Recommended November craft ideas for day service centers

Maple Leaf Wreath

Autumn Foliage: Origami Maple Leaf Wreath

Let’s make a wreath using colored origami that evokes autumn maple leaves! Fold maple leaves out of origami paper in colors like orange and brown.

Use the same folding method for all the leaves, making enough to form a wreath.

The construction is simple: just assemble the folded leaves into a circle.

This should make it accessible for many older adults to participate.

Origami engages the hands while thinking through the steps, so it can be expected to help with cognitive training.

The finished “Maple Leaf Wreath” can be displayed on the facility’s wall or taken home, which also fosters a sense of accomplishment.

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Nakajima Junko

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Maple leaf photo frame

[Handmade Video] Hands Hint Club at Home: “Let’s Make a Photo Frame from Cardboard” [Official Hands]

Maple leaves have often been the subject of waka poetry since ancient times.

Kakinomoto no Hitomaro’s poem, “Akiyama no momiji o shigemi madoinuru imo o motome mu yamaji shirazumo,” is well known.

It’s quite charming to go on a momijigari (autumn leaf viewing) with everyone from the day service while thinking of such poems.

How about decorating a photo frame with the maple leaves you gather? It will make a lovely autumn memory, and photos taken in the fall will surely shine.

The photo frame can be handmade or store-bought—either is fine.

Arrange various shades of orange paper and maple leaves beautifully on the frame you’ve prepared.

Paper cutouts of maple leaves

[Autumn Origami] Easy Maple Leaf Cutting: How to Make Fall Leaves [Kirigami]

If you want to enjoy an easy touch of autumn in a day-service craft activity, how about making maple leaves by cutting origami paper? It’s a simple process—stack and fold the paper, then cut with scissors—so it should be easy for older adults to take part.

Once everyone gets used to each step, you can work together to make lots in various colors and decorate the walls beautifully! You can also arrange them as stylish memo paper, cards, or wreath decorations, so please enjoy them in whatever way you like.

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miyabi

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Paper-cut maple leaves

[Paper Cutting] Easy Way to Make Maple Leaves 🍁 Fall Season Classic Made Only with Scissors | Kirigami with Audio Tips and Precautions / Let’s Start Paper Cutting!

Here’s an idea for making maple leaves with paper cutting.

First, prepare origami paper in yellow, red, orange, and similar colors.

Follow the steps to make the creases, then draw a maple leaf with a pencil and cut it out with scissors.

Open it slowly so it doesn’t tear, and your maple leaf is complete.

The initial creases look like veins, giving the leaf a three-dimensional feel even though it’s made from a single sheet of paper.

You can use it as a wall decoration, or glue two together to make a hanging ornament.

It’s a simple craft that older adults can enjoy as well, so please use it for your autumn projects.

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sasashina

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Maple leaf wall decoration

[Elderly Recreation] Maple Leaf Wall Decoration [Autumn Craft]

These maple leaf wall decorations are great for group crafts at day service centers.

All you need is origami paper, so it’s inexpensive and low-effort—that’s the key point! You can make the leaves by folding the origami, cutting along a traced outline, and unfolding.

They’ll look like slightly three-dimensional, realistic autumn leaves.

It’s also nice to customize: use gradient origami, or crumple the paper first and then cut it.

They look lovely mounted on backgrounds like washi or colored paper, and creating many pieces to decorate an entire wall makes for a stunning large-scale display!

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miyabi

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balancing toy (Yajirobei)

Let's make a balancing toy!

Yajirobe is a traditional Japanese toy.

It has a human shape and balances with weights, so it’s also called a balancing doll.

Some older adults may remember playing with a yajirobe when they were children.

Let’s try making a nostalgic yajirobe using a pine cone.

You’ll need items like bamboo skewers and glue.

It’s just a matter of cutting and sticking according to the size.

This craft is easy for seniors to try, so it’s recommended.

If you add a face made of construction paper to the pine cone at the end, you’ll have a humorous, personality-filled yajirobe.

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Nanaka

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Apple

Masking Tape Art “Tear-and-Paste Art” – Apple

How about using a bright red, delicious-looking apple as the subject for a torn-paper collage? Apples don’t require a large area to be covered and can be expressed with a minimal palette, so they’re great even for people who aren’t confident with crafts.

If tearing paper and gluing it down feels like a hassle, masking tape makes it super easy! It’s made from thin, semi-transparent paper, so you can tear it by hand, and it already has adhesive, which means no messy hands or clothes.

Try layering not only red but also warm colors like yellow, orange, and yellow-green to add depth and dimensionality!

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miyabi

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