[For Seniors] Recommended Wall Decorations and Crafts for January
We’d like to introduce wall decorations that are perfect for January, the month when we welcome a brand-new year!
We’ve gathered auspicious New Year–themed pieces as well as works that let you feel the season of January.
Many January decorations feature vibrant colors that will brighten up your space.
We offer a wide range: items you shape by hand, projects with simple steps, and pieces that require fine finger work.
New Year’s decorations often feature traditional Japanese motifs such as shimenawa and shishimai.
Some older adults may find themselves reminiscing as they create.
Why not enjoy making them while sharing stories and memories?
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[For Seniors] Recommended Wall Decorations and Crafts for January (61–70)
Mount Fuji and Kite Flying Calendar
Attach a calendar to the lower part of a rectangular backing sheet, and use the remaining upper area to depict a kite-flying scene.
In a New Year’s style, the kites are flying with Mount Fuji in the background.
Make the kites and Mount Fuji using origami or construction paper.
Once finished, paste them onto the backing, then use yarn to represent the kite strings on top.
Glue cotton around Mount Fuji to suggest clouds.
It’s recommended to make the kites with your favorite traditional Japanese patterned origami.
You can also add color to the date section to match the origami’s colors.
Origami Calendar – January
While enjoying origami, why not try making a January calendar? You’ll create three items: ornamental cabbage, a celebratory crane, and a New Year’s pine decoration (kadomatsu).
You’ll make several ornamental cabbages and cranes in different sizes.
Once everything is finished, arrange them on a backing sheet in any balance you like.
Attach the calendar section in the blank space, and you’re done.
There are many other origami projects you can make, so look for various New Year–themed ideas.
For the calendar portion, using free downloadable materials makes it easy.
Origami Calendar: Daruma
The daruma, a popular New Year’s decoration symbolizing good luck, is a perfect motif for a January calendar as well.
You can make this idea with a single sheet of origami: leave space for the face, then simply fold the corners and edges inward.
There are no complicated folds or steps, so give it a try.
For the expression and patterns on the daruma, use round stickers or draw them with a pen.
While daruma are traditionally red, the charm of handmade crafts is in the ability to customize—so feel free to make it in any color you like.
Origami Calendar: First Sunrise of the Year
Let me show you a New Year’s first sunrise scene expressed with origami.
You’ll make three parts: Mount Fuji, the sun, and clouds.
For Mount Fuji, fold the origami into a triangle to make a crease, open it, then make a step fold on the top corner to represent snow.
Fold the remaining edges and corners inward to shape it like Mount Fuji.
For the sun, start with a cushion fold (zabutons), then fold the corners into triangles to round it off.
For the clouds, fold into a triangle to make a crease, then fold the two left edges in along the crease, fold the left corner into a triangle, and form an isosceles triangle.
From there, offset the fold slightly from the crease and fold in half, then fold the corners twice to refine the cloud shape.
If you make them with origami sized to fit your backing paper, you can also use the design for a calendar.
Origami Calendar: Maneki-neko (Beckoning Cat)
How about incorporating the maneki-neko, a classic good-luck charm, into your calendar design? In this idea, you’ll use two rectangular sheets of origami paper cut in half to make the cat’s head and body.
Once you’ve made the head and body, glue them together, then use a pen to add the body’s patterns and the facial expression to finish.
It’s said that a maneki-neko raises its right paw to invite wealth and its left paw to invite people, so make yours with whichever paw you prefer.
It’s also recommended to design it together with other New Year’s motifs like kadomatsu or plum blossoms.
Origami Calendar: Shishimai (Lion Dance)
Let’s try making a shishimai (lion dance lion) using three sheets of origami paper in red, green, and gold.
Use red for the head, green for the body, and gold for the lion’s mouth.
The process features classic folding techniques like the roll fold and the zabuton (cushion) fold.
The head is the most difficult part, but if you make firm creases, it will come out neatly—so give it a try.
The body is easy: do a zabuton fold, then fold it in half into a triangle, tuck in the corners, and shape it.
Once you’ve drawn the face and patterns with a pen, glue it onto a backing sheet to complete your calendar.
Origami Calendar: Hagoita Paddle and Shuttlecock
Hanetsuki is a traditional New Year’s game that has long been loved in Japan.
The items used for it are the hagoita (paddle) and the shuttlecock.
Here are origami ideas for making a hagoita and a shuttlecock.
The hagoita is made by separating it into the hitting surface and the handle, and the shuttlecock is made by separating it into a weighted base and three feathers.
Each can be made with just a few folds, so even those who aren’t confident with handcrafts should enjoy making them.
However, since these are designed to be a bit large, if you want to use them in a calendar design, it might be better to use slightly smaller origami paper.