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

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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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?

Chinese zodiac (the sexagenary cycle)

[One sheet of origami] Easy Dragon 🐉 How to make a paper dragon #dragon #dragon (Chinese) #the_dragon (Arabic) #DragonBall #Tatsu (zodiac) #ryū #ryō (dragon) #Rồng (Vietnamese) #용 (Korean) #YearOfTheDragon #how_to_fold #origami #paper #paper_folding

Let’s decorate with the zodiac animal that symbolizes the year and celebrate the New Year! Displaying the zodiac, which is familiar to many older adults, helps them enjoy the joy of the new year and the seasonal atmosphere.

You can easily make zodiac animals with origami, so give it a try! The mood also changes depending on how you display them—such as figurines, wall decorations, or hanging ornaments.

In addition to the zodiac, combining them with other New Year–themed items can help older adults feel even more of the New Year spirit.

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Plum blossoms on a folding fan

[Origami New Year Decoration] How to fold a fan with plum blossoms – Origami Fan with Plum Flower Tutorial (NiceNo1)

Here’s how to make a festive decoration featuring a vibrant fan adorned with plum blossoms, perfect for the New Year.

For the origami fan, start by folding the paper in half to create a guide, open it, then fold toward the crease, and fold in half again—continuing to make fine creases for an accordion fold.

Fold along the creases in alternating directions to form two accordion-folded pieces, stack them together, and bind them about 4 cm up from the bottom with gold wire.

Trim the corners at both the top and bottom to round them off—the extra touch really elevates the look.

Add mizuhiki cords and plum blossoms in your own style.

Try using two colors of origami, and choose hues that feel right for the New Year.

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Kadomatsu made of origami

[Origami] New Year’s Decoration: How to Make a Kadomatsu | Winter Origami

How about making kadomatsu out of origami as part of your New Year’s decorations? It takes a bit of time, but you don’t need any difficult techniques, so give it a try! The pine, bamboo, and plum motifs, the fan, and even the kadomatsu base—everything is made from origami.

Because there’s lots of detailed work, it’s perfect for finger dexterity training for seniors and for helping prevent cognitive decline.

If smaller origami paper is hard to work with, feel free to adapt the project by using larger sheets.

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Origami Japanese style

New Year Craft: Making an Asymmetrical Fan Decoration♪

Here’s how to make a very festive, New Year’s-style Japanese origami decoration.

Take three sheets of origami paper, accordion-fold each one, then fold them in half to form fan shapes.

Connect the three fans together to create a round ornament.

Using three different colors or mixing in patterned paper will make it even more vibrant.

On top of that, craft sakura or “Greet the New Year” embellishments and decorate the piece.

Adding mizuhiki cords lavishly will make it even more eye-catching.

It also looks beautiful when made larger with construction paper.

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origami maneki-neko

[Origami Cat] Lucky Maneki Neko that beckons happiness

How about making a lucky charm as a New Year craft? Let’s fold a beckoning cat (maneki-neko) out of origami and display it! You’ll use two sheets of origami paper to fold the head and the body, but the steps are a bit complex and require fine work.

Please fold slowly and carefully.

Once the head and body are done, attach them together and draw the face and patterns.

Use a small piece of gold origami paper to fold a koban coin and have the cat hold it.

Write characters like “Good Fortune” or “Bring Happiness” on the koban!

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