[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.
- [For Seniors] Enjoy May: A Collection of Seasonal Craft and Wall Decoration Ideas
- [For Seniors] Celebrate Children's Day: Make Your Own Koinobori (Carp Streamers)
- [For Seniors] Recommended Events for May: A Roundup of Ideas That Get Everyone Engaged
- [For Seniors] May-Themed Wall Decoration Ideas Full of Seasonal Flair
- [For Seniors] May Calendar Craft: Fun and Easy
- [Recreation] Summary of Recommended Origami Ideas for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Fun Origami That Also Works as Rehabilitation
- [For Seniors] Enjoy Something New Every Day! Today’s Origami
- [Easy!] Flower paper-cut art you can make using just scissors
- [For Seniors] Enjoy at Day Service: A Roundup of May Craft Ideas
- [For Seniors] Perfect for June: Introducing simple origami projects
- Simple origami that can be folded from a single sheet
- [For Seniors] Enjoy May! Recommended Recreational Activities and Games
[For Seniors] Introducing Origami Inspired by May! (31–40)
Koinobori hanging decoration
Koinobori look magnificent as they swim grandly through the sky and are a familiar sight in spring and early summer.
Let’s make a hanging decoration so you can enjoy koinobori indoors as well.
Use washi-patterned origami or regular origami to create the carp’s body and add the eyes.
Then thread the koinobori onto a string, make the fins and tail, and it’s complete.
If you make several carp and hang them on the same string, it will look like you’re viewing a family of carp—such as the black father carp and the red mother carp.
Some older adults might feel the arrival of May as they watch the koinobori hanging decoration gently sway indoors.
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.
Poppy
Poppies, which bloom from spring to summer, are also known as hinageshi or gubijinsō, and they produce colorful, round, and charming flowers.
This craft aims to create poppies that feel like the joy of spring, making them look three-dimensional as if they’re popping out from the backing paper.
You cut origami into petal shapes and assemble them into a flower, layering the pieces after making slits to give the flower a three-dimensional form.
Once the petal outline is done, place yellow in the center, and finally combine it so it looks like it’s blooming from the stem and leaf pieces attached to the backing paper, and you’re finished.
Kintaro
May is known for Children’s Day.
On Children’s Day, some people display Kintaro instead of traditional samurai dolls.
Kintaro is a symbol of good health, making him perfect for a day that celebrates children’s healthy growth.
So here’s an origami idea for May: Kintaro.
In this idea, you’ll make Kintaro by separating him into the head, body, and clothing.
In fact, you only fold the head and body—the clothing is simply a quarter sheet of origami paper cut into a diamond shape and glued onto the body! Both the head and body use basic folds with no difficult steps, so seniors can enjoy folding them as well.
white clover
Many older adults may remember enjoying making white clover crowns when they were children.
Here’s an idea for crafting white clover using origami.
Take a small sheet of origami paper, fold it twice into a square, then draw a petal outline and cut it out, making sure not to cut through the center.
Do you have four petals? Fold it in half so the petals don’t overlap to complete one flower piece.
Slightly offset and glue together four of these pieces, add a stem, and your white clover is ready.
You can create a wall display of a white clover field, or make a bouquet—both would look wonderfully springlike.
[For Seniors] Introducing Origami Inspired by May! (41–50)
A child wearing a raincoat
During the rainy season, we tend to stay indoors more and go out less.
But it all depends on how you look at it.
Instead of thinking you can’t go out, why not see it as a great chance to enjoy time at home? This time, we’re introducing an origami idea: a “child in a raincoat.” You’ll use two colors of origami paper, which means lots of finger movement.
Some steps are a bit complex, but that makes it a good stimulus for the brain, so you can expect brain-training benefits too.
Once finished, the piece can also be used as a finger puppet.
Three-dimensional water lilies
Water lilies blooming in ponds and marshes in parks and temples have a dreamy atmosphere.
During the flowering season, some older adults may go to view them as well.
Because they evoke an image of water, they’re a perfect flower for June origami projects.
Water lilies are known for their distinctive petals, which can be long and slender or rounded.
If you fold the origami first and then cut, you can create beautiful petals.
Layer the petal pieces to complete the water lily flower.
You can also make leaves out of origami and place them with the flower.
It’s also recommended to stick them on a June calendar.