[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 May: A Collection of Seasonal Craft and Wall Decoration Ideas
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- [For Seniors] Easy Koinobori Crafting: A Collection of Fun Ideas Using Various Materials
- For Seniors: Simple and Lovely Crafts – A Collection of Take-Home Project Ideas for Day Service
- [For Seniors] Recommended Events for May: A Roundup of Ideas That Get Everyone Engaged
- [For Seniors] May Calendar Craft: Motifs that color May, such as Children's Day (Tango no Sekku), Mother's Day, and seasonal flowers
- [For Seniors] Recommended for day services! Simple and cute small craft ideas
- [For Seniors] Introducing May-themed Origami!
- [For Seniors] Brimming with June’s seasonal charm: A roundup of fun craft ideas
- [For Seniors] Introducing Fun Crafts Made with Plastic Bottle Caps
- [For Seniors] A Collection of Craft Ideas Using Paper Cups
- [For Seniors] Handmade gifts they’ll love: a roundup of simple ideas
- [For Seniors] Enjoy May! Recommended Recreational Activities and Games
[For Seniors] Enjoy at Day Service: May Craft Ideas Summary (141–150)
Carnations made of felt
Carnations are a flower famously given for Mother’s Day.
Why not try making one by hand to express your gratitude? You’ll need red and green felt and some wire.
First, make the flower.
Prepare a strip of red felt cut lengthwise, and snip it so it’s divided into eight sections.
Trim the cut sections into wavy edges to shape them.
Thread a string through the uncut edge and pull it tight.
As it gathers, pinch it with wire and sew it together with the flower.
Make three of these and bundle them, then wrap them with a larger flower piece.
Use green felt to create the calyx and leaves, gather the wires, and secure them with tape.
You now have a heartfelt carnation that will never wilt.
Give it a try!
Carp streamers made of felt
Let’s try making a carp streamer (koinobori) using felt, which is known for its soft touch.
If you attach craft pom-poms to a rectangular piece of felt fixed to a stick, you can create the look of the carp’s scales.
Add eyes and a tail fin to the carp, and try attaching a windsock and a decorative pinwheel as well.
How about also making the banner top in felt to go with it? Another key point is that the overall impression of your koinobori will change depending on the color of felt you use.
Seniors, too, are sure to smile while creating these cute koinobori crafts.
Koinobori made with paper cores
Here’s a cute carp streamer craft using paper tubes.
After you finish a roll of toilet paper or kitchen paper, you’re left with the cardboard tube.
These tubes are usually made of thick paper, and their cylindrical shape makes them perfect for crafting.
Cover the tube with origami paper in colors like red or blue, then cut the tail fin.
Use round stickers to make the eyes and scales and stick them on.
You can display the piece on a wall at this stage.
For an extra touch, punch a hole and insert a chopstick so it can stand upright.
It’s also nice to display in seniors’ rooms.
The shape of the paper tube beautifully captures the rounded form of a carp streamer.
Pochi-bukuro (small decorative envelope for gifting money)
Let’s try making a small money envelope (pochibukuro) shaped like a carp streamer (koinobori).
In many older adults’ households, people still raise koinobori or display samurai helmets (kabuto) for the Boys’ Festival in May, don’t they? Since the Boys’ Festival and Children’s Day fall during Golden Week, it’s also a time when grandchildren or relatives’ children might gather.
In such situations, it would be nice to give them a gift tucked into a handmade koinobori pochibukuro.
The steps to make the envelopes aren’t complicated, so they should be easy for older adults to create as well.
Plus, handmade pochibukuro can be threaded onto a string to make a garland, so they can also be used as indoor decorations.
Origami Calendar
May is a warm and refreshing season, isn’t it? In parks and fields, you can often find plenty of clovers and white clover in bloom.
Here’s a calendar that evokes those May landscapes.
Let’s make a clover-shaped calendar using a commercially available craft kit.
By folding the printed calendar sheet, you can create a calendar in the shape of a clover.
The folding steps are mostly simple, so it should be easy for older adults to enjoy as well.
Sit in a chair and try making it while chatting with the people around you.
Making a calendar with pressed flowers
When May comes around, you often see flower beds and planters beautifully filled with colorful blooms, don’t you? Here’s a calendar that uses pressed flowers, reminiscent of a flower meadow.
Pressed pansies, gerberas, and white clover might be nice choices.
Let’s start by attaching the pressed flowers to the calendar backing.
Place the pressed flowers wherever you like on the backing.
The beauty of pressed flowers may bring a sense of calm even to older adults.
It seems you can make pressed flowers using an iron or a microwave.
Why not try making pressed flowers yourself?
tear-off calendar
Let me introduce a fun tear-off daily calendar.
Create the calendar base so that you can flip each page.
It’s recommended to write the date, an illustration, and a short phrase on each page.
You might also have staff write the dates while participants create the illustrations or phrases—that could make it an enjoyable collaborative activity.
Thinking of seasonal words and illustrations while feeling the change of seasons is also great brain exercise, so it’s highly recommended! Give it a try and make your own original daily flip calendar.
