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Paper plates are often used as materials for craft activities.
These days, even 100-yen shops carry a growing variety of colorful and cute paper plates.
In this article, we’ll introduce craft ideas that make use of those paper plates.
Decorations like wreaths and mobiles are fun to take home, and wall hangings are also recommended as seasonal displays at facilities.
Many ideas can be adapted for different seasons and events, so please use them as inspiration.
We hope this serves as a helpful hint for your enjoyable craft activities.
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[For Seniors] Craft Ideas Using Paper Plates (1–10)
uchiwa (Japanese hand fan)
A hand fan that comes in handy on hot days.
It would be fun if your own drawing turned into a fan, right? You can easily make a fan featuring your artwork using a paper plate and a fork.
Have older adults draw a picture, then insert a fork to serve as the handle.
The key is to insert the fork firmly into the paper plate and secure it with tape so it doesn’t come off easily.
You can use it as an actual fan, and it also makes a nice decoration.
Of course, besides drawings, you can also use stickers, torn-paper collages, or lettering to create a lovely piece.
The steps are simple, so many older adults should be able to make it.
Enjoy making it!
Snow globe suncatcher
A sun catcher that sparkles like a rainbow when it bathes in sunlight.
Sun catchers are usually made with crystal glass.
This time, however, I’ll show you an easy version using transparent origami paper and other simple materials.
We’ll make a snow globe using two paper plates with circular centers cut out.
The key is to attach a clear film over the circular cutout in the paper plates.
Decorate the transparent film with embellishments and small pieces of transparent origami paper.
Then, when sunlight passes through the transparent origami, it will glitter like a sun catcher.
Hanging it by a window to catch the light may give older adults a wonderfully dreamy, magical feeling.
paper plate spinning top
How about trying a “paper plate spinning top” that’s fun to play with even after you make it? Using a simple, everyday material—a paper plate—you can craft it easily, and after enjoying the making process, older adults are sure to feel like kids again as they get absorbed in spinning it! To make one, fold a paper plate in half and crease it again to form a cross, decorate it freely with markers, then tape a plastic bottle cap to the center.
It’s super easy, so it would be great for a day-service craft activity or to make and play with your grandchildren.
flower(s)
With a bit of creativity, you can make three-dimensional flowers out of paper plates.
Cut out a circle from the center of a paper plate to make a donut shape.
Add evenly spaced slits around the donut-shaped plate and paint it all over.
The painted portion will become the petals, so color it according to the flower you have in mind.
Wrap the paper plate around a stem made from a wooden chopstick, and your flower is complete.
By changing the color of the center or the width of the slits, you can create a variety of flowers.
Making seasonal flowers can help older adults feel the changing seasons.
These make wonderful items for their own enjoyment, and they’re sure to delight family members or grandchildren as gifts.
tambourine
There are many kinds of paper plate crafts these days, and you can even make instruments.
Here’s a tambourine you can make with a paper plate and plastic bottle caps.
Cut a paper plate in half and sandwich bottle caps filled with rice between the halves.
You can use a patterned paper plate, or one with drawings to give it a nicer finish.
Put rice into one bottle cap and close it with another cap.
If you use beans or larger beads instead of rice, you can enjoy different sounds.
This cute tambourine is a craft that may bring back memories for older adults of when their children were little.
It might also be fun to use the tambourine during your daily exercise routine.
Photo frame
At senior care facilities, there are times when we take photos during events and activities, right? Why not place those fun memories and special-day photos in a lovely photo frame? This time, we’ll introduce an easy-to-make photo frame using a paper plate and yarn.
Cut out a circular hole in the center of the paper plate, then wrap yarn around it.
Try doing the wrapping process together with the seniors—it can help with finger and hand exercise as well as provide cognitive stimulation.
On another paper plate, stick a piece of origami paper in the center to serve as a photo mount, then attach the yarn-wrapped plate on top.
Insert the photo, and it’s complete.
It makes a wonderful piece to take home and display in one’s room.
mobile
Let’s make a paper-plate mobile that spins amusingly in the wind.
Draw a spiral and other pictures on a paper plate.
It’s easier to draw the spiral if you start from the outside and work your way toward the center.
Adding a little twist—like turning the spiral into a snake illustration—makes it even more fun.
Decorating with stickers or washi tape is also recommended if you like.
Cut along the spiral line with scissors, attach a string, and hang it up to finish.
Seeing the mobile you made yourself displayed near a wall or window can give older adults a sense of accomplishment, too.
Since it can be made while seated, it’s a project you can enjoy while chatting with others.