[For Seniors] January Craft Ideas for Day Service Activities
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: Boost Your Luck with New Year Decorations and Good-Luck Charms
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- For Seniors: Auspicious Handmade Zodiac Ornament Craft Ideas
- [For Seniors] Let’s Make New Year Decorations by Hand! A Collection of Easy Ideas Using Everyday Materials
- [For Seniors] Recommended for day services! Simple and cute small craft ideas
- [For Seniors] Recommended Origami for January
- [For Seniors] Enjoy the Cold Winter! Simple, Recommended Crafts
- Lucky Daruma: Craft ideas for decorating January wall displays for seniors
- For seniors: Snowman crafts to brighten January wall displays—fun ideas using origami, paper plates, and papercutting.
- [For Seniors] January Activities and Recreation Games
- [For Seniors] Craft Ideas Recommended for New Year’s and the New Year
- [For Seniors] Perfect for winter events! Easy craft ideas
- [For Seniors] Decorate your January wall with rabbits! Packed with ideas like snowball fights, New Year’s festivities, and rice cake pounding
[For Seniors] January Craft Ideas to Make at Day Service (21–30)
Camellia flower
Here’s a craft idea inspired by camellia flowers, which often bloom in winter and are commonly displayed for New Year’s.
Fold red or white origami paper, round off the outer edge with scissors, and make small cuts.
Apply glue to the petals to give them a three-dimensional look.
You can also use scissors to help fold the petals outward.
For the center, take a rectangular piece of origami paper, cut slits into it, secure it, and place it in the middle.
It’s great to display alongside New Year’s kadomatsu at the entrance, or as a decoration on doors and walls.
Try making this item to brighten up the atmosphere of care facilities.
rake
Kumade, the lucky decorative rakes famous at Tori-no-Ichi and Ebisu festivals, are popular good-luck charms.
Many homes and shops display them, hanging talismans for things like prosperous business and household safety on the rake that ‘gathers in good fortune.’ How about making a kumade as a craft project? Since making the rake itself with craft tape and wire is a bit tricky, staff could prepare that part in advance.
Then, use paper clay or origami to make rice bales, sea bream, gold coins, and other ornaments to attach to the rake.
It’s a craft that looks gorgeous and gives off a celebratory feel!
A folding fan made with dengaku skewers
When you hear “making a folding fan,” it might sound difficult and intimidating, but here’s a very simple idea using copy paper or colored construction paper and bamboo skewers.
Cut the paper into a fan shape, accordion-fold it, and then attach the skewers.
Draw a picture on another sheet of paper of the same size, then glue it on top of the skewers so the papers align neatly, crease it, and bundle the skewers together to finish.
The final step of bundling the skewers with wire is delicate work, so staff should handle that part.
You could make it a fan featuring the zodiac animal of the year, or draw lucky motifs as well!
snowman
A cute snowman made with a paper cup and construction paper is the perfect item to display in winter.
It’s easy to make and comes out neat: just use the inner paper cup as the core and attach long, narrow strips of paper around it.
You can add eyes and a mouth with stickers or draw them on yourself.
It’s adorable as is, but you can make it more unique by adding a yarn scarf or crafting a hat with different colored construction paper.
If you use a transparent cup inside and place a small LED light in it, it becomes a cute snowman lamp.
Wall decoration: extra-large fluffy kagami mochi
At New Year’s, we display kagami mochi as a vessel for the Toshigami deity.
In this idea, we’ll recreate the kagami mochi using fluffy tissue paper.
First, stack several sheets of tissue paper, accordion-fold them, and tie the center with thread.
Then carefully separate the layers one by one, pulling them toward the center.
This will create a half-sphere, flower-like shape.
Make a total of five of these pieces, and create the mikan (mandarin) as well by using orange tissue paper in a slightly smaller size.
Stack these in tiers to form the kagami mochi on the wall.
Cut out the mikan leaves and a sanpō (ceremonial wooden stand) from construction paper to finish it off with a festive touch.
Daruma Fukuwarai
Let’s incorporate the daruma, which is also popular as a New Year decoration, as a motif for a fukuwarai game.
The base daruma is attached to a frame, and you place the eyebrows, mustache, and ribbon on it.
After playing, you can glue the pieces down to use it as a New Year’s decoration.
How about customizing it by changing the daruma’s expression to a smiling one or switching the body to a different color? When using it as a decoration, it might also be lovely to decorate the frame.
Cat Fukuwarai
This is a recommended fukuwarai for those who love cats! When you think of fukuwarai, the classic themes are okame or hyottoko, but this one features a cat motif.
In addition to the eyes and nose, try adding parts like ears and a tail to enjoy the game.
Since there are many kinds of cats, try making the base with your favorite breed.
If you have a cat, it might be fun to use a photo of your own pet for the fukuwarai.
After you’re done, enjoy the adorable expression of the finished cat.