Lovely senior life

[For Seniors] January Craft Ideas for Day Service Activities

Work experience in a hospital as a physical therapistNakamū
I worked as a physical therapist at a general hospital for about four years. I’ve supported a wide range of patients, from those needing emergency rehabilitation to those doing rehabilitation at home at a comfortable pace. As a writer, I’d be happy to share health-related information with many people. Thank you, and I look forward to working with you!
Care Worker Initial Training Certification ObtainedNakajima Junko
Leveraging my experience working as a care worker at a day service, I am currently active as a writer in the caregiving and welfare fields. Beyond writing, I hope to expand my work into web design and illustration. I am a mother of three who has begun studying to become a certified social worker.

In January, we have the longstanding Japanese traditional event, the New Year’s celebration.

Many day service centers and welfare facilities likely put a lot of effort into decorations themed around January, the start of a new year.

So this time, we’ll introduce January crafts recommended for day service programs.

It’s still quite chilly, so let’s enjoy craft activities you can do indoors!

Even after the New Year’s holidays, winter-themed decorations like snow motifs and plum blossoms can stay up and be enjoyed as they are.

In addition to decorations, we’ve assembled many works that are perfect for January.

There are lots of ideas, including auspicious items, practical pieces, and projects that incorporate creative twists in the materials.

By all means, use these January craft ideas as a reference.

[For Seniors] January Craft Ideas to Make at Day Service (1–10)

red-and-white folding fan

How to Make a Red-and-White Fan by Kimie Gangi

red-and-white folding fan

How about making red-and-white fan decorations that are perfect for a festive New Year? Prepare red and white construction paper and accordion-fold each one finely.

Leaving a small margin at the ends, twist on gold or silver pipe cleaners with wire to secure the shape.

Spread out both the top and bottom of the pipe cleaner and adjust it into a fan shape to finish.

Make some in different sizes to create a lively, auspicious atmosphere! It also looks great combined with other New Year decorations.

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Fabric osechi cuisine made from a jubako (stacked bento box)

How to Make a Fabric Osechi from a Jubako (Datemaki, Kombu Rolls, Burdock, and Shiitake)

Fabric osechi cuisine made from a jubako (stacked bento box)

The beautifully colorful osechi dishes are so pretty you might want to keep them on display forever, but of course, you have to eat them.

How about making them out of felt or terry cloth so you can enjoy their colors for as long as you like? For the stacked jubako boxes, red or black felt is recommended.

Insert cardboard inside to help them keep their shape.

Once the boxes are done, start making your favorite dishes: craft shrimp with red felt, roll yellow and brown felt to make datemaki, stuff yellow felt with cotton to make herring roe (kazunoko), and so on.

Pack in lots of your favorite foods to create a lively, festive osechi!

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Blue poinsettia

Kimie Gangi: “Blue Poinsettia” made with tissue paper #easy #beautiful #Christmas #winterWallDecor #activitiesForSeniors #3D #diycrafts #storage #utilityModelPending

Blue poinsettia

Poinsettias bloom during the cold season.

Red poinsettias are often associated with Christmas, aren’t they? So, after Christmas in January, how about making a unique blue poinsettia? Prepare two sheets each of dark blue and light blue tissue paper, and accordion-fold each one into large pleats.

Fold each in half and staple the center, then trim the ends into triangular points.

Cut the dark blue ends a bit larger to make that layer slightly smaller overall.

Open them up and layer them together, then glue foam beads or small balls made by tightly rolling tissue paper in the center—and you’re done! Try making lots by changing the sizes and color combinations.

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[For Seniors] January Craft Ideas to Make at Day Service (11–20)

Daifuku smile

@karitasunosato
This is Hamanomiya Shochikuen Day Service 🤗 In January, we enjoyed New Year’s recreational activities 🫶✨Caregiving Certified Care Worker Translation Recreation Fukuwarai Fun time
♬ Iko Iko (My Bestie) (feat. Small Jam) – Justin Wellington

This is a large-scale game of fukuwarai that you can enjoy like playing darts.

You toss the facial parts onto a large sheet with an outline of an Okame face to complete it.

You can play while seated, and there’s no need for a blindfold.

However, since the throwing positions are fixed, you’ll need to adjust your throwing strength so the mouth pieces land closer and the eye pieces land farther.

In other words, control is key.

It’s also important to throw the pieces horizontally so they don’t flip over, so keep that in mind and have fun.

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Ema made from an envelope

Cute origami decorations for an easy envelope-made Ema (with audio commentary) — How to make paper decorations for a Japanese Ema

Ema made from an envelope

Let me show you an idea for making an ema (votive plaque) using a brown envelope.

First, place the envelope with the back side facing up, and fold the left corner of the flap toward the center line.

When you do this, make sure to fold it neatly so that the right corner comes to a sharp point.

Next, open the folded section and cut off the left corner along the crease.

Then, fold along the cut line twice, each fold 2 cm wide, and cut off the left side of the remaining envelope to the same width.

Also cut off the glued margin along the bottom, then unfold the parts you folded.

Cut along the crease on the left side where the envelope is still connected and open it up, then shape it into an ema by aligning it with the crease on the flap side.

Decorate it with flowers or Mt.

Fuji made from origami, and your ema decoration is complete! You can also have people write their wishes on it.

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amulet

[100-Yen Store DIY!] No-Sew! How to Make a Charm

amulet

Many families go to their first shrine visit of the New Year (hatsumode) and receive protective charms (omamori).

However, some people can’t go for various reasons.

For those people, we recommend DIY omamori craft ideas.

If you search for how to make omamori, you’ll find many methods: making them with origami, using chirimen crepe fabric, or even no-sew options.

Why not try whichever method seems easiest for you? These days, you can even find chirimen fabric with adhesive backing at 100-yen shops, so be sure to make use of that as well.

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Winter Wall Decoration: Snow Rabbit

[Easy Craft] [100-Yen DIY] Winter Wall Decoration: Snow Bunnies [Winter Craft] #100yen #Daiso #DIY #handmade #kawaii #recreation #craft #seniors #dayservice

Winter Wall Decoration: Snow Rabbit

This is an adorable wall decoration perfect for the cold season.

By tracing a template onto construction paper and gluing on craft cotton, you can create a fluffy rabbit that looks like snow.

Its soft texture is so inviting to the touch that just looking at it warms the heart.

Use decorative pom-poms for the eyes, and attach cut origami paper for the ears to add dimension and charm.

Despite the simple materials and steps, the finished snow rabbit brings a distinctly wintry atmosphere when displayed on the wall.

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