[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!
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[For Senior Care Facilities] Easy! September Craft Ideas to Feel the Autumn (31–40)
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!
Origami Cosmos Wreath
Here’s a perfect autumn craft: an origami cosmos wreath.
Fold origami paper to make the cosmos flowers and the wreath base.
Fold 8 petal pieces for each cosmos.
Glue the pieces together, trim the tips, and fan them out to complete the flower.
Adding a yellow sticker to the center makes it look even more like a cosmos.
Attach the origami cosmos and leaves to the origami wreath base to finish.
It’s also a delightful activity to chat with others while folding.
The finished piece can be taken home and displayed in a senior’s room.
Grapes made with torn newspaper (collage)
Let’s make a grape collage using torn paper (chigiri-e).
Chigiri-e uses your fingertips a lot, so it can be effective for fine motor training.
It also helps stimulate the brain.
Through detailed work, it is said to improve concentration as well.
Cut out photos or illustrations from newspapers that match your grape design.
To prepare the parts you’ll tear, trace the shapes on the newspaper with a brush moistened with water.
This makes it easier to tear along the shape you want to use.
Then, create the grapes on a backing sheet using the torn newspaper pieces to complete your work.
It’s also great for making calendars.
Autumn hanging ornament: grapes
Imagine how grapes grow on a vine.
Don’t they hang from the plant as they bear fruit? Let me introduce a hanging decoration that looks just like real grapes.
We’ll make grape berries by rolling up origami paper inspired by grapes.
Glue the berries together in a chain to form a single bunch.
Attach the bunch of grapes to a vine made from origami and string.
Add leaves and hang it up, and you’ll have a creation that looks just like real grapes.
Seeing the grape hanging decoration might remind some seniors of going grape picking, or help them feel the season by looking at autumn’s taste of grapes.
Cosmos flowers on the autumn plateau
The cosmos, with its colorful round blossoms, is a delicate flower.
Seeing them bloom in autumn fields and flower beds makes you feel the arrival of fall, doesn’t it? Older adults, too, may sense the changing seasons when they see cosmos and other autumn plants.
Here, we introduce a cosmos-themed craft that captures that seasonal feeling.
First fold origami paper, then cut it into the shape of a cosmos.
Use your fingers to gently curve the petals so they look rounded.
You can also make petals with tissue paper, and add leaves to the cosmos to finish.
If you make lots of cosmos and stick them on paper or on the wall, it will feel like you’ve come to a highland where cosmos are in full bloom.
[For Elderly Care Facilities] Easy! September Craft Ideas That Feel Like Autumn (41–50)
3D grapes
Let’s make one of autumn’s flavors—grapes—out of origami.
Use a compass or similar tool to cut out round shapes from origami paper.
After making several circles, apply glue and layer them.
The key is to fold each piece of origami paper in half, then attach each half to a different circular piece, one by one.
This creates a spherical shape out of origami.
Connect the spheres together, and they will look like a bunch of grapes.
Using origami paper with dots or patterns can add a cute accent.
Older adults may also enjoy feeling the season of autumn through this grape craft.
A wreath of vividly colored cosmos flowers
Here is an introduction to making a cosmos wreath with origami.
Cosmos petals are long and slender, right? We’ll make petals in that shape using a single sheet of origami paper.
First, fold the paper to create crease lines, then fold it into the shape of a cosmos.
Some of the folding steps are a bit complex, so older adults or others may find parts challenging.
Please have people nearby help out during the craft.
Once you’ve folded the cosmos flowers, glue them together to form a wreath.
Since the cosmos ends up shaped like a medal, it would also make a lovely gift as a medal-style decoration.