[For Seniors] January Craft Ideas: Boost Your Luck with New Year Decorations and Good-Luck Charms

Coffee filter idea ema (votive plaque)

[Origami] New Year’s craft with a former preschool teacher mom: Making Ema plaques — Easy way to fold a tiger (Origami tiger tutorial)

When it comes to ema (votive plaques), the five-sided shape is the most familiar, but there are also versions inspired by auspicious motifs like fans.

Here’s an idea for an ema that evokes a fan shape, using a coffee filter.

The base is made with a simple step—cutting off the edge of a coffee filter—and then adding decorations such as the zodiac animal.

Since the base is thin, even if it’s somewhat soft, layering the decorations well is key to achieving a beautiful finish.

Think about balance as you place the decorations, including where to write your wish.

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kappamaki

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Toilet-paper kadomatsu

How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll ‘Kadomatsu’: Easy New Year’s Craft

Here’s a decorative kadomatsu you can make by reusing toilet paper rolls.

It’s perfect for a New Year’s craft activity, so consider trying it at a day service center or similar setting.

Cut the ends of toilet paper rolls diagonally and wrap them with green construction paper to represent bamboo.

Make three of these and glue them together.

Next, take a rectangular piece of construction paper, snip fine cuts along the top and bottom edges, and wrap it around the bamboo to finish.

For an even more festive look, wrap red construction paper or washi-patterned paper over it.

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miyabi

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Felt kadomatsu

[No-sew] New Year Decoration Made of Felt / Felt Kadomatsu / DIY: How to Make a Felt Japanese New Year Decoration

Let’s try making a kadomatsu using warm, cozy felt fabric! You can make it without sewing, and since you’ll be using your fingers a lot, it’s perfect for finger dexterity training for seniors.

Cut out each part—pine, bamboo, and plum—from felt, then attach them with a glue gun or similar adhesive.

A good tip is to make the bamboo first as the base, then arrange the other plants while checking the balance.

Watching it gradually take on the look of a kadomatsu will likely be exciting for seniors, too.

You can also enjoy customizing it, such as by changing the decoration colors!

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miyabi

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Wobbling daruma

[Preschool Craft] New Year’s decoration: cute wobbly Daruma | Daruma doll for New Year’s decoration

You probably often see stationary daruma dolls, but wobbling ones are quite rare, aren’t they? This time, we’re introducing a daruma you can make with a paper plate and construction paper.

It looks lovely as a New Year’s decoration for your room and is also recommended as a wall decoration for New Year’s parties.

The process is simple—just cut the construction paper and stick it onto the paper plate—so it’s perfect for craft activities with seniors.

Craft activities help improve concentration and can even aid in preventing dementia.

Let’s all have fun making uniquely charming daruma dolls together.

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Nanaka

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Seven Lucky Gods origami

[Origami of the Seven Lucky Gods] Cute good-luck charm! How to fold a seated Benzaiten (Benten)

The Seven Lucky Gods are said to be a group formed by deities from various religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, and Taoism.

They’re like the Avengers of the gods.

In fact, there are countries and regions where they’re considered the Eight Lucky Gods.

Wouldn’t it be lovely to fold the Seven Lucky Gods in origami? If you’re enjoying this at a senior facility, it might be nice to divide them among seven people so each person makes a different deity.

These days, there’s plenty of knowledge and information about origami available, from professional origami websites to hobbyist videos.

Find something that matches your skill level and give it a try!

perpetual calendar

Perpetual milk carton calendar you can make once and use forever♪

You might say, “It’s the New Year already and I’ve got a calendar!” But make this and you can use it next year, the year after, and forever—a handy perpetual calendar.

Using a milk carton, you can easily make cube-shaped blocks like dice.

Make four identical cube boxes: one for the months, one for the days of the week, and two for the date numbers.

By rotating the cubes to change the months and days, you create a perpetual calendar with just four cubes! Making it a daily habit to set the date each morning might even help stimulate your brain.

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utatane

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Let’s make and display! Octopus

[Papercraft] How to Make a Miniature Kite

In recent years, kites have been somewhat overshadowed by digital toys.

Still, until not so long ago, kite flying was one of the classic New Year’s traditions, wasn’t it? Kites are said to have originated in China, and apparently were first made for military purposes.

How about making a kite like that and displaying it in your room? It will instantly boost the New Year’s mood.

As long as you have paper, bamboo skewers, and string, it’s not that hard to make.

First, write your favorite kanji on the paper—“dragon” is a popular choice.

Then attach the bamboo skewers in a rectangle to match the paper, tie on the string, and you’re done.

The smaller ones look especially cute.

Why not have fun making them in various sizes?