[For Senior Care Facilities] Easy! September Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn Season
When it comes to September events and observances, the Mid-Autumn Moon, Respect-for-the-Aged Day, and the autumn equinoctial week come to mind.
These are long-standing traditions in Japan, so they should be familiar to many older adults.
In this context, we’re introducing simple craft activities suitable for senior facilities such as day service centers.
We’ve gathered many projects perfect for September, featuring motifs like moon-viewing rabbits and themes of longevity and health.
They’re fun to make, attractive to display, and likely to give a sense of accomplishment! Although summer is ending and autumn is approaching, some regions still experience hot days.
Craft activities are great because they can be done indoors and are accessible even for those who find physical movement challenging.
Please give them a try!
- [For Seniors] Simple crafts that feel like autumn: a fun creative activity
- [For Seniors] Recommended for September! Craft Idea Collection
- [For Seniors] Recommended September Origami to Feel the Autumn Season
- [Day Service] Handmade Autumn Crafts: Take-Home Project Ideas
- Moon-Viewing Wall Decor Ideas for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Fall Wall Decoration Ideas
- Simple, Recommended Autumn Crafts for Seniors
- [For Seniors] Enjoy September’s Autumn Fun! A Collection of Craft, Game, and Exercise Ideas
- Useful in care facilities! Ideas for autumn wall decorations
- [For Seniors] Simple Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn Season with Fall Foliage
- [For Seniors] Easy Snack Activity Perfect for September
- [For Seniors] Introducing Fun Crafts Made with Plastic Bottle Caps
- Wall decoration ideas for seniors recommended for September
[For Senior Facilities] Simple! September Craft Ideas to Feel Autumn (21–30)
Grape wall hanging decoration
When there’s a grape craft displayed indoors, some older adults may think, “Ah, autumn has arrived.” Here’s an easy grape wall decoration you can make with familiar materials.
Take a small rectangular piece of tissue paper for flowers and wrap a small balled-up piece of tissue inside so it forms a round shape.
Use colors that evoke grapes, like blue or purple.
Connect the crumpled tissue pieces to create a grape cluster.
Assemble paper straws to make a hanging base and attach the grapes.
Make leaves and a stem as well, and stick them on to complete the piece.
You can make it using only items from a 100-yen shop, so please use this as a reference and give it a try.
Gradient Cosmos
Cosmos flowers often flutter delicately and come in vivid colors.
Let’s try making a paper craft that captures the feel of cosmos flowers.
We’ll use medium-weight colored quality paper, which has more body than copy paper and is just the right thickness for folding and layering.
After cutting the paper into petal shapes, add a gradient.
Create the gradient by smudging crayon with your finger.
The key is to wrap your finger with plastic wrap when making the gradient.
This method seems enjoyable for older adults as well.
Layer the petals to form a cosmos flower.
Make some leaves and attach them to the flower to finish it off even more beautifully.
[For Senior Care Facilities] Easy! September Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn (31–40)
Bouquet of cosmos flowers
Many people are delighted to receive a bouquet, not just cosmos.
This time, we’re introducing a cosmos bouquet that’s fun to make and a joy to give.
Let’s fold several kinds of cosmos with origami and arrange them into a bouquet.
Choosing the colors of origami for the bouquet can be enjoyable too, don’t you think? Try making it in the favorite colors of the seniors you’re giving it to.
It’s also recommended as a bouquet gift for autumn birthdays or Respect-for-the-Aged Day.
How about adding a message card and presenting it as a gift?
Stained glass grapes
Stained glass displayed in museums and churches creates a lovely atmosphere, doesn’t it? Let’s make a grape-themed piece with a stained-glass look.
Place a drawing of grapes on a backing sheet and cut along the lines with a craft knife.
Next, place blue and purple film over the grape drawing on the backing sheet and draw your cutting lines.
Cut along those lines and stick the pieces onto the backing sheet.
That’s all it takes to complete a stained-glass-style artwork.
Since it doesn’t use real glass and is easy to make, it should be a project that’s approachable for older adults as well.
Cosmos flowers dabbed with a sponge
This is a cosmos flower craft made by dabbing like stamping.
Cut a paper plate into the shape of a cosmos flower.
It’s easier if you first sketch the cosmos on the paper plate and then cut it out.
Place the cut paper plate on a sheet of paper, and dab a sponge with paint onto it to create cute cosmos flowers.
Try using cosmos-like colors such as pink, white, and red.
Aside from cutting the paper plate, there aren’t many complicated steps, so it’s a project that many older adults can easily participate in.
Translucent Cosmos Sheet
Let’s make a cosmos craft with beautiful translucency using tissue paper.
Stack three colors of tissue paper and cut them into cosmos petal shapes.
Sort the cut pieces by color and assemble the cosmos flowers.
Use watered-down glue to attach the tissue-paper cosmos to an OPP sheet for bouquets.
This will create a semi-transparent cosmos sheet.
You can fold or roll the sheet to make a variety of creations.
It would be fun to think together with older adults about what to make.
Origami Grape Wreath
We’d like to introduce a grape wreath made with origami.
Many older adults enjoy origami, don’t they? One of its charms is that you can make it while seated, so it’s easy to get started.
Since it uses your fingertips a lot, it’s said to stimulate the brain and help prevent dementia.
A fruit-themed project like grapes also makes it easier for seniors to feel the season.
Make the wreath base out of origami as well, then attach the folded grapes.
Seeing something you made displayed on a facility wall or in your own room can be a real joy.
Please use this as inspiration and create a lovely piece!