[For Seniors] Enjoy and Beat the Summer Heat! July Craft Ideas
With the end of the rainy season, July brings the heat and the full feeling of summer.
It becomes difficult to do outdoor activities like taking walks.
This time, we’re introducing craft ideas perfect for summer that you can enjoy indoors.
We’ve gathered many projects that add vibrant summer colors or create a cool, refreshing atmosphere.
Craft activities are very popular among older adults, and using the fingers provides brain-training benefits.
Displaying the finished pieces at home or in a facility also gives a sense of accomplishment.
Let’s help older adults enjoy summer with wonderful creations.
- [For Seniors] Easy Craft Ideas to Make at Day Service in July
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- [For Seniors] Early-summer-themed wall decorations: Recommended ideas for July
- [For Seniors] Exciting Summer Wall Decoration Ideas
- [For Seniors] Making a July Calendar: A Collection of Summer-Themed Motif Ideas
- For Seniors: Simple and Lovely Crafts – A Collection of Take-Home Project Ideas for Day Service
- [For Seniors] August Wall Decoration Idea Collection
- [For Seniors] Summer Haiku: Ideas to Feel the Season
- [For Senior Daycare Centers] Ideas for Summer Take-Home Crafts
- [For Seniors] A Collection of Craft Ideas Using Paper Cups
- [For Care Facilities] Let’s Enjoy the Summer! A Collection of Wall Decoration Ideas
- [For Seniors] Small craft ideas: for yourself and as gifts!
- [For Seniors] Have Fun Making Things Based on Today’s Mood! Today’s Recommended Craft
[For Seniors] Beat the Heat and Have Fun! July Craft Ideas (171–180)
Stained glass-style wall decoration
Here’s a stained-glass-style wall decoration that’s fun with coloring-book elements.
First, prepare your favorite coloring page or draw your own outline.
Place a sheet of clear cellophane over it and trace the lines.
Once that’s done, flip the cellophane over and color it in with your favorite colors.
Finally, layer aluminum foil on the back, and it’s complete.
A big appeal is that you can choose themes you like—such as sea creatures or festival items—and work on them.
There are also templates available for download online, so it’s a great idea to practice with those.
Tanabata decorations made with straws
For those who are unsure where to put a bamboo decoration, we recommend a straw-made bamboo display that can sit on a table.
Use a small paper cup as the base and insert green straws so they form a bamboo-grass shape.
Like grafting plants, attach small, finely cut pieces of straw here and there between the main straws, and it will start to resemble bamboo leaves.
Once the bamboo grass is done, use other straws to make decorations like tanzaku strips and combine them.
Since there are many small, detailed steps, it might be best for care facility staff to prepare the parts in advance and have older adults assemble the pieces.
decorative photo frame
Of course, there are plenty of summer-themed activities, and with family visiting during Obon, July and August are full of fun events.
That also means more chances to take photos.
So here’s an idea I’d like to share: decorated photo frames.
It’s a simple idea where you decorate photo frames purchased from 100-yen shops.
Using seashells and sand gives them a summery, beach-inspired vibe.
It’s perfect for preserving your summer memories.
Tanabata decorations made with ribbons
Let’s make colorful Tanabata decorations using ribbons.
Prepare several thin ribbons cut to about 10–15 cm.
Combine and line up about two colors of ribbon, then secure both ends of the ribbons with masking tape.
Once secured, roll them into thin tubes or twist them slightly and roll them so they form a shell-like shape.
Adjust the shape and you’re done.
It also looks great combined with ribbons tied in a bow.
Try different color combinations, different ways of rolling, and different sizes to create a vibrant decoration for your Tanabata bamboo branches!
Tanabata mobile
Let’s try making a cute, gently swaying Tanabata mobile! Using origami or construction paper, create various shapes like stars and circles, then string them vertically with thread to complete the mobile.
You can fold decorations like origami, or combine identical cutouts to make three-dimensional ornaments.
It’s also recommended to mix in felt balls or drawings made on shrink plastic.
Have each older adult make one strand and combine everyone’s to display on the wall, or have each person make about three strands and display each set as an individual piece—use these ideas to create festive Tanabata decorations.
Tanabata Decorations – Double Heart
Let’s make a heart-shaped decoration that looks like a Tanabata casting net! Prepare several strips of origami paper cut into long, thin pieces in a few different colors.
Use each strip to form a heart shape, then link the hearts together so they connect like a net.
A stapler is handy for attaching one heart to the next.
Rather than using a single color, combining about two colors is recommended.
Linking around six hearts is enough.
Try hanging it as a wall decoration or as one of the ornaments on bamboo for Tanabata!
Summer wall decoration
A summer-themed wall display lets you feel the season and brightens the mood, doesn’t it? This is a wall art project that’s easy for seniors to make, too.
How about a design with sunflowers stretching energetically up toward the blue sky? For the sunflower blossoms, tissue paper or colored paper works well.
For the stems and leaves, crumple paper into a ball, open it up, and cut it into shape after giving it a wrinkled texture—this brings out a natural, plant-like feel! Using materials like crepe sheets that already have a wrinkled texture makes it easy, so give it a try.
Adding clouds, the sun, and summer insects will make the display look even more charming!
