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[For Seniors] Enjoy at Day Service: A Roundup of May Craft Ideas
May is a lovely season of fresh green leaves, isn’t it?
Here are some easy craft ideas perfect for day-service activities in May.
May is full of events like Children’s Day and Mother’s Day.We’ve gathered craft ideas that tie in with those occasions.
Many of the projects introduced here can be taken home and displayed, so you can enjoy looking at them at home.
They also make great gifts for your grandchildren.
Some can even be used for a garden tea party or a stroll, so be sure to give them a try.
[For Seniors] Enjoy at Day Service: Summary of May Craft Ideas (1–10)
carp-streamer ornamentNEW!
Use an MDF board covered with felt as the base, and insert bamboo skewers and toothpicks so they stand upright.
Roll craft bands into circles and glue them; attach carp streamers made from construction paper and origami inside.
Let’s also make pinwheels with craft bands.
Next, prepare double-sided origami paper to make iris flowers and helmets.
Finish by decorating the base: put the carp streamers and pinwheels on the bamboo skewers, and the irises and helmets on the toothpicks.
For the carp streamers’ eyes, using googly eye stickers adds movement and extra cuteness!
Samurai helmet decoration made from paper platesNEW!
A kabuto decoration made from everyday paper plates is a seasonal craft idea that combines simplicity with a sense of accomplishment.
The steps are straightforward and easy to tackle, making it perfect for recreational activities for seniors and for children’s craft projects.
Since it mainly involves basic actions like folding, gluing, and coloring, it can be enjoyed without strain.
Your individuality shines through depending on your choice of colors and decorative arrangements, and pairing it with carp streamers (koinobori) creates an even more festive atmosphere.
I felt it’s a highly practical craft that can also be used for Children’s Day events.
The fact that you can display and enjoy it is a major attraction as well.
3D tulip wreath
Let’s make a three-dimensional tulip with origami.
There are many ways to make origami tulips, right? We’ll cut out tulip shapes, then assemble them by gluing the pieces together.
Use thick paper or construction paper to create a wreath.
Attach tulips with leaves and stems to the wreath.
If you let seniors place the tulips where they like, they’ll enjoy the crafting process even more.
They’re sure to be happy with the cute tulip creation.
They can also take it home and display it.
a bouquet of tulips
In spring, you sometimes see tulips blooming in park flowerbeds or along the roadside.
Older adults who go out for a walk may feel the arrival of spring when they see the blooming tulips.
So for a May craft, let’s make tulips, the flowers that herald spring.
We’ll fold them with origami so they have a three-dimensional finish.
Using patterned or transparent origami paper gives them an even lovelier look.
Attach wire for the stem and add leaves to complete the flower.
Bundle several tulips together to make a bouquet.
Having a beautiful bouquet of tulips you made yourself can give you a real sense of accomplishment.
Colorful windmill
Let me introduce a spinning pinwheel that’s perfect for the refreshing winds of May.
We’ll make the pinwheel’s blades using two sheets of origami paper.
It’s recommended that one sheet have a pattern or design.
Glue the two sheets together at the center, draw lines between opposite corners, and make small cuts along those lines.
Place a square piece of origami at the center, then glue down the cut corner sections to form the blades.
Wrap a bamboo skewer with washi-pattern origami to make the stick, and attach the pinwheel.
Some older adults may remember making pinwheels when they were children.
Talking about memories of playing with pinwheels as kids might spark a lively conversation.
kabuto decoration
Here’s a helmet decoration you can make with just four folds.
It’s an origami kabuto (samurai helmet) that comes together with only a few steps.
The process is simple, so it may be easy for older adults to try as well.
Using washi-patterned origami paper enhances the kabuto’s look and is highly recommended.
If you attach the kabuto to a backing made from construction paper, you can create a more refined, high-quality decoration.
The finished piece would likely delight grandchildren of older adults as a gift, too.
By the way, do you know what the horn-like parts of the kabuto are called? They’re apparently called “kuwagata.” Try making this while chatting about fun trivia like that with the seniors.
Hanging decorations for Children’s Day
This is a hanging decoration for Children’s Day made with items from a 100-yen shop.
We’ll make four kinds of ornaments, and I’ll explain them in order.
First is the carp streamer.
Cut a felt rectangle, snip the tail into a V shape, then attach felt scales and an eye—done.
Next is the kashiwa-mochi.
Just stick a white pom-pom and a leaf-shaped piece of felt together with double-sided tape.
For the iris flower, thread four small pom-poms onto a string and add another pom-pom in the center to finish.
For the May doll, thread two pom-poms and an origami samurai helmet onto a string, attach an origami armor piece, and add decorative stickers for the face to complete it.
The prep and steps are easy, and they look adorable, so they’re fun to make.
