[For Seniors] January Craft Ideas: Boost Your Luck with New Year Decorations and Good-Luck Charms
January marks the beginning of a new year.
If you want to give your room a seasonal touch, why not try some hands-on crafts? Create and enjoy pieces unique to January—such as pine decorations symbolizing longevity, camellias that shine in winter scenery, or festive cranes for the New Year.
Using familiar materials like construction paper, tissue paper, and origami, there’s a special joy in watching seasonal works take shape.
Shape with your fingers, choose colors, and get creative with embellishments—these moments will ease your mind and bring a smile.
How about enjoying a relaxed crafting time while sharing your New Year’s resolutions?
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For Seniors: January Craft Ideas. Boost Your Luck with New Year Decorations and Good-Luck Charms (71–80)
A life-sized ema made from A4 copy paper
This is an easy-to-make ema (votive plaque) using A4 copier paper that doesn’t even require scissors.
You trim both ends of a rectangle into roof-like shapes, fold it in half, and tuck it in, resulting in smooth finishes on both sides.
You will need small creases as guides for shaping, but to keep the final product looking neat, it’s best to make these guide creases as inconspicuous as possible.
If you insert a piece of cardstock while shaping, it will turn out sturdier and should also make it easier to write your wish.
Bunny Wreath
One animal that suits winter well might be the rabbit.
Its fluffy white fur is like snow and matches the season perfectly.
How about making a rabbit wreath using pom-poms made from yarn? Use a pom-pom maker sold at 100-yen shops to wrap the yarn and create fluffy balls.
Since wrapping the yarn uses fine motor skills, it’s also great for rehabilitation.
Once the balls are ready, attach ears made from precut fabric and felt.
Finish by gluing on ten rabbit heads with a hot glue gun.
Fukuwarai wall decoration of a rabbit daruma
Would you like to make a rabbit daruma decoration—an arrangement perfect for New Year’s that adds a cute twist to the traditional daruma and brightens up your wall décor? Use the template downloadable from YouTube to cut out each part.
For round pieces like the eyes, a circle punch is handy.
Once everything is cut out, glue the parts in place while referring to the template.
The expression will change depending on where you position the pieces, which is part of the fun.
Give it a try!
amulet
Many families go to their first shrine visit of the New Year (hatsumode) and receive protective charms (omamori).
However, some people can’t go for various reasons.
For those people, we recommend DIY omamori craft ideas.
If you search for how to make omamori, you’ll find many methods: making them with origami, using chirimen crepe fabric, or even no-sew options.
Why not try whichever method seems easiest for you? These days, you can even find chirimen fabric with adhesive backing at 100-yen shops, so be sure to make use of that as well.
New Year’s shimenawa wreath
Let’s make a festive shimenawa, an essential New Year’s decoration, using easy-to-find materials.
Crumple up some newspaper, twist it into a coil, and shape it into a circle to use as the base.
Wrap the base with crepe paper and glue it in place, then attach lucky-looking parts you’ve made separately—such as a fan and camellia flowers—to finish.
Because the steps are simple, it’s a craft that lets you come up with your own design, from the colors you choose to the decorations you include.
New Year’s origami
Let’s try folding a daruma doll using a single sheet of origami paper! The steps are simple, but you’ll end up with a cute daruma.
Once it’s done, draw the face with a pen or use round stickers—try different expressions and enjoy customizing it! Origami is said to stimulate and activate the brain by using your fingertips and thinking through the next steps.
It’s also easy to do while chatting with others, which helps spark social interaction.
Please make use of origami daruma to create a delightful time for older adults.
Shimenawa wreath decoration
Let’s use paper cord from the 100-yen shop to make a shimenawa wreath decoration! Unlike store-bought items, it will have a handmade feel that you’ll grow attached to.
Spread out the paper cords to form a bundle and twist it clockwise, then twist that bundle counterclockwise.
Next, prepare another length twisted clockwise and wrap it around the first bundle.
Finally, shape it into a wreath and you’re done! Add plum blossoms, mizuhiki cords, folding fans, and more to create a wreath brimming with originality.
