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[For Seniors] Making a January Calendar: Fun Craft Ideas Using Milk Cartons and Origami
January marks the beginning of a new year.
Many of us may feel a sense of hope when we see a brand-new, blank calendar.
This time, we’re introducing calendars that are perfect for January.
Along with ideas for coloring-page calendars and origami displays featuring lucky motifs like daruma dolls, kadomatsu, and beckoning cats, we’ve also included a perpetual calendar you can enjoy all year round.
One of the charms of handmade calendars is how you can express your individuality through the way you write the numbers and use color.
And by looking at your handmade calendar every day, daily life might feel a little more fun.
We hope you’ll spend a warm, creative time together with older adults, crafting pieces that are perfect for the New Year.
[For Seniors] January Calendar Crafting: Fun Project Ideas Using Milk Cartons and Origami (1–10)
Origami Calendar: Kagami Mochi
Kagamimochi, which is offered at New Year as a sacred stand-in for the Toshigami deity.
Believe it or not, you can make it easily with origami! It also works as a January calendar design, so give it a try and enjoy the New Year atmosphere.
In this idea, you’ll use three sheets of origami paper to create the parts—“mochi,” “sanpō” (the offering stand), and “mikan”—and then assemble them into a kagamimochi.
The steps are simple, featuring basic folds like valley-pleat (dan-ori) and cushion fold (zabuton-ori), making it suitable for everyone from children to seniors.
Origami Calendar January
While enjoying origami, why not try making a January calendar? You’ll create three items: ornamental cabbage, a celebratory crane, and a New Year’s pine decoration (kadomatsu).
You’ll make several ornamental cabbages and cranes in different sizes.
Once everything is finished, arrange them on a backing sheet in any balance you like.
Attach the calendar section in the blank space, and you’re done.
There are many other origami projects you can make, so look for various New Year–themed ideas.
For the calendar portion, using free downloadable materials makes it easy.
Origami Calendar: Kadomatsu
During the New Year season, kadomatsu decorations are often displayed at the main entrances of large buildings.
Some of you may remember having them at your own homes’ gates when you were little.
Kadomatsu is a perfect motif for a January calendar.
This origami idea not only shows how to fold a kadomatsu, but also includes instructions for a festive fan and plum blossoms.
Why not try making them and using them as the main design for your calendar? Since combining all the parts adds thickness, be sure to adhere them firmly when using them in your design.
Origami Calendar: Shishimai (Lion Dance)
Let’s try making a shishimai (lion dance lion) using three sheets of origami paper in red, green, and gold.
Use red for the head, green for the body, and gold for the lion’s mouth.
The process features classic folding techniques like the roll fold and the zabuton (cushion) fold.
The head is the most difficult part, but if you make firm creases, it will come out neatly—so give it a try.
The body is easy: do a zabuton fold, then fold it in half into a triangle, tuck in the corners, and shape it.
Once you’ve drawn the face and patterns with a pen, glue it onto a backing sheet to complete your calendar.
Origami Calendar Daruma
The daruma, a popular New Year’s decoration symbolizing good luck, is a perfect motif for a January calendar as well.
You can make this idea with a single sheet of origami: leave space for the face, then simply fold the corners and edges inward.
There are no complicated folds or steps, so give it a try.
For the expression and patterns on the daruma, use round stickers or draw them with a pen.
While daruma are traditionally red, the charm of handmade crafts is in the ability to customize—so feel free to make it in any color you like.
Origami Calendar Maneki-neko
How about incorporating the maneki-neko, a classic good-luck charm, into your calendar design? In this idea, you’ll use two rectangular sheets of origami paper cut in half to make the cat’s head and body.
Once you’ve made the head and body, glue them together, then use a pen to add the body’s patterns and the facial expression to finish.
It’s said that a maneki-neko raises its right paw to invite wealth and its left paw to invite people, so make yours with whichever paw you prefer.
It’s also recommended to design it together with other New Year’s motifs like kadomatsu or plum blossoms.
Origami Calendar: Battledore and Shuttlecock
Hanetsuki is a traditional New Year’s game that has long been loved in Japan.
The items used for it are the hagoita (paddle) and the shuttlecock.
Here are origami ideas for making a hagoita and a shuttlecock.
The hagoita is made by separating it into the hitting surface and the handle, and the shuttlecock is made by separating it into a weighted base and three feathers.
Each can be made with just a few folds, so even those who aren’t confident with handcrafts should enjoy making them.
However, since these are designed to be a bit large, if you want to use them in a calendar design, it might be better to use slightly smaller origami paper.