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[For Seniors] Easy Craft Ideas to Make at Day Service in July

In July, the heat really starts to set in.

Older adults may also spend more time indoors as a way to cope with the heat.

To enjoy the hot days of summer, we recommend indoor craft activities.

If you’re unsure what to make, try choosing crafts that match July’s events.

July features a variety of occasions, such as Tanabata and Marine Day.

For Tanabata, there are traditional decorations you can make to fully enjoy the season.

Be sure to read this article and use it to help plan July crafts for older adults.

[For Seniors] Easy Craft Ideas to Make at Day Service in July (1–10)

Stained glass-style fireworks

[Summer Craft] Stained-Glass Style Fireworks! Sparkly, Cute Fireworks to Hold Up to the Sun [For 4-Year-Olds]
Stained glass-style fireworks

This stained-glass-style craft lets you feel the beauty of fireworks bursting in the night sky and is a vibrant project recommended for older adults as well.

Fold a sheet of black construction paper in half and mark the areas to cut so they form the shapes of fireworks.

After freely drawing the firework patterns, carefully cut along the marks.

Layer and attach colored cellophane—such as red, yellow, and blue—onto a piece of parchment (baking) paper to create multicolored fireworks.

Finally, place the cut black paper on top, and you’ll have stained-glass-style fireworks you can enjoy by holding them up to the light.

Display them by a window to catch sunlight or the evening glow for a sparkling effect that’s a treat for the eyes.

Using scissors and glue, this summery project offers gentle, hands-on work that’s enjoyable without strain, making it especially appealing.

Wind chime made with origami

[Easy ✨ Origami] How to Make a Wind Chime 🎐 Plump and 3D [Summer Wall Decoration] Sways in the Breeze for Extra Refreshment!
Wind chime made with origami

Origami wind chimes that coolly brighten up the hot summer are adorably eye-catching and make a perfect accent for indoor decor.

Fold a sheet of origami in half until it becomes one quarter of its original size, draw the shape of a wind chime, and cut it out.

Make a small hole in the center and thread a string through it.

By gluing together the pre-cut pieces, you’ll create a three-dimensional wind chime.

Change up the colors and patterns to add a personal touch.

Although it involves fine motor work, using your hands stimulates the brain, making this a great activity for seniors.

Once finished, the wind chime sways as if producing a gentle sound in the breeze, and just looking at it will make you feel cooler.

Four types of Tanabata decorations

[Craft] Simple and cute! Four types of Tanabata decorations 🎋✨
Four types of Tanabata decorations

Tanabata, also affectionately known among young people as Summer Valentine’s Day.

No matter how old you are, it’s always delightful to write your wishes on tanzaku paper strips.

How about making a large Tanabata bamboo decoration together this year? The streamers topped with cute pom-poms are easier to make than you might think.

For the pom-pom parts, make tissue-paper flowers; for the tentacle-like streamers, accordion-fold paper and snip it with scissors.

Then just fluff everything up and assemble.

For the flying-saucer-shaped ornament, use a toilet paper roll as the core.

Using glittery colored paper will give it a more glamorous look.

It would be wonderful if everyone at the facility or day service could create a big bamboo decoration together.

[For Seniors] Easy Craft Ideas to Make at Day Service in July (11–20)

Making a calendar with pressed flowers

A simple way to make a pressed flower calendar! Great as a gift, too!!
Making a calendar with pressed flowers

Here’s a calendar featuring pressed flowers like morning glories and hydrangeas—flowers of July and summer.

First, temporarily attach the pressed flowers to the calendar backing with white glue.

The step of arranging the pressed flowers while thinking about the design seems like something seniors can enjoy and get excited about.

After that, apply laminating film and run it through a laminator, or finish it with self-adhesive laminating sheets.

Self-adhesive laminating film is sold at 100-yen shops, and it’s easy to use, so it’s recommended.

Creating a seasonal flower calendar is a project that can help seniors feel the season as they make it.

Mini Aquarium

Easy, soothing mini aquarium. Materials from a 100-yen shop. Small aquarium—how to make it. Recommended. Resin. Sea, summer, fish. UV resin. Interior decor. Handmade. Mini aquarium. Stylish.
Mini Aquarium

Even if you’re not that into aquariums, you can probably name quite a few: Sunshine Aquarium, Shinagawa Aquarium, Kyoto Aquarium, Osaka’s Kaiyukan, and more.

Maybe Japanese people really do love aquariums.

So how about creating your own mini aquarium to get through the hot summer? Some people even make lovely aquariums using only materials from 100-yen shops.

You can use things like UV resin, dried moss, and stickers for herbarium crafts.

Some of these might be unfamiliar, but it could be fun to try it as a summer craft project.

It’s also enjoyable to split up the tasks and make one together!

Sea photo frame

A Little Craft: Ocean Photo Frame
Sea photo frame

Since mobile phones and smartphones became widespread, we’ve had more opportunities to take photos.

Summer is a season when you’re more likely to go out with your grandchildren and family.

Why not make those memory-filled photos even more special with a sea-themed photo frame you create yourself? What you’ll need: a wooden base frame (a regular photo frame is fine), paper clay, paints, seashells and sea glass, plus optional decorations like marbles or glitter powder.

How to make it: press colored paper clay onto the wooden frame, then arrange the shells and sea glass before the clay dries.

If you make them together with friends at the daycare or with your group at the center, it will spark lots of conversation about your memories.

And if you use shells and sea glass you collected yourself, it will feel all the more meaningful!

Shaker-style goldfish from the 100-yen shop

[100-yen shop] I put the goldfish made with quilling into a shaker [Quilling]
Shaker-style goldfish from the 100-yen shop

This craft uses paper quilling parts shaped into goldfish and flowers, arranged so they can move inside a case.

By inserting a sheet of paper in the center of the case and attaching pillars to both the front and back, you can enjoy two different worlds—one on each side—which is a fun feature.

It’s important to decide how to spread and combine the coiled paper: make the elements you want to stand out, like goldfish or flowers, larger, and create the surrounding decorations smaller.

By changing the colors of the paper and how you coil it, you can design your own beautiful world inside the case.