[For Seniors] Introducing May-themed Origami!
Origami is a popular recreational activity in senior care facilities.
Finger exercises are effective for stimulating the brain, and displaying completed pieces or feeling a sense of accomplishment adds to the enjoyment.
May is a month filled with events, such as Children’s Day and Mother’s Day.
So this time, we’ll introduce origami with a May theme.
Origami that activates both the fingers and the brain while feeling the season—and offers a sense of achievement—can be considered an ideal recreation for older adults.
By all means, try making May-themed origami together with the older adults around you.
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- Simple origami that can be folded from a single sheet
[For Seniors] Introducing origami themed for May! (71–80)
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.
Simple wisteria flower
Introducing a wisteria flower made by combining many small flower parts.
Cut a standard sheet of origami paper into quarters and fold it as you would when making a crane.
Once you open and fold both sides only on the surface that will become the front of the flower, the blossom is complete.
Make lots of flowers and leaves and assemble them to create a lovely hanging wisteria decoration.
Because this project requires many parts, it’s perfect for recreational activities in senior care facilities.
Get everyone involved and enjoy making it together!
Carp streamer wall decoration
Why not try making a seasonal carp streamer wall decoration? Since it uses paper cups, it gets a slightly three-dimensional look, which is a nice touch.
First, cut a paper cup into four equal sections to make the body of the carp streamer.
Wrap origami paper around the cup sections to create the scale pattern and glue it on, then add a sticker for the eye to finish.
Fold a samurai helmet, a pinwheel, and irises separately.
Assemble everything and glue it onto a backing sheet.
If you make a set of decorations for the whole year and swap them out, it adds a lovely change to your daily life.
[For Seniors] Introducing May-Themed Origami! (81–90)
Kabuto Wreath
May 5th is Children’s Day! So let’s make a kabuto (samurai helmet) wreath.
First, fold four kabuto helmets.
The folding method is a classic one that’s widely known: fold the origami paper into a triangle, then fold the left and right corners up to meet at the top.
Once you’ve folded the kabuto, make the joints to connect them.
For the joints, use origami paper cut into four equal parts.
Fold the paper into a triangle, then fold the left and right corners up to meet the top corner to create crease lines.
Open the paper completely, then fold the top and bottom corners in to meet the center line.
Flip the paper over, fold the right corner so it sits about 1 cm inside the nearest vertical crease, then flip the paper over again and fold inward along the crease.
Fold the paper in half along the horizontal center line, and then collapse it along the creases to form a small triangle—your joint is complete! Make four of these as well, and connect all the kabuto to form a wreath.
Carp streamers and irises
Speaking of May, it’s all about carp streamers (koinobori) for Children’s Day.
Those koinobori swimming gracefully in the wide sky are a familiar seasonal sight in Japan, and are likely nostalgic for seniors as well.
This time, we’re introducing wall decorations featuring koinobori and irises.
Irises bloom around mid-May, and they pair beautifully when displayed alongside koinobori.
Make the koinobori in any colors you like—the scales really pop when they’re colorful.
Attach the scales to the koinobori, draw the eyes, and it’s done.
For the irises, cut a sheet of origami paper into six equal pieces and make each petal one by one.
Combine the petals, then add the stem and leaves to finish.
Brighten up your senior care facility with these wall decorations that are perfect for clear May skies.
bamboo shoot
Speaking of spring, it’s the season when bamboo shoots are delicious.
So how about making a bamboo shoot with origami? In this idea, you’ll use two sheets of origami paper of the same size.
Fold the paper into a triangle, then fold the left and right corners inward so that the bottom edge is divided into thirds.
Tuck the right corner into the left corner to complete one part.
Fold the other sheet the same way and insert it into the first part.
Gently pull the inner piece up a little and turn the whole thing over.
Then, fold just the top left and right corners of the inner piece slightly to the back.
It’s simple, and with that, your bamboo shoot is complete!
onion
Many senior care facilities change their wall decorations with each season.
Some staff may be troubled because the walls end up looking similar every year.
So this time, we’d like to introduce a slightly unusual onion-themed wall decoration.
Sweet and delicious new onions are said to be in season from March to May.
Let’s try making lifelike onions together with the seniors! Crumple a sheet of copy paper into a ball, then insert leaves made from similarly crumpled green origami.
Use pale orange origami to represent the onion skin.
Tie on a string, and your realistic onion is complete! If you also create eaves or a hanging rack to suspend them from, the atmosphere becomes even more authentic.