Lovely senior life

[For Seniors] Introducing May-themed Origami!

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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.

[For Seniors] Introducing origami themed for May! (71–80)

Nemophila

[Origami] Easy and Cute Nemophila Folding Method ◇ Origami Nemophila Flower — Spring Blue Flower ◇

Nemophila

Nemophila, with its gentle blue blossoms and petite size, brings a soft touch to spring, doesn’t it? This piece shows how to recreate nemophila flowers with origami and make them more striking by combining multiple pieces.

Fold the paper finely toward the center, then layer and assemble the five resulting petals to form a nemophila bloom.

To add depth, try small tweaks during assembly—offset the layers slightly or fold the edges a little toward the front.

Lining up different colors to create a gradient also looks lovely.

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Koinobori made with paper cores

[Craft] Paper Tube Koinobori: Children's Day (Tango no Sekku)

Koinobori made with paper cores

Here’s a cute carp streamer craft using paper tubes.

When you finish a roll of toilet paper or kitchen paper, you’re left with the cardboard core.

These cores are often made of thick paper, and their cylindrical shape is 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 eyes and scales and attach them.

You can stick the finished piece on the wall, or take it a step further: punch a hole, insert a disposable chopstick, and it will stand propped up.

It makes a lovely decoration for seniors’ rooms as well.

The shape of the paper tube nicely captures the rounded form of a carp streamer.

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Message Card

[Children’s Day] How to make a message card with Kintaro and carp streamers

Message Card

Let’s try making a message card for Children’s Day.

We especially recommend this Children’s Day message card for seniors who have grandchildren.

Create items that evoke Children’s Day or Tango no Sekku using origami or construction paper and attach them to the card.

For example, you could make carp streamers (koinobori), iris flowers (shobu), or Kintaro.

Besides crafting with origami or construction paper, you can also write a message with a brush or draw a picture.

A handmade card filled with heartfelt care is sure to delight the recipient.

If you like, please use this as inspiration to create a wonderful message card.

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Koinobori made with Japanese-style origami

[Easy] 3D ✨ Carp Streamer Craft 🎏 [100-yen Origami] How to Make Carp-shaped Streamers

Koinobori made with Japanese-style origami

Here is a three-dimensional koi nobori (carp streamer) made from Japanese-style origami paper that you can easily find at 100-yen shops.

You first make the koi nobori’s body flat, then add slits and fold along them to turn it into a three-dimensional shape, which is the fun part.

For the koi nobori’s pole, roll copy paper around a toothpick or skewer.

Apply glue to the slit section of the body and attach the pole there.

The colorful washi patterns are very cute and will brighten the atmosphere when placed in an entryway or living room.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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A large carp streamer wall display

[Wall Decoration] May Dynamic Carp Streamers [Activities for the Elderly] Carp streamer

A large carp streamer wall display

Let’s make a large wall decoration of a koi-nobori (carp streamer) using chiyogami with traditional Japanese patterns.

We’ll create each scale of the carp using two sheets—one plain origami sheet and one chiyogami sheet.

Since the koi-nobori is big, the scales will be on the larger side as well.

It might be nice to have seniors make the scales one by one; while seated, they can work on the scales and naturally enjoy conversations with others during the process.

Use a large sheet of paper to create the body of the carp and attach the scales.

Make the carp’s face and tail fin too, and display it on the wall.

You could also try making a female carp and child carps in the same way.

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