Fun Fall Crafts to Do with Senior Family Members

Featured, Senior Fun

October 5, 2021

These easy crafts will stimulate your senior’s creativity.

Fall is prime craft time: the holidays are coming up, which means the time for home decorating and DIY gift-making is quickly approaching. Fall crafts are a great way to spend more time with your senior family members and make something special together. Senior crafts help them keep their hands and minds busy (perfect for those with Alzheimer’s or dementia). And when you’re done, you’ll have something unique that they made that you can cherish for a lifetime.

Here are five easy senior crafts to help welcome fall:

1. Pumpkin Blocks

Fall fun usually involves pumpkins—an essential Halloween icon of the season. Pumpkin blocks like these are super cute and easy to make, and they require very few materials.

What You’ll Need:

Blocks of wood in varying sizes or heights
Paint (orange, brown, and other colors of your choice)
Paintbrushes
Ribbon or jute string (optional)
Sandpaper (optional, for a rustic look)

How to Make:

Paint your pumpkin blocks in the base color of your choice.
Once dry, paint a face, polka dots, stripes, or any other design on your block.
Add a small brown block on the top for a stem.
Once dry, give the entire block a light sanding for a more rustic look (optional).
Tie jute string or a ribbon to the stem (optional).

2. Paper Pumpkin Ornaments

Paper crafts are relatively inexpensive and perfect for nearly every skill level. These adorable paper pumpkin ornaments can decorate your space all season long. Or, for more durable ornaments, consider trading the paper strips for felt. Here’s how to make them.

What You’ll Need:

Strips of orange felt or paper
Sheet(s) of green felt or paper
Scissors

How to Make:

Cut a total of seven orange strips: two 12-inch, two 10-inch, two 8-inch, and one 7-inch.
Stack the strips in the following order: 12, 10, 8, 7, 8, 10, and 12.
Align the strips so that all strip bottoms touch, then staple or secure in place.
Bend the strips and then align them so that all strip tops touch, then staple or secure in place.
Use your green felt or paper to cut out leaves and a stem, then secure it to the top of the pumpkin ornament.

3. Ribbon-Wrapped Wreaths

Wreath-making is one of the best senior activities because it offers so many possibilities. Wreaths can be quite intricate, but they can take a simple approach, too. Try this method for a quick and easy wreath:

What You’ll Need:

Grapevine wreath in the size of your choice
Your choice of ribbon(s), about 2” wide
Small pumpkins or other items to add to the wreath
Florist wire or glue gun

How to Make:

Wrap the ribbon around the wreath as widely spaced as you like, making sure to leave a long tail at the top of the wreath.
Once wrapped, tie the ends of the ribbon into a bow, then form a loop to hang it.
Add embellishments using hot glue or florist wire.

4. Birdseed Ornaments

For many seniors in the fall, birdwatching is a favorite pastime. Attract more birds to their homes with handmade birdseed ornaments.

What You’ll Need:

Birdseed
Metal cookie cutters
Corn syrup
Unflavored gelatin
Water
Jute string
Straw

How to Make:

Mix the gelatin according to the package instructions.
Add corn syrup and birdseed and let it sit to thicken.
Spoon the mixture into the cookie cutters to fill, pressing firmly to create an even layer.
Use the straw to make a small hole for hanging.
Refrigerate overnight for the ornaments to firm up.
Thread jute string through the hole and hang outdoors.

Which of these fall senior crafts are you most excited to try? For more fun ideas check out our other blog posts here.