves attaching decorations—such as zodiac animals and lucky charms made of felt—onto a felt base shaped like an ema plaque.
While ema are typically thought of as flat, using felt for both the base and the decorations creates a soft, three-dimensional effect.
A key point is to finish the decorations with a soft feel by adding stuffing inside or layering pieces when gluing them on.
If making each decoration from scratch is challenging, another recommended approach is to prepare the parts in advance and have participants arrange them to create their own design.
Recommended for making and recreation! Demon Bowling
Bowling with cute little oni made from toilet paper rolls is a great craft that doubles as a fun recreation afterward! First, wrap origami paper around the toilet paper rolls.
Glue paper with your favorite pattern on the lower half to make the oni’s clothes.
Next, attach paper horns and yarn for hair.
You can draw the faces with a pen, too.
Make as many as you can and line them up on a table, then start the bowling game.
Roll up some paper, tape it with duct tape to make a ball, and try to knock down lots of oni!
cardboard ema (votive tablet)
Cut cardboard into the shape of ema (votive plaques), then decorate them with New Year–themed illustrations such as the zodiac animals and with each person’s wishes.
By making use of the cardboard’s natural brown color, you can evoke the soft, wooden feel of real ema.
You can certainly have everyone draw their own design on the front, but if you prepare illustrations in advance and let participants choose from them, they can focus more on thinking about their wishes and writing the text.
Selecting an illustration that perfectly matches each wish is another enjoyable part of the process.