For Seniors: Come, Spring! Recommended March Craft Ideas for Daycare Services
In this article, we introduce March craft ideas recommended for seniors!
When it comes to March events, there are many with a cute image, like Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day) and White Day.
Using lots of soft colors like pink and white in your crafts can put you in a gentle mood.
It’s the season when spring flowers begin to bloom, so let’s create a bright, festive atmosphere through crafting!
There are plenty of ideas you can use in senior day services and other elder care facilities, so please use them as a reference when making crafts together.
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- [Day Service] Spring Take-Home Crafts: Ideas to Warmly Brighten Your Room
- [For Seniors] March Origami: Ideas to Brighten Your Room with Seasonal Flowers and Events
- [For Seniors] Spring Wall Decorations: A Collection of Ideas to Brighten Up Your Room
- [Day Service] Excited for Hinamatsuri! Craft ideas to brighten up your room
- [For Seniors] Brighten Up Hinamatsuri: Wall Decoration Ideas
- [For Seniors] Have Fun Making Things Based on Today’s Mood! Today’s Recommended Craft
- [For Seniors] Color Your Care Facility’s Spring: Wall Decoration Ideas
- [For Seniors] Hinamatsuri Recreation: Fun Ideas for Games, Crafts, and Snack Making
- For seniors: Heartwarming and cozy. Recommended handmade Hina dolls
- [For seniors] Enjoy spring: April craft ideas
- [For Seniors] Making a March Calendar: Introducing Spring-Themed Motifs and Arrangements
[For Seniors] Come, Spring! Recommended March Craft Ideas for Day Service (121–130)
Sakura mochi
Simply sticking origami with spring-themed motifs onto a plain calendar can instantly transform it into an exciting spring-season calendar.
Sakura mochi, a traditional Japanese sweet enjoyed when the cherry blossoms bloom, has a soft, fluffy texture that feels very spring-like and is so familiar it’s even used as a seasonal word in haiku.
Its pink color is bright and festive, so it’s highly recommended.
Both the mochi part and the leaf part have simple folding methods, so you can try them casually.
For the leaf, use slightly muted green origami to create the right atmosphere.
Sakura in tsumami-zaiku
Cute little rounded tsumami-zaiku are perfect for recreational activities for seniors because they make good use of fine motor skills.
They help train focus and creativity, making them great for dementia prevention as well.
Fold small pieces of chirimen fabric to create round petals.
Make five round petals, attach them to another piece of fabric, and arrange them into the shape of a cherry blossom.
The key is to work carefully using tweezers.
Fix small flower stamens in the center of the cherry blossom, and your tiny sakura is complete.
You can attach it to a keychain or a hair clip, or make many and turn them into a lovely sakura bouquet.
strawberry
Here’s how to make a three-dimensional strawberry using quilling techniques that older adults can enjoy as a fine motor activity.
Cut red origami paper into rectangles and make fine slits along the edge.
Wrap the paper around a bamboo skewer, twirling it as you shape it.
Once you finish wrapping, secure it with glue, then gently loosen it to create a soft, dimensional strawberry form.
For the leaves, cut green origami paper, add a jagged pattern, and fold it to give it depth.
The appeal lies not only in the joy of making but also in the pleasure of decorating walls with the finished pieces.
When displayed together, the work creates a bright, spring-like atmosphere.
randoseru (Japanese elementary school backpack)
A warm, springtime piece inspired by the school entrance season: a wall decoration featuring a school satchel (randoseru) that can evoke nostalgia for older adults as well.
Cut origami paper into three equal parts; crease one piece firmly to create the bag section.
For another piece, trim about 1 cm from the edge and round the corners to make the flap.
For the shoulder straps, cut narrow, elongated strips; attach them at the top if displaying on a wall, or at the bottom if using it as a freestanding ornament.
Adding cherry blossom petals enhances the spring atmosphere.
Making the randoseru can also spark conversations about childhood memories and lead to an enjoyable time together.
For Seniors: Come, Spring! Recommended March Craft Ideas for Day Services (131–140)
Making the April calendar
How about making calendars as one of your monthly recreation activities? Both the process of discussing and choosing seasonal motifs and the actual crafting after the plan is set are sure to be lively and fun! Using your hands can have a positive effect on cognitive function, and working together to create something—then seeing what you made actually being used—will likely bring great joy! Even things that were difficult before can improve in quality as you repeat the activity.
Give it a try!
Strawberry wreath
Here’s a spring-like strawberry wreath you can make with supplies from a 100-yen shop.
First, prepare the wreath base.
Apply glue and wrap yarn around it so there are no gaps.
For the strawberries, use red felt—you can also use red gingham fabric.
Cut the felt into circles, then fold each circle in half and cut.
Stitch small seed patterns with thread.
Fold each half-circle in half again, sew along the top edge, open it once to stuff with filling, then close it up.
Make the calyx from green felt and glue it on to finish the strawberry.
Use more green felt for leaves and white felt for flowers, then glue them onto the wreath to complete it.
The arrangement can create many different looks, so you’ll end up with a unique wreath of your own.
Give it a try!
Spring flower wreath
Introducing a spring-like floral wreath you can make with materials from a 100-yen shop.
Wrap yarn around the wreath base so there are no gaps, and attach a hanging string with glue.
For decorations, use yarn balls made by wrapping yarn around tissue paper, along with felt flowers.
To make the flowers, cut the felt into small triangles and glue them together.
When you open up the connected felt, the flower is complete.
It’s fun to add your favorite embellishments like ribbons to create a one-of-a-kind wreath.
Since the steps are simple, it’s also recommended as a recreational activity in senior facilities.