[For Seniors] January Craft Ideas: Boost Your Luck with New Year Decorations and Good-Luck Charms
January marks the beginning of a new year.
If you want to give your room a seasonal touch, why not try some hands-on crafts? Create and enjoy pieces unique to January—such as pine decorations symbolizing longevity, camellias that shine in winter scenery, or festive cranes for the New Year.
Using familiar materials like construction paper, tissue paper, and origami, there’s a special joy in watching seasonal works take shape.
Shape with your fingers, choose colors, and get creative with embellishments—these moments will ease your mind and bring a smile.
How about enjoying a relaxed crafting time while sharing your New Year’s resolutions?
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For Seniors: January Craft Ideas. Boost Your Luck with New Year Decorations and Good-Luck Charms (131–140)
Dragon Origami
Among the twelve zodiac animals, the dragon (tatsu) is the only mythical creature.
It has a dynamic and cool image, doesn’t it? Let’s enjoy making a dragon with origami.
Origami is also effective for seniors as finger dexterity training and for dementia prevention! Use a regular-sized sheet of origami paper for the dragon’s head and a smaller sheet for the body.
The key for the head is to make firm creases as you fold.
Finally, combine the body with the head and add details like eyes, nose, mouth, and whiskers to finish! Its look is more cute than cool, so it’s also recommended as a gift for your grandchildren.
Fabric osechi cuisine made from a jubako (stacked bento box)
One of the essentials for New Year’s is osechi.
Since the real thing disappears once you’ve eaten it, how about making a fabric version so you can enjoy it for longer? Use felt or terry cloth.
For the jubako (tiered box), use black felt on the outside and red felt on the inside.
To help it keep its shape, insert thick paper between the layers of felt.
The contents of the osechi can be anything you like! Roll yellow and brown felt to make datemaki (sweet omelet), or use dark brown and light brown felt plus stuffing to make shiitake mushrooms… Prepare felt in colors that match what you want to make, then craft your favorite osechi dishes and pack them in.
kagami mochi (traditional Japanese New Year rice cake decoration)
Making kagami mochi can be a wonderful craft for wishing happiness in the New Year.
Using washi or origami paper, you can create uniquely personal kagami mochi.
It’s also nice that everyone can have fun working together while sharing their resolutions for the year.
Since it uses fine motor skills, it even helps with maintaining health.
Once you display the finished kagami mochi, it will brighten and enliven your room.
Even if it seems difficult, if you proceed carefully step by step, it will surely become a lovely piece.
Let’s share the joy of the New Year and make happy memories together.
Blue poinsettia
Speaking of poinsettias, their Christmas colors give a strong wintery impression, but when the colors change, they still feel wintry while looking quite different, don’t they? In this project, we’ll softly craft blue poinsettias using tissue paper.
Fold the tissue paper, secure the center, cut it into leaf shapes, then fan it open and assemble the pieces to create the poinsettia look.
Using various shades of blue to create a gradient will make it even more vivid, so that’s highly recommended.
God of Good Fortune in Paper Clay
If you like kyogen, the play “Fuku no Kami” might be the first thing that comes to mind.
But how about stepping away from kyogen for a moment and making a God of Good Fortune out of paper clay? The fluffy feel of paper clay even has a touch of nostalgia.
When we think of gods of good fortune, there are many, like Otafuku and the Seven Lucky Gods.
It’s fine to make your personal favorite, but it could be fun to have everyone complete the Seven Lucky Gods together—“I’ll make Daikokuten,” “I’ll do Bishamonten,” and so on.
You could divide into groups of seven and create lots of sets of the Seven Lucky Gods; with a bit of creativity, it becomes a good-luck recreational activity for the spring.
omikuji (a Japanese fortune slip typically drawn at Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples)
On New Year’s, some people make it a habit to visit a shrine for their first prayers and draw an omikuji (fortune slip).
Among these, omikuji are indispensable for those who are curious about what the coming year will be like—especially for those who enjoy fortune-telling.
This video shows how to make your own omikuji.
Many older adults may find it bothersome to go out and be in crowds, and this craft lets them enjoy omikuji at home.
It’s a fun project both to make and to draw the fortunes from.
Let’s see what the year has in store!
Snow Rabbits and Sasanqua
The snow rabbit and camellia craft sounds exciting.
It’s wonderful that it’s designed so older adults can enjoy it too.
The step of cutting colored paper to make flowers seems like a fun way to engage your mind.
It also builds concentration and patience—two birds with one stone.
Following along with a video is a great idea as well.
Spending more time crafting together will likely spark more conversation.
It would also be fun to create while sharing New Year’s resolutions.
Once you display it in the room, it will surely create a lovely atmosphere.
Let’s enjoy making it together.