[Day Service] Craft Ideas for Seniors to Make in October
Autumn is full of delicious foods and is a comfortable season to spend time in, so it’s easy to make progress with your hobbies.
Many seniors may also be looking forward to enjoying the beautiful autumn leaves.
In this article, we introduce recommended craft ideas for October.
We’ve gathered many ideas, including decorations themed on maple leaves—the quintessential symbol of autumn—pumpkin decorations perfect for Halloween, stylish pieces that can be displayed as interior decor, and craft ideas useful for recreational activities at day service centers.
If you’d like, give them a try!
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- Useful in care facilities! Ideas for autumn wall decorations
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- [For Seniors] Let’s Get Excited with Halloween Crafts! Fun and Easy Decoration Ideas
- [For Seniors] Fall Wall Decoration Ideas
- [For Seniors] Recommended for September! Craft Idea Collection
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- [For Senior Care Facilities] Easy! September Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn Season
- [For Senior Care Facilities] Feel the Autumn! Collection of Maple Leaf Wall Decoration Ideas
[Day Service] Craft Ideas for Seniors to Make in October (1–10)
Mummy-kun
Here’s a great idea to try when you’re looking for a Halloween-season craft.
It’s a mummy mascot you can make using a Yakult bottle, pipe cleaners, and yarn.
First, attach the pipe cleaners to the bottle as arms, then wrap the yarn around to create the mummy.
Finish by sticking on googly-eye stickers you can find at 100-yen shops.
The steps are simple, but wrapping the yarn may require some dexterity.
It’s a recommended idea when you want a craft that doesn’t take much time but still gives your fingers a good workout.
Acorn beanbags
October is perfect for outings.
If you pick up acorns at a park or campsite, try making beanbags! Beanbags are also familiar to many older adults, so they may be useful for reminiscence therapy as well.
Prepare a rectangular piece of fabric with a pattern you like, sew a running stitch along the long edge, and instead of tying off, trim the excess thread.
Next, fold the fabric in half, sew the edge closed, and tie it off.
On the side where you didn’t tie off earlier, pull the thread to gather the fabric, wrap it around, and tie it off.
Turn the fabric right side out, fill it with acorns, then sew a running stitch around the opening, pull the thread to gather it, and you’re done! It’s also perfect for fine motor training for older adults, so why not give it a try?
Pumpkin made from newspaper
Let’s make a newspaper pumpkin that’s perfect for Halloween decorations! Fold a sheet of newspaper in quarters, then cut it into a half-pumpkin shape with the folds at the center.
When you unfold the cut piece, it will form a full pumpkin shape.
Make several of these and glue them together.
When gluing, the key is to apply glue only to the top and bottom of the pumpkin, not all over.
After you’ve attached all the pieces, fan them out to create a 3D effect.
Finally, add a stem and leaves made from leftover newspaper or construction paper, and you’re done! You can also use orange paper instead of newspaper for a different look.
[Day Service] Craft Ideas for Seniors to Make in October (11–20)
Fallen Leaves Bookmark
These bookmarks, inspired by fallen leaves, will make you look forward to autumn reading! Using felt gives them a warm, cozy feel, and they’d make wonderful gifts.
Simply cut two leaf shapes—such as maple or ginkgo—from felt, apply glue to one piece, place a string in between, and fix the second piece on top.
It’s also lovely to design leaves on both ends of the string.
Felt doesn’t require finishing thread ends and is easy to work with, so why not incorporate this project into a craft activity at your day service?
Cutout painting
This is a cutout painting that lets you fully experience autumn by touching fallen leaves.
First, sketch an autumn-themed motif on drawing paper and cut it out with scissors or a craft knife.
Next, glue fallen leaves onto another sheet of drawing paper.
Finally, layer the cutout sheet on top, glue it down, and let it dry—that’s it! Display it in a frame to add an accent to your interior.
If you enjoy working with natural materials or are good at detailed handiwork, give it a try.
Colored maple leaf shikishi (decorative square paper)
How about making a handmade shikishi board with an autumn foliage theme? First, draw some branches on the board in advance.
You can draw the maple leaves with a brush pen or marker, or use printed templates—either is fine.
Next, color them with care to capture the beautiful hues of the maples.
To make them look more realistic, add gradations to the leaves.
Finally, arrange the colored leaves on the branches and glue them in place.
A helpful tip is to apply glue only at the base of each leaf.
If you’re not confident in drawing, you can also cut maple leaves out of origami or construction paper.
Enjoy this special time of welcoming autumn through the crafting process.
A mobile of apples and pears
Making mobiles with autumn fruits—apples and pears—is an easy, enjoyable craft that also stimulates the senses and creates a pleasant time for older adults.
By using templates cut from construction paper in the shapes of apples and pears, you can make multiple identical pieces and glue them together in layers.
Use wood glue along the creases; there’s no need to worry if a little squeezes out.
Add fun variations like spiral apple peels, or change the colors and sizes to suit your style.
Because the pieces can stand on their own, they work as small objects, or you can hang them as mobiles to decorate windows or entryways—there are many ways to enjoy this idea.