[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.
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[For Seniors] Enjoy at Day Service: Summary of May Craft Ideas (21–30)
Three-dimensional origami iris
We’d like to introduce an origami craft featuring a beautiful three-dimensional iris.
You’ll need green washi paper, craft wire, and purple origami paper.
First, make the flower.
Fold the origami paper vertically, horizontally, and diagonally to create crease lines.
Fold along these lines to collapse the paper, then fold and open each edge one by one.
Once the shape is set, gently open it while curving with your fingertips to form the flower.
Next, make the stem.
Apply glue to the washi paper and attach the wire and the flower together.
For the leaves, cut the washi into long, narrow strips and neaten the top edges.
When everything is ready, arrange the flower and leaves in a vase.
You’ll be pleased with a result that hardly looks like it was made from origami.
The fingerwork involved and the task of arranging with an eye for balance can also be expected to help prevent cognitive decline.
Carnation wreath
Carnations have long been a beloved choice of flowers for Mother’s Day.
Why not recreate their distinctive ruffled petals in a paper flower wreath? In a day service setting, several people can collaborate to craft each individual flower.
Fold origami paper, then use pinking shears to cut it into a circle.
One sheet of origami paper yields four petals.
Add lots of creases to each piece, then press it over the cap of a glue bottle to create wrinkles—this gives the petals that carnation-like texture.
Stack and secure the pieces to complete the flower.
Finally, cut construction paper into a donut shape to form the wreath base, attach the flowers, and you’ll have a delicate, stylish wreath.
You can also add green leaves as an accent color.
Felt carp streamers
Just cut and paste felt! This is an easy-to-make felt koinobori (carp streamer).
Felt is easy to handle and has a warm texture, so it’s comfortable for seniors to craft with, too.
Cut the felt according to the pattern and glue on pom-poms to look like scales.
Try making the koinobori’s eyes, pinwheel, and streamer from felt as well! Finally, attach each part to a paper straw and you’re done.
If you use pastel-colored felt, it will have a dreamy, cute vibe.
It also makes a great gift for your grandchildren.
Water bottle/PET bottle holder
May is getting warmer and warmer, with some days even making you break a sweat.
It’s a great season for a stroll while enjoying the fresh early-summer breeze! Since it’s easy to sweat during May walks, staying hydrated is important.
How about making a DIY holder to carry a water bottle or thermos? It’s a simple craft you can make with just a tenugui cloth and adhesive.
Fold the tenugui in half and secure it with glue to fit the size of your bottle or thermos—That’s it! If you make a few using your favorite patterns, you can choose one to match your mood each day, which might lift your spirits too.
Rain Boots and Hydrangeas
Is the rainy season the same time as the peak season for hydrangeas? For many older adults, the word “rainy season” might bring hydrangea flowers to mind.
Here’s a recommended craft for the rainy season: a project featuring rain boots and hydrangeas.
Make the rain boots using origami paper or construction paper.
Create the hydrangeas with craft supplies like felt fabric, cloth, lace, and pearls.
Attach the boots and hydrangeas to a backing board, thread a string for hanging, and it’s complete.
To enhance the rainy-season feel, you can also add raindrops made from construction paper.
Iris
Ayame (Japanese iris) is a beautiful flower with deep purple blossoms that bloom from early to mid-May.
As one of May’s representative flowers, how about folding an ayame with origami? You could use larger origami paper to make a wall decoration for May, or, conversely, use smaller paper to fold many and create a lovely display.
It’s also nice to glue them onto a colored backing sheet or arrange them in a photo frame.
By varying the shades of purple slightly to add light and dark to the petals, you can bring out an even more charming, iris-like look.
Just cut and paste—three-dimensional hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are soothing flowers that we often see during the rainy season, when there’s lots of rain.
Don’t you feel a little uplifted when you see hydrangeas blooming in vibrant colors in the rain? This time, let’s make a particularly eye-catching, three-dimensional hydrangea.
When you display it in your room, it’s so beautiful you might mistake it for the real thing.
Prepare some origami paper and cut it into small pieces.
Then cut several of them into flower shapes.
Roll up some flower paper and attach the flowers to it.
Since it’s just cutting and pasting, it’s easy for anyone to try.
