[For Seniors] Enjoy May: A Collection of Seasonal Craft and Wall Decoration Ideas

Standing Kintarō

Origami 3D Kintaro

Kintaro, the folk tale character, has a strong image of power, which makes him perfect for the Children’s Day theme of wishing for growth.

This piece is about recreating Kintaro with origami, paying attention to creases and the shapes of each part to build a three-dimensional figure.

Use skin-toned origami paper for the base, and be mindful of the angles of the folds so it can stand on its own.

Then add decoration: use red origami for the body parts based on a triangle, and black origami for the face part shaped like a square pouch.

Since the body and face are made separately, it’s important to keep an eye on the size balance as you work.

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kappamaki

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Three-dimensional origami iris

Paper Iris Tutorial: How to Make an Iris (Ayame)

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.

Brush lettering art

[Brush lettering] I’m making a hand-drawn calendar with brush-lettering art in May, too!

Let’s introduce a calendar that uses brush-lettering art, whose characters and illustrations convey warmth.

Prepare pastels, a brush pen, drawing paper, and postcards, and let’s get started.

Use the brush pen to draw seasonally themed letters and illustrations on the postcards.

If you also get creative with color to evoke May, it might make the design even more vibrant.

On half of the drawing paper, write the dates.

Leave the other half blank so there’s room to attach the postcard.

Once you stick the postcard next to the dates, it’s complete.

By incorporating a sense of the seasons, you may find a bit of comfort in everyday life.

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mayumi

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simple wisteria flowers

How to make a simple wisteria flower out of paper! [Tsukuru-mon]

These are wisteria flowers made with mauve or light purple origami paper.

First, cut the origami sheet in half vertically.

Fold it in half, then fold it in half several more times to make a small rectangle.

Cut it into a semicircle—this will be a kirigami cut, so be careful to leave the parts that should remain attached.

When you unfold it, you’ll get the distinctive legume-like shape.

Fold it to complete the petals.

For the stem, light green construction paper will give a sturdy fit, but origami paper works too.

Make some large, bold leaves as well.

Connect as many petals as you like, and you’ll have a wisteria blossom that captures the fresh feeling of spring!

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hiyori

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rapeseed blossoms

Easy with origami! How to fold the canola flower (blossom part) | How to fold an origami canola flower. #origami #paperfolding #flowers #paperflower

In spring, you can see rapeseed flowers blooming in fields and along riverbanks.

They’re also familiar to many seniors and are often associated with the feeling of spring.

A rapeseed-flower calendar could be a nice way to bring a touch of spring to older adults.

There are many ways to make rapeseed flowers, but using origami or tissue paper is especially recommended.

Fold yellow origami paper to create the flowers, or cut tissue paper into the shape of rapeseed blossoms and stick them onto the calendar.

Rapeseed flowers are yellow, and their appearance gives them the flower language meanings of “full of energy” and “lively.” Just displaying such a calendar could help seniors feel more vibrant in their daily lives.

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Nakajima Junko

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Kintaro

[Children’s Day Origami] Easy! Cute Kintaro Folding Instructions / Origami Koinobori

On Children’s Day in May, many households display Kintaro dolls.

They are put up with the wish that children will grow up kind and lively like Kintaro.

So for a May origami craft, let’s try folding Kintaro.

If you fold the face, hair, and body with separate sheets of origami paper, you can create a piece that looks just like the real Kintaro.

The folds aren’t very complicated and are simple enough that older adults may also find this project easy to do.

Adding an origami carp streamer to the finished piece or mounting it on a backing board for display will make it look wonderful.

Kintaro tear-off daily calendar

Let's make a Kintaro tear-off daily calendar! #Children'sDay

Here’s a Kintaro tear-off calendar that’s perfect for May.

Let’s make the parts for Kintaro and the carp streamers by cutting colored construction paper.

By creating templates and cutting the paper from them, you can adjust the overall balance of Kintaro and the carp streamers, which I recommend.

When making the eyes of the carp streamers, use a compass to draw evenly sized circles.

Gluing together each part of Kintaro and the carp streamers is also a good hands-on activity.

Finally, glue everything onto the base, add the number cards, and you’re done!

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mayumi

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