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

Carnations made of fabric

Easy Fabric Carnations [Mother’s Day]

Here’s an introduction to an easy carnation craft made from fabric.

May is when we celebrate Mother’s Day.

Speaking of Mother’s Day, carnations are given to express gratitude and appreciation.

Some older adults may also receive carnations on Mother’s Day, right? This kind of carnation craft is perfect for May.

Cut the fabric into circles using pinking shears.

The cut edges will become jagged or wavy, like the tips of carnation petals.

Thread a wire through the center of the fabric and sew it in place.

Add leaves and a calyx, then wrap the wire with floral tape to finish.

It’s also cute to make the petals with fabrics in polka dots or checks.

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Nakajima Junko

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Koinobori made with wreaths

[Ring Ornament Craft Idea] Carp streamers made with paper chains! (May wall decorations) (Activities for seniors, occupational therapy, day service, preschool, DIY, origami, creative, easy)

Putting up and taking down carp streamers can be quite a chore, right? This time, we’d like to introduce an easy version: carp streamers made with paper chains.

If you have origami and construction paper in the traditional carp-streamer colors, you can make these, so they’re great for recreation in senior facilities, too.

First, the body.

Cut the origami into thin strips as if making paper chains, link them, and prepare four strands.

Next, the tail.

Roll a sheet of origami into a tube.

Attach it to construction paper cut into a tail shape and trim off any excess.

Finally, the face.

Make the eyes, whiskers, and scales with origami, and glue them onto construction paper.

While checking the balance, glue the face, body, and tail onto blue poster paper.

Adding a pinwheel or a streamer for extra flair is also lovely.

Using your fingertips and imagining the finished piece as you work can also provide brain-training benefits.

Give it a try!

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Kashiwa-mochi decorations

(100-yen shop) Children's Day decorations: How to make kashiwa mochi [DIY] Kashiwa mochi

Perfect for a May craft activity! Here’s how to make a kashiwa-mochi decoration using materials from a 100-yen shop.

Mark a guideline on a polystyrene ball and cut it in half with a craft knife.

Follow the line and round off the edges of the cut surface so it looks curved.

Glue on white fabric, then trim any excess fabric with scissors.

Wrap it with a kashiwa (oak) leaf made from green felt, and your kashiwa-mochi decoration is done in no time.

In senior care facilities, you can prepare any steps involving blades in advance to ensure safety, making this a great option for recreation.

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Koinobori made with tsumami-zaiku

[Tsumami Zaiku] Let’s make carp streamers to display in a frame! Children’s Day – Tango no Sekku

Carp streamers swimming grandly across the fresh May skies.

These days, depending on the region, we see fewer of them.

For many older adults, Children’s Day and Tango no Sekku may still bring to mind carp streamers.

So let’s make a carp streamer frame decoration that looks as if it’s really swimming.

If you use the tsumami-zaiku technique on the body of the carp, it will give the feel of scales.

Tsumami-zaiku is one of Japan’s traditional crafts.

The round “maru-tsumami,” made by folding small pieces of fabric into triangles, seems perfect for scales.

Crafting with your hands may also help stimulate the brain.

Adding iris flowers made with tsumami-zaiku to the frame will make it even more charming.

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Carp streamers with plump, scaly patterns

[Origami and Colored Construction Paper] Cute Koinobori with Puffy Scales (with Audio Commentary)

Here’s a carp streamer (koinobori) decoration that can be enjoyed indoors at senior care facilities.

Many facilities change their wall decorations monthly, don’t they? Some seniors seem to feel the seasons through wall displays related to the representative events or festivities of each month.

For example, koinobori decorations can remind seniors of Children’s Day and the Boys’ Festival in May.

With their charmingly plump scales, these koinobori are enjoyable not only to make but also just to look at.

The scales, made from two sheets of origami paper, aren’t difficult to assemble, so many seniors should be able to create them.

Seeing the wonderful koinobori they made themselves can also give them a sense of accomplishment.

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Swimming carp streamers

Swimming carp streamer craft (May craft) (3D) (activities for seniors) (easy craft) (seasonal craft) (kids' craft) (creative) (childcare)

Perfect for May craft recreation and for finger dexterity training! Here’s a carp streamer (koinobori) that looks like it’s really swimming.

First, roll an A4 sheet of copy paper into a tube to make the body.

Decide which end will be the head, draw in the eye, and cut a V-shaped notch at the tail end.

Make scales out of origami paper and stick them onto the body, and in no time your koinobori is complete.

If you add a crease around the middle of the body, it will look like it’s billowing in the wind as if swimming.

You can also make a windsock or pinwheel to decorate, but pasting lots of koinobori onto a large sheet of drawing paper would be quite striking too.

In senior care facilities, people often enjoy lively conversations while looking at each other’s creations, so the fun continues even after the crafting is done.

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onion

[Craft Idea] Onion Crafting (May, Spring) (Senior Activities) (Early Childhood Education) (Wall Decorations) (Vegetables) (Scenery)

Many older people have experience growing vegetables, don’t they? This time, we’re introducing an origami onion that will bring back those memories.

It’s very easy to make.

Crumple a sheet of copy paper into a ball, leaving a hollow space in the center.

Do the same with green origami paper—crumple it and shape it into leaves with the green side facing out.

Insert the leaves into the copy paper and glue them in place.

Finally, crumple brown origami paper and wrap it around the copy paper.

Wrap it so the white part doesn’t show, and your onion is complete.

Make two of them and tie them together with jute twine to evoke the image of onions hanging under the eaves.

It might even spark stories like, “I used to make these when I was young.” Because there are many hands-on steps, this is also recommended for finger dexterity training and as a recreational activity.

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