[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 (1–10)
Japanese-style ema (wooden votive plaque)
Some elderly people may go to temples or shrines for their first visit of the New Year (hatsumode).
During hatsumode, some may also dedicate ema, wooden plaques on which they write their wishes.
Let’s decorate the facility’s walls in January with auspicious ema.
Prepare origami paper with traditional Japanese or floral patterns and cut it into the shape of ema.
Use construction paper in your preferred color as the backing for the ema you cut out.
Attach a plain piece of paper in the center of the ema and add a hanging string to finish.
Even seniors who find it difficult to go out can write their wishes on the ema as if they were visiting for hatsumode.
Kimono made of origami
January is a time when you often see people wearing kimono, such as during New Year’s celebrations and Coming-of-Age Day.
There are many movements and manners unique to kimono that look especially beautiful.
Some older adults may also appreciate the elegance of kimono.
So let’s try making a lovely kimono out of origami.
Considering the overlapping collar and the overall shape, you might think the folding would be difficult.
However, it can be made with just one sheet of origami paper.
If you use double-sided colored paper, the collar will show nicely.
There are a few slightly complex steps, but if you enjoy origami, this could be a rewarding project.
Please provide support as needed to suit older participants.
There are many varieties of origami available at 100-yen shops, which makes them convenient to use.
Checkered frame
A plaid pattern where vertical and horizontal stripes intersect.
It’s also called a check pattern and is used for clothing, bags, and more.
It’s a design that many older adults are familiar with, isn’t it? If you fold with red, floral, or traditional Japanese-patterned origami, it’s perfect for New Year’s projects.
Origami uses the fingertips a lot, which is said to stimulate and activate the brain, and I believe many senior facilities incorporate it.
Try making a plaid frame and adding items like sea bream, plum blossoms, or kagami mochi.
You’ll end up with a festive, bustling piece that feels just right for the New Year.
[For Seniors] Recommended Wall Decorations and Crafts for January (11–20)
Pop and cute New Year decorations
As we get older, it becomes harder to see and distinguish colors.
The eye’s lens tends to become cloudy, making our vision look faded.
High-contrast combinations like yellow and black, as well as vivid, saturated colors like red and orange, tend to be easier to see.
When creating New Year’s decorations, let’s make pop-style pieces that emphasize not only color but also design.
New Year’s decorations often feature traditional Japanese patterns.
Try using origami with pink and white polka dots, or making kusudama balls in red and yellow.
You can create pieces that really catch the eyes of older adults.
Plum Blossoms and Nightingales
January is bitterly cold, and while we still have a stretch of chilly days ahead, it’s also the season when the weather gradually begins to warm—making us long for early spring.
Plums and bush warblers that evoke the feeling of “spring is almost here” are perfect for a wall display that sparks excitement and conversation about how fun it will be when spring arrives and the days get a little warmer.
The bush warbler and plum blossoms made from colored construction paper are large and rounded, creating decorations that gently warm the heart.
Since the pieces are overall quite large, this makes for an easy wall decoration to create.
Mt. Fuji and sunrise
Mount Fuji is Japan’s most iconic and highest mountain.
Because the name “Fuji” can be associated with words like fushi (immortality) and buji (safety), it’s also known as a lucky symbol for wishing for longevity and good health.
This idea turns that auspicious Mount Fuji and the first sunrise of the year into a wall decoration.
It’s very easy to make: simply cut blue and white construction paper into the shape of Mount Fuji, and red paper for the first sunrise, then put them up on the wall.
Adding other New Year–themed decorations around them—like clouds or kites—will make it lively and is highly recommended!
Chinese zodiac (the sexagenary cycle)
Many senior care facilities consider decorating their walls with the zodiac animal of the year.
Some of you may be exploring various ideas—whether to create a three-dimensional animal or decorate it cutely in a flat style.
It could also be nice to make the year’s zodiac the main feature in a bold way and surround it with the other zodiac animals, the twelve signs, all around.
You could fold them with origami or cut and paste colored paper.
Conversations will likely liven up as residents talk about their own zodiac sign, ask about Mr./Ms.
So-and-so’s, or discuss their grandchildren’s signs!